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Here are a few tips to help parents better govern the use of their son’s cell phone. Cell phones have become the principal method of communication for teens and parents must be bold enough to manage their usage. |
- Discuss the reasons why your son wants or needs a cell phone: Is your son trying to keep up with everyone else? Why does he need or want a cell phone? It is important for parents to have these kinds of conversations with their sons.
- Create a list of rules and responsibilities for cell phone use: Parents, always remember that as long as you pay the bill or the phone is in your house, it is your phone.
- Discuss appropriate circumstances, places and uses for cell phones with your child: Parents need to discuss cell phone use. The phone is not a toy. It should not be used while driving. It should not be used in school, especially not during class. It should not be turned on in church or during other important services.
- Establish rules about cell phone use at night: Require your son to turn off his cell phone at night and keep it in a common area rather than allowing him to take it into his room, where he can talk or text message late into the night. Late at night your son might be tempted to send messages and/or texts that can get him into serious legal trouble.
- Consider a child-friendly cell phone for your son: Some phones made especially for kids allow you to control whom your child can call, or offer only “mom” and “dad” buttons, meaning calls cannot be made to or received from anyone other than mom and dad.
- Teach your son to answer calls or view text messages from only people he knows: Like the internet, cell phones are becoming a vehicle not only for bullying but also for sexual predators and for scams.
- Teach financial responsibility through the use of the cell phone: Consider purchasing a pre-paid plan with a limited number of minutes for your son and remind him to “budget” his minutes.
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