If you own a cell phone and have found it to be incredibly convenient then you will understand there has been a rich debate about cell phones in school pros and cons. You will of course have a much better understanding of both the pros and cons if you have a child in school. It seems from the news children are getting their first cell phone at a younger age each new year. The Pros are beating the Cons at this point. As technology advances and cheaper cell phone plans become more readily available, parents are finding the pros are far outweighing the cons.
I never got my first cell phone until I was in college. I’m 35 years old now and 17 years ago they were still fairly new. Back then nobody would text each other, everyone spoke over the phone. The cost to talk was expensive and it was considered to be somewhat a luxury to own one. With the advent of unlimited text plans and QWERTY keyboards that has all changed. There are many cell phone carriers throughout the US and Canada that provides inexpensive talk and text plans that parents can afford for their children.
Please follow the links below for the Best Cell Phone Plans for Children.
Cell Phones In School Suggested Plans for US kids
Cell Phones In School Suggested Plans for Canadian kids
We are going to do our best to stay neutral in our opinion on the topic of Cell Phones In School Pros and Cons. It is up to parents and school boards to decide what is best for children and at what age. We will simply be providing a list of the pros and cons of Cell Phones in School. We will start with the Cons because we would like to get all the negativity over with and finish the article on a positive note.
Cell Phones In School CONS
1. MAJOR DISTRACTION IN CLASS. A ringing phone going off in the middle of a lecture can be a major distraction to the teacher and the class, much like in the boardroom or at the movies. It’s no different and most people including children understand they must silence their cell phone in these situations. However Cell Phones are so much more than phones and as such their other features can cause much distraction. People spend more time on their phones today using the applications than they do actually talking. The technology has advanced so greatly that the applications and games they can play are very advanced, with great graphics and excitement. It can easily be compared to kids years ago bringing their Nintendo systems into class and playing them while the teacher lectures. Thinking of it this way you can see the major distraction. They also have full internet browser capabilities with access to Google and the entire World Wide Web which will alleviate the boredom of even the smartest of students. Texting is today’s version of passing notes in class and if you remember when you were in school that was highly frowned upon by the teachers.
2. USED FOR CHEATING. Do you recall the show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Many people don’t know this but it became common knowledge that contestants would prepare with a friend in advance to help answer their question during the “Phone a Friend”. The purpose of Phone a Friend was for the contestant to think of a friend the most knowledgeable in a given subject and call them and ask them the question. The friend had 30 seconds to respond. However the contestants learned quickly that Google.com or wiki.com could answer most questions with ease in less than 30 seconds. No longer did a contestant call the most knowledgeable friend. Instead they called the friend with the best computer and typing skills to search the internet quickly for the answer. This changed the dynamic of “Phone a Friend” and many considered the new technique cheating. Now imagine having an internet browser in your hands during an exam in school. Technology today has changed the whole dynamic of tests in this regard. Many Cell Phones also have cameras, video recorders, calculators, notepads voice recorder and walkie talkies. Any of these applications can aid a student who attempts to cheat on exams in school. It is simple to see with these tools the ease and detail of their cheats are much more sophisticated than years past.
3. SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE CHANGING. When I was in school our breaks and lunches consisted of me and my friends sitting around talking about sports, games, class our studies and girls. Nobody at the table was distracted by a cell phone during our conversations. Today that is no longer the case. Children often lose site of the correct social rules and cling to their cell phones instead of carrying on social conversations.
4. USED FOR ILLEGAL ACTIVITY INCLUDING DRUG DEALS OR PORNOGRAPHY. Do you remember when teenagers had beepers at school? You could call a beeper and the person holding the beeper would get a notification to call back a specific number. This was very handy in business and was much less used for social reasons. However many teenagers had them in school. That is because they were also running a business. They were running the business of selling drugs and their beeper was the main tool for the pushers to keep in contact with the addicts. Cell Phones In Schools are used in this same way. For the drug addicts and dealers to stay in contact. Also teenagers would also have access to inappropriate photos and video found on the internet. They could view this content alone without parental supervision.
5. PRANKS. With Cell Phones in School come new ways to prank and play jokes on friends and enemies. Many pranks can be playful and harmless but some can become dangerous and hurtful. For example a prankster could get a student’s cell phone and forward their private emails to a distribution list including the student faculty. Or they could dial 911 from someone else’s cell phone. The pranking options are limitless and students with cell phones in school would find creative ways to prank each other.
6. THEFT OF CELL PHONES. Many Smart Phones sold today are very expensive. The new Apple iPhone is over $700.00 to buy brand new and HTC, Samsung and Motorola are not much less. A child or teenager carrying around a $700 device can be a target for thefts and criminals. Theft of the device and having to pay to replace it is really the least of their worries. Theft, injury and even murder took place in schools in the early 90’s when kids were fighting over sneakers. A major con of cell phones in schools is the danger of carrying around such expensive electronics.
Cell Phones In School PROS
1. CONVENIENCE FACTOR. How angry and sad are you when you leave your home and realize you forgot your cell phone? I do not know about you but I feel immediate fear and anxiety. Most of my fear and anxiety is caused by the fact I know I will be inconvenienced for the rest of my day. Every time I want to call someone I need to search for a phone. Even more frightening, my wife or children cannot get a hold of me all day. I will not have immediate access to my emails, texts or the internet Can you believe that? These days I do not consider it an option to go without these conveniences. We rely on this technology very heavily and the loss of it is great. Kids enjoy the same conveniences and prefer having cell phones in school as opposed to going without.
2. SAFETY. “Find My Phone” is a great new application you can get for free with any iPhone, iPod and iPad. If you device, or child holding that device gets lost or stolen you can find it on a map in seconds on your phone or computer. What an amazing feature to have. You will feel much more save and secure in letting you kids leave the home when you know you can find them on Google maps at any moment you like. A nice added bonus of course is you can see where you child is in the world at any moment.
3. 911 AND OTHER CONTACTS. Apart from the convenience of your children having a cell phone in school, you also have the comfort of knowing in a time of emergency they can call 911. Phones also have simple and easy to use contact lists. Your child can have every address and phone number you would ever need programmed into the phone. Perhaps you have multiple work phone numbers or multiple places you can be at any given time. You can also keep other family, friends and neighbours numbers if your child requires help when you cannot be contacted.
4. ACCESS TO BROWSER AND APPLICATIONS FOR STUDY. In the Cons section we explained that access to the internet and other applications like a calculator, calendar or games could be a con because it could aid in cheating or be a major distraction. At the same time, if used in a mature and adult manner they can be a help when learning new subjects or when studying. Many complicated math courses require the student bring a calculator to class. Having the built in calculator app when a student forgets or loses their calculator can be a Pro of cell phones in school. Also students should be allowed to play games or use other apps on their phones when on breaks, lunch or waiting for the bus.
Technology complicates our lives and will continue to in the future. It brings great joys and convenience but can also create anguish, stress and in some cases violence. Having read this article you can now make a very well informed decision on whether to allow your children to have a cell phone in school
If you decided the Pros out weight the Cons please click on this link to find the Best Cell Phone Plans for your kids.