Cell Phones to Help Keep Kids Safe

“The relationship is the communication bridge between people.” (Alfred Kadushin)

Having a child is like having your heart walk around outside your body. It is natural for parents to be concerned about their children’s well-being and safety when they are not with them. Parents can’t be with their children all the time. That’s why my book, What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers, (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Follett, Ingrams, and Baker & Tayor) is such a useful resource for empowering children to stay safe from abduction or harm when they can’t be with their parents. The book mentions the option of parents purchasing cell phones for their children so that they can communicate with them when they are apart.

A distinct advantage to children having cell phones is that parents can keep in touch with them, not only for practical purposes, but especially for emergency situations as well. Parents who get their children cell phones with a GPS have the additional security of keeping track of where the children are at all times. Security and safety are the most important reasons for allowing children to have cell phones.

One risk, however, to children having cell phones is the controversial and potential radiation hazard that cell phones present. If parents opt to supply their children with cell phones, they must weigh the advantages against the potential radiation risks. They must teach their children to use the cell phone with the speaker-phone option, keeping the phone away from their ears. They should teach their children never to use the cell phone while driving, and teach them to use the cell phone responsibly, abiding by their parents rules for cell phone use.