Do kids and students need cell phones?

by billso on Thursday, 12 June 2008

Do children need a cell phone before they’re 18? I’ve long believed that people shouldn’t learn how to drive until they’re 18, or when they’ve demonstrated some advanced level of personal development. There are folks like Darren Draper and Rich Ling who think that mobile phones can become excellent tools in a classroom. This article in the New York Times about finding gadgets that are age-appropriate for children got me thinking about the issue again.

Several months ago, I was in a campus restroom when I overheard a student talking on his phone while he was sitting in a stall. He was talking in a normal voice, as if he was the only person in the restroom.

There are some universities and schools that have developed zero tolerance rules for mobile phones and other devices in classrooms, especially during exams and quizzes. If the device can be heard or seen, the student fails the exam. I’m not sure how long these rules will last, simply because more college students seem to carry their mobile phones everywhere.

“Where you at?”

Kids who use Nextel or push-to-talk phones are another irritant. No one needs to hear both sides of their conversation, and Mark Jaquith seems to agree with me. I used a Nextel phone between 2000 and 2003, but I would almost always put the PTT feature on vibrate. I’d use the PTT feature as if it were a regular phone conversation whenever I was out in public.

As usual, Asia and Europe are the leaders in mobile technology. European regulators may ban advertisements from children’s cell phones, according to this 8 March 2008 New York Times article. As mobile telecoms and other companies search for new sources of revenue, mobile advertising has become an attractive new business. The iPhone and Google’s Android platform each offer multiple ways to place advertisements on a user’s screen.

This is your brain on a mobile phone. Any questions?

There’s another concern in Europe — radiation. Studies are being commissioned to examine the possible effects of mobile phone radiation on children’s brains and behavior.

In japan, government officials are now asking mobile telecoms and handset manufacturers to design and market models for children — without any email or texting features. Japanese parents rely on cell phones as a digital leash for their commuting children, but kids have been known to spend all night sending messages to each other. Japanese officials want manufacturers to focus on voice and GPS features, so students will spend more time studying. This Associated Press report has more details.