CONSUMERconnection
We’ll have phone, phone, phone
Ask David
Horowitz
[‘til your daddy takes your cellphone away]

CELLPHONES OFFER so many advantages to be grateful for: emergency contact when a car breaks down, the ability to look up directions and even the ability to take fairly high-quality photos. But one area with more than its share of negatives is cellphone usage among teenagers. Many of the problems fall into one of the following four categories.

More and more teenagers are sending explicit photos and racy texts to one another. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, roughly 20 percent of teens 13 to 19 years old have sent nude or semi-nude photos of themselves via text messages. Fight Back! encourages you, the adult consumer, to inform yourself on what you can do to prevent things like this from happening.

Don’t be afraid to partner with the cellphone company and limit the capabilities on your teenager’s phone. You can always remove the ability to send/ receive photos, if need be.

I’M PLANNING to short sell my house. I bought my house in June 2006. Will this affect my credit score? If so, how many points would be deducted from my credit score for a short sale? I’m planning to pay the mortgage and other bills for the house until it gets sold.

Fees

Probably the most widespread problems come from charges for sending text messages. According to a study in The Washington Post, the age group most likely to send and receive text messages are people between the ages of 13 and 24. That’s a fairly large demographic, and many of its members are still dependents. It is also hugely profitable for cellphone companies to charge for additions that are geared toward the interests of teens (downloading music, checking Facebook, etc.).

Don’t be shocked; be informed. If your child has set up his or her phone to be Internet connected or if your child sets up instant messaging to be linked to the phone, there are separate charges for that, according to a report by ABCnews.com.

You have the power to call the cellphone provider and block any applications from your child’s phone that cost money and/or that you deem inappropriate. Check your bill and be aware of your charges.

Teresa

Loma Linda, California

Cheating

Another staggering trend is using text messages
to cheat on tests. Nearly one out of three teens are
using mobile devices to obtain test answers. What’s
more, according to a 2009 study by U.S. News and
World Report, “Nearly 1 in 4 students thinks that
accessing notes on a cell phone, texting friends with
answers, or using a phone to search the Internet for
answers during a test isn’t cheating.”
Teachers are starting to respond to this trend.
According to the same study by U.S. News and World
Report, “even as teens advance their electronic cheat-
ing strategies, educators are beginning to fight back
with their own anti-cheating technologies, such as
text-matching software, biometric equipment, virtual
students, and cheat-proof tests.”

Driving

Finally, inform your teenager about the staggering risks of texting (or even just talking on the phone) while driving. Four out of five accidents happen because of distracted drivers.

The number-one distraction is using a cellphone while driving.

In fact, texting while driving is six times more likely to cause an accident than driving while intoxicated, according to the Transportation Safety Group at the National Safety Council. Teen drivers are four times more likely to get in an accident while texting and driving than adult drivers are.

The numbers and the facts are there; be informed when it comes to your teenager’s cellphone habits. If you don’t inform yourself and your teen about the risks, the bill won’t be the only thing that leaves you feeling overwhelmed. C

The experts say the term
“short sale” does not actually
appear on a credit report. It
is a phrase used to describe
negotiating with the lender
to sell a house for less than is
owed on the mortgage and
for the lender to then con-
sider the account closed.
The operative words are
“not full amount.” That indi-
cates you didn’t repay
the mortgage in
full as originally
agreed. This likely
would be viewed
negatively by
lenders. The
mortgage-pay-
ment history
would also
remain. If you
have missed pay-
ments, it is probably
already having a seri-
ous impact on your
creditworthiness. Re-
establishing a history
of strong credit man-
agement with on-time
payments is the only
way to really restore your
creditworthiness and
good credit scores.

Sexting

The scariest cellphone trend is a form of communication called “sexting.” Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photographs electronically, primarily between mobile phones.

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