BY ERIK J. MARTIN
SHE’S MASTERED the tablet. He gets his
homework done before turning on the
game console. But is your son or daughter
ready for a mobile phone?
The average age when children receive
their ;rst smartphone is ;;.; years, per a
;;;; report by In;uence Central, a Boston-based marketing/advertising agency. And
eMarketer, a New York City–based market
research company, estimates that more
than ;; percent of ;;- to ;;-year-olds currently have a mobile phone.
Yet, a ;;;; poll by San Francisco–
headquartered Common Sense Media, a
nonpro;t educational advocacy organi-
zation for families, should give parents
pause: ;; percent of teens revealed they
are addicted to their smartphones, and
;; percent of parents believe their teens
overuse mobile devices.
Mobile maturity
Granting smartphone permission has
its bene;ts, including the instant ability
to communicate with and locate your child
(especially after school and in an emergency); access to educational apps, learning
tools and homework resources; and the
opportunity to connect with friends and
relatives via chat and social platforms.
Jeana Lee Tahnk, a Costco member
from Boston, recently gave her son a smartphone when he turned ;;. She has no regrets,
although introducing kids to a digital world
involves common sense, common courtesy
and communication, she notes.
“Our son was becoming more autonomous, and we wanted him to have a safety
backup while walking to and from school,”
says Tahnk, who also writes and speaks
The great
smartphone
debate
Is your child
ready to enter the
mobile age?
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SPECIAL SECTION
BACK TO SCHOOL
THECOSTCOCONNECTION
For when the time is right, Costco offers a
complete selection of smartphones in the
Wireless Centers in the warehouses, along
with speakers, headphones and other
accessories in the warehouses and online
at Costco.com.
When the
answer is yes
IF YOU’VE DECIDED to let your youngster
go mobile, consider these tips:
• Choose an inexpensive model you can
afford to replace or fix. Remember: That
first phone doesn’t have to be smart.
• Deactivate features that worry you,
such as web and camera access or
in-app purchases. Ask your mobile provider to prevent access to adult content,
and explore parental control apps.
• Establish clear boundaries, including
time limits, acceptable texting and online
behaviors, and who pays for what. “Have
your child participate in creating these
rules and expectations so that he or she
is invested in them,” says Moreno.
• Stress safety guidelines, like what to
do if a stranger calls or texts, keeping the
device away from their body whenever
possible to reduce exposure to radio
waves and not being a target for thieves.
• Brush up on your school’s rules. Some
schools limit or prohibit student mobile
phone use.—EJM
publicly about family tech issues. “While
he isn’t required to help pay for the phone,
we had him sign a family contract that
stipulated keeping his grades up, abiding
by daily phone time limits and getting
apps approved by a parent or his phone
gets taken away.”
Device dangers
Many parents are wary of heading
down this road, as the risks are numerous: distraction from homework, chores
and safe driving; possible exposure to
inappropriate material, predators, sexting
and cyberbullies; a broken, stolen or lost
device due to carelessness; and disrupted
sleep patterns. Children who use media
devices before bedtime are more than twice
as likely as nonusers to sleep an inadequate
amount, reports a ;;;; study published in
JAMA Pediatrics. CONTINUED ON PAGE 38