Archive for August, 2008

Parenting Teenagers - mobile phone addiction

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Mobile Phone Addition Among Teenager -Better late than addicted

As mobile phone addiction becomes more prevalent among juveniles, it is important that parents think twice before they give their teenage children a mobile phone. As with any addiction, recovery is a painful journey, and prevention is better than cure. Therefore, it is best that parents teach their children that a mobile phone is not necessary until they turn 16 years old, because until that age, most school-going children’s lives are centered on the school timetable.This means that their whereabouts are generally predictable. Hence there is no need for them to be constantly contactable. More important, let your children know that if they get addicted to something, they would not be able to live normally. Explain to them that mobile phones are embedded with many addictive activities such as text messaging, games and Web-surfing. Therefore, there is a very high chance that an impressionable child can get addicted to the mobile phone. Prepare your child for the responsibilities that comes with a mobile  phone. Teach them to plan their time wisely and engage in their pastimes with proper limits. If your child already has a mobile phone or eventually gets one, it is important that you limit your child’s usage of the mobile phone.