More and more parents buy their eight-year-old children cell phones. It has become a hot topic of debate if that is a reasonable investment or a hazard for the health of children.
The point that cell phone radiation has not been examined carefully enough to guarantee that children are not harmed by it, is brought up again and again. The fact that cell phones distract children from class can be heard over and over again. The most common argument, however, is at the same time the most meaningless one: “Children don’t need a cell phone! When we were young, we didn’t have one either!”
You cannot ignore the point of cell phone radiation. Nevertheless, if the child uses the cell phone in an adequate way and if parents make sure that the cell phone is just taken along when needed, from my point of view the pros outweigh the cons. The parents are the key: They have to make sure that cell phone use does not get out of control, and that it does not have a negative impact on the performance in school. You can restrict the quantity of numbers the youngsters can call in order to prevent them from having pointless conversations with everybody they know. Children should take along their cell phone only when needed, i.e. when they are somewhere alone. With 14 or 15 however, teenagers should be able to use their cell phone in an adequate way. If not, parents have to interfere.
In the case of the two Spanish teenagers who are in hospital because of their addiction to instant messaging and cell phones, the parents should have restricted cell phone and internet use.
It is also necessary to make sure that children and teenagers do not dedicate themselves exclusively to wallpapers, ringtones and cell phone games, but also concentrate on school, friends and other non-digital activities. Nevertheless, cell phone games can be a nice pastime for boring moments in the car or while waiting for the bus, and in addition, the parents’ nerves are calmed. It should be made sure however that children do not pour their money down the drain by accidentally subscribing to cell phone games, but to download their mobile games at reputable sites.
The issue security is the standard argument of the advocates. The child can call when he/she is late, and can thus prevent parents from getting nervous while waiting for the offspring. In case of an emergency, children can call for help, or when they missed the bus, children can ask their parents to pick them up. In my opinion, this the most substantial argument in favor of a “children’s cell phone”.
The issues peer pressure and group identity should not be ignored either. For children and teenagers it is extremely important to belong to the group, and if everybody in class already possesses a cell phone they want one as well. Some people say that is no problem: the self confidence of the child should be strengthened etc. Depending on how strong the peer pressure is, one should wonder if it is not easier for the child to also possess a cell phone, perhaps with restrictions or with compromise.

From my point of view, there is no clear answer to the question if children should possess a cell phone or not. It depends on the circumstances and the degree of indepence and maturity of the child. The decision is up to the parents. Because who knows their offspring better than the parents?