Tue 2008/09/16 09:37
A survey covered by Sankei reveals that while 60% of adults are against elementary school kids owning a mobile phone, 60% of elementary school kids say that they approve of them owning one ^^; Some of the reasons that adults gave to their disapproval were "they should wait until they can pay their own phone bill" and "want to protect them from harmful and bully sites." The kids say that they "want to use a mobile phone for mail and other forms of communication." Folks who live or have visited Tokyo would have noticed many kids on their own walking about town using a mobile phone. Some parents want thier kids to have one so that they can keep tabs on them using the GPS tracking inside the mobile units. Also, some phones for kids have an anti-kidnapper-device which lets out a screech when the cord is pulled. What do you think about young children owning a mobile? Would you/do you let your young ones own one? How about in your region - many kids you see is using them? Image of elementary school student on mobile from Gelbooru.
Posted on Tue 2008/09/16 09:37 by
Well for me I had a iphone but it got stolen before i could activate it.........In my area its mostly the teens that have cell phones. Its so stupid to me because all they use it for is texting. I always say "Why would you spend several minutes, hurting your thumb to text people when you call them and say what you wanna say in only a few seconds". Thats my saying...People also just use cell phones to look kool, but how can you look cool by having a cellphone when you dont even pay the bill....I just dont get it!!
(ID #302884) Posted on 2008/09/16 09:57
lol i understand what u mean i personally have a cell but i barly use it too call my mom just wants me to have one for i dont know what ever reason to check up on me and annoy the hell out of me maybe ? but anyway i mostly use my phone as my own mp3 player like 99% of the time XD and for lookin cool theres no point to it ?
(ID #303328) Posted on 2008/09/16 18:57
There are people that can text message an essay in just a minute, not to forget text messaging is also cheaper than voice calling. Its personal preference.
(ID #303377) Posted on 2008/09/16 20:39
JooNkeN (Registered on 2008/04/05 00:28)
Text messaging is situational. There are times when text messaging is advantageous over voice calling. Such as, but not limited to: When you only have a few seconds to do something since you're pre-occupied, when you just need to send a one-way alert message (meeting time will be xxPM), and obviously, when you're unable to talk. (Library, or any other quiet area) - For a lengthly conversation, while both parties aren't doing anything but text messaging though is, of course, absolutely pointless.
(ID #303652) Posted on 2008/09/17 01:12
teens in my area tend to use it for texting in class, because how can you make a call when their not permitted to. So in my area, its mostly texting now, not emails like japan but, the old texting...
(ID #302889) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:03
Cheaper? I am really old school and never really got into the whole mobile phone thing. Even now with an Iphone I still just text clients, call clients, and receive calls. Makes my wonder why I am paying an arm and leg for the phone itself >< . It is a great phone though.
(ID #302890) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:03
That is the problem, you got an expensive phone only for text and calls, its a cool phone but too expensive and also expensive to maintain. Well, you use it so its useful and we pay so that we can be in contact anywhere. I got the first one because I spend most of my time out, its useful, use it a lot for music to. In here the kids with poor parents are the ones with the most expensive phones, and usually the have 2 phones. Well, welcome to the country with more cellphones than people.
(ID #303453) Posted on 2008/09/16 22:17
Interactive Media Design and Graphic Design
I think parents can get one of those special cellphones that can only call 5 numbers. I've seen them on TV. This way there is more control and they are much cheaper in case kid looses it or it gets stolen. IN reality I think they shoudl wait until they are in high school and are more responsible. Sadly, I only got my first cell more toward the end of my college because only then I could afford it myself. I felt much more responsible by not asking my parents to buy me one and pay for the service. Plus it gives more freedom because you are paying yourself which means you can do whatever you want and parents can not take it away from you!!!!!
(ID #302893) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:04
university film student
Most kids here get cell phones during high school or junior high - that was the case a year or two ago anyway. I'm sure the high Canadian mobile fees are a huge factor.
(ID #302894) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:04
Experimental Photographer
in my town primary school kids dont owning a mobile phone, but yes a motorcicle
(ID #302895) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:05
keeping track of your kids is good but damn money is a big problem.. I guess giving one to a primary school wouldnt be a bad idea as long as the bill comes out to be reasonable....
(ID #302896) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:06
Otaku/Computer tech/Student
Primary school student indeed... Anyway, I approve of children owning mobile phones. In todays society, where everything is automated and digitized, even children can find benefit from being able to communicate through a mobile phone. It will also help educate them in the use of language (if they are taught properly), general communication skills, and technologically related skills (i.e. using the internet.) In my opinion, its all about parents teaching their children. Children wouldn't be so tempted to do bad things and cause trouble if they were taught in a proper manner, and a proper manner also means that they CANNOT be treated like children. As my mom has taught me: "parents aren't raising children to live in a child's world, they are raising them to live in an adults world", and they should be taught accordingly.
(ID #302898) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:08
I no longer have a cell phone. I rarely use it, and don't like my friends calling me every few minutes, like I'm dying. IMHO, phones make kids annoying and in times stupid. Kids use phones for idiotic reasons these days, to take pics of vandalism, underage nudie pics, ya know evidence to have themselves sent to jail or sentenced. Texting? Dear god... why the hell would someone want to text something when they can just say it in like 2 seconds? Kids shouldn't own a phone if don't pay anything, or aren't responsible. If they want one, then they should work for it. As kids are these days, they act as if though the service is free, talk all they want, and their parents suffer when the bill is overwhelmingly high. Phones were made for making calls, not to have so much junk in them. That's why there are cameras, ipods, etc. Why pay for useless features? Now if my phone could transform into a fully functional robot... well that's a feature I'd pay for.
(ID #302914) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:20
If only handphone could transform into a robot and mass shift like Goldran or something. I'm with you, Soul3ss.
(ID #302925) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:35
I agree with everything Soul3ss said...
(ID #303054) Posted on 2008/09/16 12:53
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:30)
Approved! wait a minute... we aren't talking about the image are we? ^^ anyway, if my baby daughter was older I'd approve of her having a mobile phone of her own. especially if it helps parent track and protect their young ones. I think there was a mobile service available here that locks the phone and allow it to call to the parent phone only. text messaging could be sent to any phone of course. however one should also teach their young mobile owners about messaging scams just in case someone might want to take advantage of them via their mobile.
(ID #302919) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:23
These days kids in primary school already have mobilephones. Not only that, they have the latest ones too. Spoiled brats. And when kid A has it, kid B might want too, thus the stealing incedents. Aside from that, irresponsible kids do not appreciate the minute spent and bills paid on the phone service. Kids should not have phones, regardless it has a GPS or bazooka in it. Back in my Pa's days, they shout and use cans with strings.
(ID #302920) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:25
student
Agreed. Same also with secondary school, they also bought latest one and they will show-off how great cellphone there are. I think kids should not have phones, regardless it must have GPS and simple device. I prefer buy her cheap phones like old model one.
(ID #303128) Posted on 2008/09/16 14:50
Well if you ask me I approve if the child is well trained. Not to use cell phones for unessecary calls and texting. As for the cp model just a simple previous design that even CP snatchers would rather not steal it.
(ID #302930) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:42
SUPER OTAKU, manga-ka, Illustrator, Domon Kasshu fanboy, Konata's male half, Megas XLR fanboy
Disapproved!! I hate cell phones, anyway, and I don't want my kids to have one!!!
(ID #302931) Posted on 2008/09/16 10:43
Not unless you taught them very well about "wants" like cellphones.
(ID #303045) Posted on 2008/09/16 12:32
SUPER OTAKU, manga-ka, Illustrator, Domon Kasshu fanboy, Konata's male half, Megas XLR fanboy
Trust me kids will learn that they are meaningless
(ID #303073) Posted on 2008/09/16 13:18
Extremely Poor College Student
now i want a japanese phone for the anti-kidnapping device i originally didnt have a phone but i kept disappearing all the time so my parents made me get one and now i still hate it
(ID #302945) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:00
Game Designer & 2D Artist
IF I have a kid, I'd give them a mobile when theyr'e in junior high, even with that, I'll give them one with a pre paid card and limit how much they can spend in one month :D. Here, I see a lot of kids with way to much money parents that gave them a 500usd worth of mobile to a junior high schooler, I just though, wtf :D
(ID #302946) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:02
Anyone and everyone has a mobile phone here. My sister got her first mobile phone when she was 11. You'd be thought of wierd if you didn't own one.
(ID #302949) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:05
I would give a cell phone to my kids so I could get in touch with them at anytime, obviously one must teach his own kids the values of life... Don't expect them to learn that at school. Also I've seen some 10 year olds carrying very expensive cell phones that make mine look just a plastic toy. Thats not right... T_T
(ID #302951) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:06
I say let them have their expensive cellphones, but with no money on them ^^;
(ID #302961) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:16
Student
Lol, kids here around 10 or younger already have cellphones, in my country people are crazy about cellphones, everyone has at least two but some have 5
(ID #302979) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:29
Student; wants a job T_T
If I had a kid I'd give them a simple one without extra features, and upgrade it to a better one when they're in middle school. Unless they start texting like mad, at that point I'll revert it back to the old one. :P
(ID #302994) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:50
let the parents decide
(ID #302998) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:57
Guess if all depends on how old the kids are. I personally don't think any kids below high school need them, though there are exceptions to every rule. There is always the old fashioned pay phone. And of course children have existed for thousands of years previously without them. I think the GPS is good in some cases, though I think its bad as well cause it shows a lack of trust and insecurity in the parent.
(ID #303000) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:58
just another something else
they should wait until they can pay for their own mobile phone, or at least a little more conscious of using them... g*d i cant imagine what happen if they own a mobile phone and didnt have any balance left to call, where are they gonna get those money from * evil grin*
(ID #303002) Posted on 2008/09/16 11:58
Sales Manager by day, Gunpla Otaku by Night...
I would like for my 9yo boy to be able to have a mobile phone restricted to a white list of numbers, parents, emergency services, and friends approved by me, and capped at three minutes call time per number per 24 hours before it cuts out. If they could come up with something that did that, was spill resistant, and could be remotely located and disabled from my phone or computer (he'd be almost certain to lose it) at a reasonable price then I'd be all for it. ^^
(ID #303010) Posted on 2008/09/16 12:04
i cant really comment on young ones owning a mobile. For some it will be a must have toy, for others it might be a necessity. How the kid uses it, would vary on his/her nature too. IMO there are always pay phones available for making urgent calls, hence no need for kids to have mobiles. Let them buy one when they're ready to earn.
(ID #303022) Posted on 2008/09/16 12:15
erm.. in sg there's mobile phone for primary school kids nowadays. thou i doubt the sch allow them to bring it but still, i don't think the school did any checks for it.
(ID #303023) Posted on 2008/09/16 12:16
My parents actually made me get a cell phone even though I didn't really want one just so they could keep in touch with me. I do have to admit, though, my phone was a godsend at AX in the exhibit hall. I have absolutely no idea how I would have kept track of my roommate in that crowd without it. I probably would let my kids have a cell phone, but would keep auxillary services like texting and data withheld initially. They're more distracting than regular voice service. (In fact, I don't even have them on my own phone.)
(ID #303038) Posted on 2008/09/16 12:28
frustrated hikikomori + dual core persona guidance counsellor
In our modern times, kids now need cellphones for various reasons (communication, security etc.). It became a necessity not just for fashion or to become cool. Now the parents should be wise what cellphone will they give to their children (of course the cheap one!-lolz). Yes kids now need to have one! *So much for leeway.* XDD
(ID #303049) Posted on 2008/09/16 12:40
they should make cell phone that controls there mins, textings, and feathers. witch its already invented...guess wasn'popular in Japan I guess
(ID #303051) Posted on 2008/09/16 12:45
"Image of elementary school student on mobile from Gelbooru." 1. If that's an elementary school student, then I'm pedobear. 2. Corded mobile? I think the girl got ripped off when buying that. Another reason elementary school kids shouldn't have mobile phones. ^^
(ID #303057) Posted on 2008/09/16 12:55
Agreed, i'm also pedobear
(ID #303061) Posted on 2008/09/16 13:01
I don't have an issue with parents who give their young ones a cell phone - in fact for aforementioned reasons mention, it is probably a very good idea for safety reasons. What I do have an issue with is kids who havent even hit puberty yet lugging around iPhones. I mean come'on is that really necessary? When I have a kid, I will stick them with an old school brick of a phone... wahaha.
(ID #303068) Posted on 2008/09/16 13:08
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:30)
Brick sized phones also makes good weapon against Pedobears. ^^;
(ID #303207) Posted on 2008/09/16 15:48
Student & Authorized Chicken Slapper
I dont see a problem with kids owning a mobile phone. Seriously, what does owning a phone automatically make them become punks? I don't understand the way some people think. I remember in HS they did not let me bring in a cellphone, in fact they would confiscate it. Mad BS.
(ID #303076) Posted on 2008/09/16 13:26
Personally, I wouldn't let my kids have them until they are in their mid-teens. Fourteen and under really doesn't warrant the use of a cell phone.
(ID #303095) Posted on 2008/09/16 13:51
How the times change... When I was in high school, only the rich kids in the attached elementary school had cell phones. It was like the high school kids with the real gold chains and other jewelery. When I was in elementary school just ten years ago, no one had cell phones and people lived just fine. I've heard that the GPS tracking on phones can actually be abused by predators who find ways to receive signals, but I haven't looked into it much. Seems a bit over the top for me though. Just a handful of years ago, didn't parents have more trust in their kids?
(ID #303098) Posted on 2008/09/16 14:03
I will probably give my child a cell phone as soon as they are old enough to be away from me, so that they will be able to reach me. BUT I would choose one of the specialized phones that has just a few buttons with pre-programed numbers (mommy, daddy, home, police) until they are old enough to be trusted more. No web, text messaging, mp3 player, tv, etc until high school.
(ID #303103) Posted on 2008/09/16 14:08
My sister had a goPhone from AT&T for a whil. She didn't really need it so we got rid of it because she is always with my parents or me. Lots of kids have phones where I live. I don't care if kids have one since its not my money that's wasted. I didn't own a mobile phone until I was 17. This wasn't because I couldn't afford one or wasn't allowed to have one, it was because I refused to have one. I didn't want to be at the book store reading manga and then get interrupted by a phone call by people wanting to know where I was or what I was up to. I loved being unreachable when I wanted to get away for a while. When I started college my parents said I was getting a cell phone whether I liked it or not. I thought to myself, man they're going to buy me a phone, so much for my quite time at Barns & Noble. Turns out they made me pay for it when I was strongly against it. So I got myself a Moto RAZR back when almost no one had one. After that I got a Black Jack when they first came out. I don't know if I would buy my own kids one, guess I'll find out if I ever decide I want kids.
(ID #303114) Posted on 2008/09/16 14:20
Especially in Japan, i would almost expect kids to have them. Prepaid for sure. I don't know how many times i saw kids using the train to get to elementary school, all alone, or in a group of similar aged kids. That kind of thing would never go over in the US, parents would be getting arrested because it would be too dangerous. Assuming I could afford it, my kid will have a cell phone as soon as i think he/she can not lose it. Pre-paid though.
(ID #303130) Posted on 2008/09/16 14:52
daichouginga in Byston Well, the land between the earth and the sea (Registered on 2008/06/04 10:04)
Professional Bum Mode
Well, if I have kids, maybe I'll approve as long as they can manage the handling and also use it for pure necessity(I'll buy them old model to limit some of those 'useless' stuffs. xD)
(ID #303133) Posted on 2008/09/16 14:54
In my area a lot of kids have cell phones. The reason is probably the same as you named, the parents want to have ways to get to know the whereabouts of their children. And of course children like to have a cellphone (probably mostly for texting).
(ID #303173) Posted on 2008/09/16 15:21
I would allow children if they were responsible with it. Personally, I don't use mine much because there's really no need and I'm not on a proper phone plan with my mobile.However, its common around here for each teen to have one.
(ID #303205) Posted on 2008/09/16 15:48
Ninja / Engineer / Time Traveler / Sensei
If it is a means to protecting them, then I'm fine with it. But if the kid just wants one to look cool, then no way.
(ID #303209) Posted on 2008/09/16 15:49
I've simply gotten used to the fact that virtually anyone here has a cellphone now - I know my 7 year old cousin got a (very expensive) cellphone a few years back, whilst I was still using a brick for a phone. What does a 7 year old need a phone for? ^^; I don't think it's a bad thing, as I've needed my cellphone on many occasions - even during by high school years. I do think the quality of education is slipping due to mobile phone overuse though, I always remember seeing so many people in my classes playing around on their phones during class...
(ID #303248) Posted on 2008/09/16 16:26
Elementary school seems a bit too young as what can they really do and where can they go on their own at that age?...teens should sound about right to have one...
(ID #303254) Posted on 2008/09/16 16:35
In my place only I don't have a cell phone... anyone want give me?!!! == I just don't use cuz I don't SMS..
(ID #303262) Posted on 2008/09/16 16:43
Receptionist/ Accountant/ Junior Designer/ Illustrator
I got my first cell phone at age 13 and at the time, my younger cousins had cell phones already. I could never understand it. Now that I'm older, I don't approve of it either, kids can get lost in things quickly. They forget about 1-to-1 interaction and as a result, they cannot maintain 'normal' conversations. I guess the same can be said for the internet and so forth but, the difference in this situation is age. A young child's mind differs from an adult's greatly.
(ID #303272) Posted on 2008/09/16 17:03
Personally I wouldn't let my kids have a cell, until they really need it or when I think they need it. Haha
(ID #303286) Posted on 2008/09/16 17:29
Photographer/Night Auditor
I'm all for giving kids a limited use cell phone. Something that only allows them a few numbers to call and other limiting features and can be used to keep tabs on the kid. Giving a kid a real no holds bared phone would be a really bad thing though. Think of all the stuff they would do with it from downloading things they should to calling numbers they shouldn't. Could you imagine the bill a kid could ring up on something like American Idol calls. As for young people having cells around here you drive by a middle school when it lets out and just about every kid has a phone in their hand.
(ID #303294) Posted on 2008/09/16 17:59
Part human, part student, 100% loser
LOL I don't own a mobile phone but my younger sister does... It all depends on the parents I guess... If the parents are always out and working, giving their children mobile phones would be good as they could communicate with ease...
(ID #303340) Posted on 2008/09/16 19:20
My kids will get a prepaid mobile when they're old enough to use it and not lose it. They will have to pay the 'recharge' bill themselves. My main reason for giving them one will be for security purposes. If they get to the point where they think they can't live without one, then I'll make them live without one. Geez I'm tough aren't I?
(ID #303391) Posted on 2008/09/16 21:00
I heard in Japan mobile phones are only around 100-200 USD, so I suppose with that kind of price they would be widespread and spread like the plague among kiddies. But nowadays everywhere mobile phones are accessible to most people so this phenomenon isn't in the least surprising at all. Probably I feel kids can have a mobile phone if they are responsible enough not to lose them and use them properly. I fully support the propagation of technology as a means of communication and various uses simply because it is useful. It can help the kids be technology literate. Its good for socializing anyway. I only got a mobile phone when I was 11 , which is seriously nothing compared to the people who were getting it at 7.
(ID #303432) Posted on 2008/09/16 21:55
Did you really mean 'only' 100-200 USD ? That's a lot! You can buy a 'prepaid' (i.e. no contracts) mobile phone here in Australia for as little as $49.
(ID #305946) Posted on 2008/09/18 23:11
radical anime fan in Singapore; starting to freeze up. Mmm, end-of-year weather. (Registered on 2007/01/25 22:08)
Polytechnic Freshman. Mmm... fresh.
"...kids say that they "want to use a mobile phone for mail and other forms of communication..." Yeah, right. Commnicatiooooon.... for how long everyday, six to eight hours in a single shot average? I do have a cell, but I rarely use it. I usually receive way more messages than I send out, and sometimes, I'm in a lecture hall trying my best to concentrate when the damn thing vibrates. I must be the only person in the world whose father said "Finally!" when I told him my old cell was dying, and that I needed one that wasn't made during Y2K. I loved that cell though, it was a gift.
(ID #303436) Posted on 2008/09/16 22:00
Half Engineer, Half Student, All Robot
I thnk young'ns need to actually go out and talk to their friends in real life rather than through a phone. Nothing beats the rich experience of seeing someone's face. I think if you start them too early on cell phones and even the internet, they may be more likely to be socially inept. Just my two cents. By the way, what a well-endowed elementary school student. I find it hard to believe!
(ID #303469) Posted on 2008/09/16 22:31
Informatics(ComSci-ish) student/self-taught graphic designer and illustrator/Network Operations Support Analyst
There was a segment once on CNN I believe, about cell phone use and how it affects our bodies (and in particular, our brains). Supposedly, children are more susceptive to whatever kind of waves(?) the cellphone emits. If I have a kid, I wouldn't give him/her a cellphone. Its more of a want than a need. Even I don't really need a cell phone. Especially with the service we get here. Gah! I can't believe we have to pay for incomming calls! Text is really expensive too. I miss Globe (Phils) >.<
(ID #303480) Posted on 2008/09/16 22:48
I Don't think i'll let my kids have one before age 14-16
(ID #303647) Posted on 2008/09/17 01:04
Student and full-time otaku
Yeah, as the phones get smaller the people having them seem to, too; at least over here. Wouldn't let my kids have them unless they could pay for them themselves.
(ID #303693) Posted on 2008/09/17 01:55
Tequila (Registered on 2008/08/26 22:16)
Well I grew up without one, and bought my first ever cellphone when I was 18: the awesome Nokia 8110 - way before Neo got his ;) http://www.thg.ru/consumer/20050107/images/nokia8110.jpg
(ID #303779) Posted on 2008/09/17 03:35
Student Engineer
absoloutely. GPS technology in cell phones has saved many a hikers lives in the USA. Also, I remember watching a special on TV where a woman was kidnapped and thrown in the trunk of a car- she turned on her phone, texted police and the GPS tracked the car, lol poor sap who kidnapped her got it good.
(ID #303851) Posted on 2008/09/17 04:52
Student Engineer
and thanks for the picture Danny ^^. Is she from an eroge game or is she just a character drawn in some random picture?
(ID #303866) Posted on 2008/09/17 05:04
There was a similar case in south-west London, where a girl got abducted and thrown in the boot (trunk) of the car. She used her mobile to send a text for help. Unfortunately it took about 24 hours to be delivered (they are not instantaneous) and by the time it was received the poor girl had already been murdered.
(ID #303917) Posted on 2008/09/17 06:46
My daughter has a phone. She is nearly nine years old attending a school in Tokyo. The phone has restrictions on the functions. I don't know exactly what -- my wife explained but I forgot. Anyway, it seems a good idea for children to gradually be introduced to grown up communication and travel and so on.
(ID #303916) Posted on 2008/09/17 06:44
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
If I had kids I'd probably give a very restricted phone. The convenience is g