Cell phone is not just means of connection, it is modern gadget that gives us a lot of opportunities, beginning with making calls and ending with Internet access. Many cell phone functions can not only help your child, they can also distract greatly from the studying process. So it is extremely important to understand yourself and make children understand the real purpose of cell phone use. There are many interesting and useful essays on cell phones, but this cell phone essay provides you with valid information about positive and negative aspects of cell phones use in school. Your task is to understand, realize and decide if your child really needs to have a cell phone and take it to school.

Should your child have a cell phone? For and against

Technological devices make our life easier. But instead, we always get some negative sides. And when especially our children use new devices, there are much more nuances. In this case, a cell phone is the most widespread object that gives a lot to think over.

Negative aspects

There are a lot of talks about the harm of cell phones for people. When a child uses it, there are more negative factors. Let’s have a look what they are:

• some experts are convinced that there is connection between cell phone usage and a brain tumor (in case of children, they use cell phones for much more years, that more likely can increase the problems occurrence; also particular qualities of the child's body are important, such as smaller head size, thinner scull bones, higher conductivity of brain tissue);
• international studies inform about the detection of  possibility increase of brain tumors at those, who use cell phone for more than 10 years, and also about the fact that if a person begins using cell phone before he / she is 20, it increases the risk of cancerous brain tumors in 5 times;
• according to the studies of experts in the field of radiobiology there is threat to health of future generations, including negative influence on the body development and mental abilities, increase in the level of nervousness and irritability, brain influence, memory weakening, decreased attention, mental and cognitive skills, sleep disorders, increased possibility of epilepsy;
• there are also conclusions about increased possibility (at the age of 25-30 years) of disorders of the auditory and vestibular nerve, and at the age of 50-60 years there can be Alzheimer's disease, depressive syndrome, dementia and other forms of degeneration of the neurons of the cerebral structures;
• there are scientific studies that also prove increased risk of eye and testicle cancer occurrence, tumors of the salivary gland, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma;
• according to the results of other research, more and more cell phone marketing strategies are targeted at children;
• if parents choose a cell phone for their kid basing on its high price only, it can form a privileged sense of self, assurance that he / she can get everything;
• for children who have low sense of responsibility a cell phone can become another thing to lose;
• phone calls during the lessons may cause conflicts with teacher (today many schools forbid cell phones usage while classes);
• most children use cell phones as camera, computer games means or Internet access, but not as a phone;
• there is a risk of large financial costs (for the ringtones, games, Internet, special paid calls) and decrease of moral level due to availability of the forbidden for the children information;
• owning cell phone a child is at the risk of being attacked (in case of robbery).

Positive aspects

In spite of many arguments “against” the usage of a cell phone by children, there are also strong arguments “for”. Here they are:

• possibility of constant connection with a child, especially in case of emergence or danger;
• possibility to control where your child is (exact city, street, house number, and even if a child is on the highway, you can get information about the area and the closet inhabited locality), using a city map (for example, “A child under control” service);
• there are opposite views of studies about the cell phones level of influence on the child’s health that claim that “the harm of cell phones is not bigger than of hot bath”, and today there are no convincing proofs of the interconnection of the radio waves and cancer occurrence;
• development of the child’s “independence” (but under parents’ control) in more early age;
• teaching a child how to use new technological devices;
• possibility of certain privacy for a child.

Recommendations

Today it is a common fact that children get their first cell phone before they are 8. Often when children are 15 they have at least one cell phone. The percent of phone owning is increasing and there are already cases when children get cell phone when they are just 5 years old. Basing on the complexity of the situation this issue requires more detailed approach.

You should decide for yourself whether it is important for your child to have a cell phone and how he / she should use it. The aspects of cell phone usage:

• it is just a means for you and your child to have connection at any time;
• cell phone possibilities and price should correspond to its functions, for example, it is a means of connection, a toy or a pride object (in this case there can be additional problems);
• it can be necessary to limit certain functions, such as dialing of unnecessary numbers (especially up to 16 years), access to the Internet and so on;
• it will be necessary to keep the cell phone usage discipline (set a time limit and tell your child that the phone can be used in case of emergence only);
• teach your child the rules of cell phone usage recommended be specialists, for example a call should not last more than 15 minutes, while sleep a cell phone should be placed on distance of at least 1 meter from the head or it should be turned off at all, it is better to use Bluetooth while a phone call.

The issue of children cell phone usage is discussed at the government level in many countries. For example in Great Britain there is a proposal to prohibit children under 11 years to use mobile phones. It is proposed for older children to use text messages only and keep the cell phones away from the body at this moment. In France it is forbidden to create cell phone advertisement target at children under 12 years. In Canada it is advised for children under 8 years to use cell phone in case of emergency only, and call time limit for teenagers is up to 10 minutes. In Russia there is position against excessive use of the mobile phones up to 18 years. In Israel it was proposed to the teenagers to be cautious while cell phone use.

Family is a kind of small country with its own laws and rules. So what rules of cell phone use parents will take is their own business. But it is extremely important to consider all “for” and “against”.

Today in the west countries cell phones become forbidden at schools and colleges. In some states of the USA pupils and students are examined with metal detector, and if someone has a cell phone it is taken away at the entrance to the educational institution.

Recently in Pennsylvania, United States, one of the schools has prohibited to wear ugg boots because inventive children used to hide there their cell phones.

Of course parents doubted that this method of cell phone fighting can be effective, because children in any case would find ways to take a cell phone to the school. In Ukraine there is a ban on mobile phones in schools since 2007, however in real life not so many children follow it.

So the use of cell phones at schools is very urgent problem today and Livecustomwriting.com wants to know what you think about this. Do children really need cell phones in school? Share you thoughts with us and visit our website where you can find lots of useful information about essay writing.