The OPMOM Blog

Kids, Cell Phones, Texting, & Email

As a parent it is really hard to judge when you should start the cycle of social technology with your children.  I have been talking to several moms at my son’s school about cell phones, texting , email, and social networks.

We all have the same responses, WOW they really pick this up quick, meaning that we have to be on top of it. We didn’t grow up texting our friends, and our version of Google was the library. Even though I was part of the generation that dove straight into technology as a career, I still find it fascinating how our little ones pick it up like as just another skill set.

So when does all the noise start?  I honestly believe it starts with a cell phone. The cell phone opens it up for them. Most parents I know made the decision to start their children on a cell phone between the ages of 9-10. The #1 reason why is we want to keep up with them so it really starts with us. The cell phone is a powerful tool for kids just as powerful as computers. The nice thing is there are options for families as well as parental control tools to tap into. You can ask your cell phone provider about these options.  

So from cell phones to texting lands you right in the middle of email and social networks. Now younger children start using the internet by playing games or watching educational or funny videos. As a parent you just need to be aware of the sites they are visiting and what other type of content is being displayed or ads that are on the gaming sites especially if the games are free. If you need help monitoring the sites they visit then you should download a Free Trial of OnlineFamily.Norton.com where you can setup profiles for different family members and give them different settings.

Email comes after texting. Most children do not have an email until later in middle school and high school since they are usually texting each other. From the research that OnlineFamily.Norton has conducted children need to understand what spam is and how to handle it before they get an email address. 

High School is when they start to venture into the social networks and connect with friends as well as  making new ones. It is really important to stress to your child just how public their profile is and what is not appropriate information to share. Marian Merritt, Symantec’s Internet Safety Advocate has the grandma rule. Meaning if you don’t want grandma to see it then it probably shouldn’t be up there! For more tips check out Norton’s Family Resource Center!