Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Teens and Cell Phone Use



This is sponsored content fromBlogHer
and LG Text Ed



If you are the mother of a teen or pre-teen, you have certainly heard the inevitable plea, *Mom, can I get a cell phone?* Current statistics indicate that 1/3 of all teens or pre-teens in the United States carry a cell phone, and about 25% of all cell phone revenues come from this age group. It is not surprising that your child might feel left out if he or she doesn*t have one in a pocket or a backpack. But while teens love them, moms and dads can get burned by cell phones in the hands of teenagers. Charges for excess minutes, for text messages, for phone-based e-mail and other services can be burdensome. A cell phone can also tend to change relationships (positive or negative).


So, what should a Mom know about teens and cell phones? First, I believe you need to set some rules before the purchase or plan has been set up. We sat down with our daughters before we added them to our plan. I figure the teachers at school require you to sign some type of contract with them at the beginning of each school year concerning assignments, conduct, and grades.


Why not make up a contract for phone usage?Keep in mind that these cost may seem low ,it is because we have an excellent family plan. And the price to add them on is minimal Still, it doesn't take away from the fact that we want them to take responsibility.



TEEN MOBILE PHONE CONTRACT


* Cost of the cell phone: $85 (daughter's 13th-birthday gift)


* Monthly cost: $10, not including insurance (May be paid separately)


* Phone payments: Teen agrees to pay the $10 by working off inrequired household chores


* School/schoolwork: Daughter agrees to keep her cell phone off and in her backpack/locker during school hours, complete her homework after school, and keep up with assignments in school. She will also keep it charged when possible.


* Phone usage: The family has 1200 minutes per month to share betweenthe four members with phones. Teen will be allowed 300 of those minutes and will monitor their minutes. Used minutes will not apply to the My Faves recipients. Teen has 300 text messages (coming and going),and will monitor those also. Any overages will cost 20 cents each for the teen.


*Teen agrees to answer her parents calls immediately. If parents feel she is overusing her cell phone, her parents will ask her to turn it off.


NOTE: When you are of age to drive, there will be NO USING THE CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING!




* Consequences: If the teen does not follow the contract, the phone will be taken away for one week or longer, depending on the violation.And can also be used as leverage for any punishment. Cost of lost or stolen phone will be the responsibility of the user. Parents have the right to cancel usage at anytime.





Sign____________________Parent


_________________________Child _____Date




End note: I do enjoy the fact that my teens have cell phones, enabling communication between us at any time. I just wish my 15 year old wouldn't be so forgetful, and leave it at home as often. And thankfully they are very good about never going over their allotted usage. I can't say I will be as lucky when my 10 year old gets old enough to get one!




What rules have you set for your teen? Sound off in the comments below. Not only will your input continue the conversation - but DoSomething.org (an organization that uses "the power of online to get teens to do good stuff offline") will receive a $0.50 donation for each comment on this post up to a total of $5,000. So, please speak up! Visit LG Text Ed for some helpful tips and guidelines on avoiding mobile behaviors and setting good examples for our children.




You can also watch Emmy award winning actress, Jane Lynch, as she points out that, "setting ground rules doesn't have to be a battle of will" as long as everyone knows the rules.DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US that helps young people rock causes they care about. $0.50 donation per comment on any "LG Text Ed - Moms Discuss Teens and Texting" post, up to $5000 total.

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