Last updated April 12, 2019
New and old cell phones that have access to the internet are a serious weapon in the hands of children who have not been properly trained in regard to morals, according to the head of Northern Caribbean University’s Behavioral Science Department, Dr Grace Kelly, who was also once the president of the Jamaica Association of Guidance Counselors in Education.
“If they are not in an environment where they are trained to manage themselves, then it can be a serious weapon that is put in a child’s hand and parents ought to be careful,” Kelly says. She adds that while parents can block television and the internet, it can be more difficult to put a block on a cell phone.
Kelly believes that the maturity level of a child should determine at what age they receive a cell phone. “There are some children at age eight, nine, ten, who might be mature enough to appreciate the cell phone for its intended purpose and to use it for that intended purpose,” Kelly notes.
Kelly also points out that the kind of cell phone that is carried by a child could make them a target for predators. Other things that parents need to take into consideration are the times that their child is allowed to use the phone, and how, although she believes that giving a cell phone to a youngster in their early teen years is a good idea.