Mom, Dad When Can I Get a Phone?
Is your child badgering you for a smartphone? When you deny their request do they guilt trip you into believing that everyone at school has one but them, followed by safety concerns. "Mom anything can happen, what if I'm in a life-threatening emergency?" It seems as if every parent has bought into the benefits of giving their children (as young as elementary school age) a smartphone. It's great if you own stock in Apple, but if you're a parent that doesn't want to deal with the Pandora's box full of problems that come with giving a phone to a child listen up. Cyber Security Expert Jon Moffat offers sane advice to kids and parents. Moffat lectures at schools, churches, he even gives at home consultations on keeping kids safe on the web. Moffat's advice is startling.
"Parents and their kids need to understand that there is no privacy in the digital world. Basically anyone's information can be accessed!" -Jon Moffat Cyber Security Expert
Before a school lecture, Moffat looks up the public profile of one of the students at that school. Then he shares that students public information with the audience only omitting their name to protect their privacy. Demonstrating how kids voluntarily give out their personal information, putting them at risk. He begins his lecture to an auditorium full of elementary school age kids. They all have social media accounts, hundreds of friends and followers. Moffat warns that if their social media friends haven't met their parents, than they're not real friends. He advises parents to come up with a social media contract that kids have to adhere to. He highly recommends telling kids the truth about the web, and not sugar coating it. "They need to know that what you read online isn't real, those Facebook followers are not your true friends." Moffat tells audiences "This smartphone is the best and worst thing that's ever happened to you. Why is it great? Because you don't have to go to the library and research a term paper all day. Why is it bad? Because it's addictive, it's the new tobacco."
When can I give my child a smartphone? Moffat replies, "When you're ready to give them the keys to your car!"
He explains it's that dangerous. "It's a huge responsibility, and don't think filters will protect your child from pornography sites. There are a million apps to unblock filters." There is still little research on how many U.S. kids are addicted to online pornography, but a University of New Hampshire study reports exposure begins young, for some, as young as 8 years old. Moffat asks, "Are you ready to talk to your kid about the birds and the bees? If not don't give your kid a smartphone."
What About The Catfish Effect?
Moffat explains to young boys at his lectures that the cute girl they might be chatting with online and exchanging pictures with could actually be a fifty-year-old man! He said students are usually shaken up after his talks, and parents are forced to reconsider giving their kids smartphones and private, unlimited internet access.
The Cons of Giving a Kid a Phone
-Safety Hazard GPS Locator on Phones Can Be Hacked Putting Your Child At Risk
-Children Can Access Inappropriate Material Even While Conducting an Innocent Google Search
-Puts Kids At Greater Risk for Stranger Danger
-Too much time in front of digital devices can hurt children's eyesight. A recent PLOS One study showed that kids who spent seven hours + a week using computers or mobile video games tripled their risk for myopia, or nearsightedness.
-Multiple studies have shown that children absorb more radiation from cell phones than adults. The brain tissue of children absorbs about two times more microwave radiation than that of adults, and the bone marrow of children absorbs 10 times more MWR than that of adults.
-32% of Teens Reported Being The Victims of Cyberbulling.
-Suicide Rates Have Increased Among Young People, Studies have Point to The Internet for the Rise.
According to Dr. Jean Twenge, professor of psychology and author of the book, iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood, Twenge's research points to a connection between smart phone use, having a social media presence, and mental health struggles. She points out that levels of depression and anxiety in teens started to increase around 2011, the same year that the amount of people that owned a smart phone surpassed 50 percent.
Instead Moffat tells parents to refuse to give their kids smartphones. Parents need to write an Internet Contract that their child will sign. In that contract are strict rules they must adhere to.
Basic Internet Contract Rules
1. Have a computer, or video game console in the living room. Monitor your child when they are online.
2. Tell your child about the hazards of the internet.
3. Let them know if they violate the rules of the contract there will be an immediate consequence.
Moffat's son does not have a smartphone. Interestingly, Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs did not allow their kids to have smartphones. According to Moffat, many parents are afraid that if they don't expose their kids to the latest technology they'll fall behind. He says that simply isn't true. Food for thought, the creator of the iPad never grew up with one!
To Learn More About Cyber Security Expert Jon Moffat Visit: https://jonmoffat.com/
Learn More About Mind Hacking Visit: http://www.tristanharris.com/essays/
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