A half hour had gone by since the final bell rang at Rancho Elementary. The parking lot was empty, and as the last cars were pulling away, Sarah was alone. Lacking a way to contact her mother, Sarah knocked on classroom doors until one of the teachers opened up and allowed Sarah to use the phone. Up until then, Sarah had been utterly terrified that her mother had forgotten her. If Sarah owned a cell phone, she would have been able to contact her mother, who was simply stuck in traffic. It would have eliminated Sarah’s fear, and conversely quelled the apprehension of her mother who didn’t know what Sarah would do or where she would go. Buying an elementary school student a cell phone can be a nerve racking parental experience, but with the new features, restrictions, and possibilities that modern cell phones have to offer, the positives outweigh the negatives. Children of elementary school age should own cell phones.
Deciding when to give a child a cell phone is just another hot-button parenting topic that parents of the twentieth century didn’t have to deal with—and there is plenty of reason for concern. Monitoring the use of a cell phone is incredibly difficult due to its size and range of use. When once a parent could easily monitor a child watching TV, it is almost impossible for parents to monitor cell phones that are tiny in comparison and can access roughly ten times the content. A student could become distracted by their phone in class; or become absent, spending time staring at their screen rather than engaging with family members at the dinner table. A child could also become engaged in unsavory social contact previously unavailable to them. Parent’s concerns are very much real and valid, but it was just these concerns that have prompted cell phone companies to come up with a solution. 

Today, almost all modern cell phones are equipped with parental restriction controls, and parents can effectively eliminate almost any possible misuse of a cell phone. A parent can limit any feature the phone offers, from the number of contacts the phone can call to the websites the child can visit. A parent can even limit the time spent playing a game, all at the click of a button. “No matter what kind of handset you get for your child, you should also become familiar with the various parental controls carriers offer. Every carrier has a different combination of features and services, but generally speaking, they all are trying to do the same few things: restrict access to inappropriate apps and sites, limit usage and offer location-tracking services. Expect to pay about $5 extra a month to use these services.” Says Dr. Wendy Swanson, who runs a Seattle based parenting blog (NY Times). These features not only offer total control to the parent, but also piece of mind in knowing that their child isn’t going to see or do anything harmful with their phone. In this electronic age, children are becoming more and more capable of using phones. If a child is capable of using it, and the proper parental controls are applied, there is little reason to not give a child a phone. Children today are growing up around all kinds of devices, from cell phones to tablets—all of which were not readily available to small children just ten years ago. Victor Watch was awestruck by how quickly his son was able to effectively use modern devices. “The first time Xavier handled a cellphone or a computer he had just turned 4. Within weeks, he was browsing the Web on my iPad and later my iPhone, setting up his own music playlist and playing educational games.” If parents are concerned about their child’s ability to effectively use a cell phone, they shouldn’t be. Children today almost have an inherent ability to learn and use devices at earlier ages than ever. Millennial children are growing up using this technology, and are increasingly more capable of using it at younger ages. Not only are children more capable of using cell phones at a younger age, but also they are receiving cell phones at a younger age. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, the age at which children receive their first cell phone has declined significantly over the past decade. “…the typical American gets a first cellphone at about 12 or 13 — that’s down from 16 in 2004. In 2004, 45 percent of people between ages 12 and 17 had cellphones. By 2010, it was 75 percent.” Today, 78 percent of all people between 12 and 17 own a cell phone, showing that the national trend is pro-cellphone (PEW). So why does everyone need to have one? It offers piece of mind. There is no way of knowing what a child will do when his or her ride is late, there is a time miscommunication, or something just goes wrong. Children in elementary school are at a very vulnerable age, and if they own a cell phone, they are just a phone call away. "...This is an age group where they are doing a lot of activities outside the home, things like sports practices, after-school activities, going over to friends' houses, some of them going to the mall on their own," says John Breyault, vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud at the National Consumers League. A child is going to become increasingly involved in after school activities as he or she gets older in elementary school, and the likelihood of a miscommunication or a parent running late for pickup is significantly higher. A cell phone can offer the opportunity to quickly and easily come in contact with a child if something goes wrong. Conversely, it gives a child the opportunity to contact a parent if something isn’t right. Wouldn’t you want your young son or daughter to have that ability? What will you do the next time Jimmy gets left at baseball practice? Or more importantly, what will he do? Children of elementary school age are unpredictable to say the least, and parents have to realize that cell phones are no longer as dangerous as they used to be. With proper precautions, cell phones can be a safe and permanent form of communication between you and your child. Don’t deny your child the chance to hear your voice when he or she is scared or alone. It could just be the reassurance he or she needs.