What is a good age for a child to start using a mobile phone? This is a question that is very pertinent in today’s schools because with the increasingly optimized family plans, many parents feel like mobile phones are a great way for children to manage their schedule.

For families which feel anxious about the safety of their children, mobile phone feels like a god-send because it allows parents a way to know that their child can reach them if needed. Uncertainty about schedules and stress stemming from inability to contact a child can be a big part of growing up for some students from families with heavily conflicting schedules and mobile phones are a fairly simple way to solve this problem. So, parents think nothing of providing their elementary school kids with phones and see it almost as an essential emergency device.

But is this the only use of mobile phones by students? Are they truly even necessary in cases of emergencies within school? This is the argument broached by those who believe that mobile phones do more harm than good. Mobile phones very quickly become non-emergency devices in that students use it to connect with friends. They either talk with friends between classes or text them during classes. Thus, potentially they can provide a huge distraction from learning. If a student is in an emergency situation in school, it should not be hard to reach the parent from a phone in the school office or the nurse’s office. People who believe that mobile phones are the source of distraction feel that they should be banned from class rooms.

The other manner in which mobile phones can be a distraction is that there are different kinds of mobile phones. There are simple ones that are nothing other than a way to make a call and others with enough bells and whistles to run the school. Students can also spend precious time comparing their phones and trying out new applications and the gadgets can themselves become a source of pre-occupation.

Mobile phones with cameras and other features attached in the hands of young students also lead to issues such as inappropriate photos being uploaded onto websites and shared with friends. Sometimes mobile phones become a tool in the hands of bullies who seek to embarrass a student.

It may be advisable to make sure that a student is mature enough to use it sparingly and has the ability to not be distracted by it. This is an assessment that has to be made on an individual basis. A parent may need to figure out the benefits of mobile phones and compare them with the risks and then decide whether the pros outweigh the cons before handing over a mobile phone to their kids.

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