Wondering what kind of cellphone to get your six-year-old for Christmas?
That’s easy — don’t.
When Microsoft asked Canadians in a survey if they would give their six-year-olds a cellphone, two-thirds emphatically said no. Good for them, but it’s the other third that is concerning. Who in their right mind would give cellphones to children that young?
Cellphones, particularly those with multiple features, can cause problems in the hands of a teenager. Giving them to anyone under the age of, say, 12 is a prescription for trouble.
Mobile devices in all their various manifestations are everywhere. They have long since ceased to be merely a means of convenient communication. They are cameras, computers, personal assistants, navigators and entertainment centres. They are truly wonderful.
But they infiltrate almost every aspect of life. Even in the hands of so-called adults, they can perpetrate and attract myriad abuses. Let’s spare the children.
These gadgets have the power to be windows on the universe, yet they tend to reduce the universe to a few square centimetres of glowing screen. People are so intent on being connected to the rest of the world, they are oblivious to the world immediately around them.
The addictive nature of screen time is well documented. More information is emerging about how immersion in the digital world is reducing attention spans, impairing critical thinking, draining creativity and changing how brains work.
And some people are willing to unload all those hazards on innocent children.
Smartphones and tablet computers have gone from “want it” to “gotta have it” to “can’t live without it.” Kids are feeling that pressure and won’t hesitate to apply it to their parents.
The convenience of a portable phone is undeniable. Some parents give phones to their children so they can be in constant contact, or in case of emergencies. Fair enough. And some families might have circumstances where it’s handy — or even necessary — for young children to carry phones. But those should be devices with limited features, not ones that can take photos, play games and provide Internet access.
Some parents see a phone as a safety device, necessary in this world that grows increasingly dangerous.
But is life more dangerous? If the homicide rate is any indication, Canada is the safest it has been since 1966. Violent crime rates are declining.
It doesn’t seem like it, but that’s because crime, killings, abductions and assaults are what make the news. Thanks to evolving technology, we know much more about these incidents and we know it instantly. Eyewitnesses don’t merely tell their stories these days, they share their videos.
We shouldn’t be complacent — it’s no comfort to victims and their families to know that the murder rate is declining. Child abductions are not common, but that won’t console anyone who has had to experience that nightmare.
While we shouldn’t be obsessively paranoid, it’s good sense and good parenting to keep children as far away from danger as possible. But a cellphone doesn’t play a huge role in that protection. Child abductions by strangers are extremely rare, and what are the chances a six-year-old is going to be able to call home or dial 911 while being snatched?
There is a world that is growing more dangerous, and that is cyberspace. People who fear letting their children walk unaccompanied along a city street allow them to roam freely around the Internet. The digital jungle is crawling with predators and bullies.
In my growing-up days, I was sometimes the target of bullies, most likely because my mouth tended to keep going after my brain had stopped. But I could usually avoid trouble by taking a different route home. If I was out of range of the bullies, they couldn’t do me harm, emotional or otherwise.
Not so with the online bullies. Their reach is unlimited; they can attack anywhere, any time. And the damage they do is far worse than shoving someone off the sidewalk or calling a kid a few names.
It’s a shadowy world with potential for much evil. Parents should think carefully before letting their children venture into that world.
