See Dick call. See Jane text. Why parents are giving in to children's requests for cell phones

Star Ledger ^ | 12.10.06 | KELLY HEYBOER

[Coleus]

Joe Skarimbas was just learning to read when he decided he was ready to join the digital age. "When he went to first grade he said, 'When am I going to get a cell phone?'" said Joe's mother, Tara Skarimbas.

The Leonia family decided to hold off on getting young Joe a phone until he turns 10 and starts walking home from school alone. But his mother understands the temptation to get her son, who turns 8 this month, a cell phone as soon as possible.

"Just for safety purposes," she said, glancing toward the new Disney Mobile kiosk during a shopping trip to the Paramus Park mall last week.

As the adult and teenage cell phone market becomes saturated, cell phone companies are targeting younger and younger users. This holiday season several companies -- including Disney, Verizon, TicTalk and Firefly -- are pushing brightly colored cell phones specially designed for children as young as kindergartners.

[Xenalyte]

Who the hell is this scumball to tell me i am wrong because I don't want to run into another situation where my kids sports are cancelled, andi don't want then walking home in a thunderstorm, when it's dark, along a busy highway?

How do you expect 'em to build any character? I bet you don't even make those girls split the kindling or milk the cow anymore. ;)

[Fierce Allegiance]

LOL!

My daughters certainly do know how to do that stuff though!

[eyespysomething]

Your dad.

[Fierce Allegiance]

:)

[Xenalyte]

I thought the beauty of twins was tricking boyfriends.

Oh, wait, that's the beauty of BEING twins. (And it's exactly the kind of thing Auntie Xena is NOT supposed to tell the twin nieces.)

[Unassuaged]

Me too.

I suppose someone with a 9-5 office type job may never need one, but people that work on-site and travel; not having a cell phone is unthinkable, Blakberry preferred.
P.S. Good luck finding a pay phone when you need it.
P.P.S. Stupid Blackberry!

[Fierce Allegiance]

I'm not great yet, but I keep trying to get there. My dad, now there was a GREAT dad!

[Aquinasfan]

I gave in despite serious misgivings and guess what, now I'm stuck with the freaking bill! I could strangle both of them!

Try a prepaid plan like TracFone. The kids get an hour of talk-time for $10/mo. They'll learn to use their time wisely. Or not.

[Xenalyte]

Just out of curiosity, since I don't have kids, why would your daughter be hanging out at school eight hours after class lets out?

[Fierce Allegiance]

LOL! I won't give my twins Auntie Xena's e-mail any time soon!! They are only 10, and while one has a boy friend, they sure don't need boyfriends, and aren't allowed to until they own their own houses. :)

[Fierce Allegiance]

The crime rate was worse then than now!! It is no more risky.

More or lesss, I don't give a damn. I can do something to minimize the chance my daughters are not part of the statistics, and that's giving them a cellphone.

[Xenalyte]

You're dayum skippy you can be picked up for that!

The girls sound like they're just too young to understand that their insistence on quiet study time is putting you in jeopardy.

[Unassuaged]

Arming teachers sounds like a good idea, until you meet some teachers. Some should not be allowed to drive, much less encouraged to have a gun. Also, how hard would it be to steal a teachers gun? I doubt that many teachers here in the great state of MD are trainable enough to carry and RETAIN a handgun.

[Xenalyte]

You sure are liberal compared to my buddy James . . . he says his daughter won't be allowed to wear makeup until she turns 40.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

I told my kids they could have cell phones when they could pay for them.

Worked for me.

[Coleus]

Please cite honest evidence that cell phones have increased accident rates. >>>

 

Here are some, now please cite honest evidence that cell phones have NOT increased accident rates.

 

New Study by The Federal Government Says that Cell Phones Are the Number One Distraction

The year long study videotaped volunteers while in their vehicles in order to determine exactly what driving behaviors cause crashes.  Cell phones came out as the number one distraction.

Researchers Say Talking on Phone "Ages" Drivers 50 Years

According to new research by Dr. David Strayer, a teen driver's "reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver," when they are one the phone. 

Cingular Urges Teen Drivers to Pull Over to Talk

Although it doesn't put enough emphasis on the distraction that cell phones pose (no surprise there), Cingular Wireless has released a very good teen driving video on distractions.  They do not suggest headsets. 

It's No Accident: The Real Story Behind Senseless Death and Injury on Our Roads"

Written by the founder of Partnership for Safe Driving, the author reveals that many dangerous behaviors are now legally PROMOTED by businesses, and that drivers who kill often walk away with just a small fine. This well-documented expose is a must-read for anyone concerned about violent death and injury on our roads and how to stop it.  Read more...

A New Study by the NHTSA Finds Cell Phones are Most Common Distraction

The year long study videotaped volunteers while in their vehicles in order to determine exactly what driving behaviors cause crashes.  Cell phones came out number one.

The NHTSA (the U.S. Government) Says Headsets are Not Safer

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released the results of a one-year study on driver distraction.  They say headsets do not improve driver performance.

The National Road Administration in Sweden

Released in June, 2003, this Swedish study concludes that using a hands free device does not diminish crash risk

Additional Study from the University of Utah

Released January 27, 2003. Why don't conversations with passengers, listening to the radio and other activities effect drivers to the same magnitude as cell phone conversations? Interview with Dr. Strayer by Sciencentral

The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis has recently updated a previous study.  They have estimated that each year, drivers on phones cause 2600 deaths, 570,000 injuries, and 1.5 million crashes causing property damage.

Does Cell Phone Conversation Impair Driving Performance?

This study is part of a larger research project conducted by the University of Utah researchers.  The conclusion is that the impairment comes from  the phone conversation itself, not holding the device.

University of Rhode Island

Cognitive researcher Jerry Cohen's preliminary findings conclude that phone conversations cause "tunnel vision" in drivers.  He states that holding the phone isn't the main issue.  Thinking is.

University of Kansas

Cognitive researchers at KU conclude that "It's not having your hands taken away (from the wheel), it's having your mind taken away from the road".  June 24, 2003 interview with Dr. Paul Atchley.

New England Journal of Medicine

This is one of the major studies that came to two astonishing conclusions:  Hands free equipment does not make a difference in limiting driver distraction, and simultaneously carrying on a phone conversation while driving is equivalent to driving legally intoxicated!

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia

This study concludes that "a driver's performance is significantly undermined when the motorist is engaged in a conversation on a hands-free cellular phone".

Common Objections to Banning Phones While Driving

A list of objections, and responses to this issue.  There's a lot of logic here

Does Cell Phone Conversation Impair Driving Performance? Dr. David Strayer, Frank Drews, Robert Albert and William Johnston, University of Utah 

Association Between Cellular Telephone Calls and Motor Vehicle Collisions, The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 336, 1997, Donald A. Redelmeier, MD, and Robert J. Tibshirani, PH.D.

The Texas Department of Public Safety Releases Cell Phone Crash Data

The number of traffic accidents attributed to cell phone use is up 44 percent in one year. Approximately 1000 Texas crashes and 8 deaths for the year 2001

interview with Sciencentral, Dr. David Strayer explains why using a head set does not diminish driver distraction.

For the months of April - December 2001, the California Highway Patrol attributed at least 4,699 crashes, 2,786 injuries, and 31 deaths to cell phones.  The stats were only reported for 9 months, the LA Times reports that the number of crashes for the entire year could be well over 6,000.  here is a link to an the original article

[swmobuffalo]

"Try a prepaid plan like TracFone"

Thanks but it's a little past that now. I still have a bill to take care that they were supposed to take care. Once it's paid up, NO PHONE in my name for them.

[brwnsuga]

My husband has refused to add our 13 year old daughter to our plan. But she has my old pre-pay phone that she uses when she if she is at an activity at school and needs one of us. She hates that phone it is not a flip phone and can't take pictures.... oh well.

[brwnsuga]

My husband has refused to add our 13 year old daughter to our plan. But she has my old pre-pay phone that she uses when she if she is at an activity at school and needs one of us. She hates that phone it is not a flip phone and can't take pictures.... oh well.

[Coleus]

I don't know how it should be implemented. The first should be training. Also, there are some ex-military who do teach in schools, some are also retired cops.

For the best results, they should research how the Israelis do it. Most of the teachers there have been armed for decades. They know from past experience how to fight terrorists. It's laughable that a cell phone could help in any situation, just like the tape recorder did not help the teacher in the thread I posted above. And at the Columbine High School incident, it was clearly noted that the HELP, the police, prevented no further deaths, the deaths continued while the police were there. It took the police 4 hours to search the building while students bled to death even with a sign on the window indicating the classroom where the student was bleeding.