In this day and age, the influence of technology is growing by leaps and bounds. The influx of edgy gadgets paired up with sophisticated mechanisms is the defining point of the 21st century. Children and teenagers are equally keen to own a snazzy gadget that would most likely be a mobile phone, and they are demanding it as young as 7-year-olds. Parents who have agreed to purchase the first ever mobile phone for their teens should make it a point to teach the kids about the pros and cons of using a cell phone and teach them cell phone rules for teenagers.

Health is wealth

Developing brains and bodies of teenagers can be exposed to unseen dangers due to irresponsible or excessive use of mobile phones. Do some research first and educate your teen accordingly before handing over a mobile phone to him/her.

Safety first

Remember to set a password on the phone once you purchase cell phones for children. This will act as the primary line of defense in safeguarding your kid’s personal information from online theft and hacks. The settings can be activated on most phones. All you have to do afterwards is to keep track of the password.

Answering calls from parents

Teens should be advised to pick their parent’s call to let them know about their whereabouts. This will help immensely in establishing trust between the parent and the child.

Apps and downs

Download a recognized security app on your teen’s mobile phone to protect them from downloading dubious apps or paying an honorary visit to unsafe websites that can otherwise compromise the security of the youth. Apps that keep track of your child’s activities and also locate a lost cell phone are also available for purchase.

Customizing the contact list

Save the contact information of trusted family members and close friends to the calling list of your teen’s cell phone to ensure that the young one remains thoroughly protected inside and outside the virtual world.

Learn the rules to implement them well

Get in touch with your kid’s school principal and administration to discuss the rules that they have put in place. Ask especially about their policies on phone usage within school premises and integrate some of that information into your house rules.

Putting the rules up there

Call a family meeting to put down the ground rules regarding mobile phone use in a crystal clear way. Teach teens about the importance of ethics of using the mobile phone. Create a hard copy of the agreement stating all the terms/conditions in black and white and get your kid to sign the same. Later you can give a signed copy of the document to the teen as a constant reminder of their responsibility.

What really to teach the teens

• Handling emergencies: Teach your kid to call you or dial 911 immediately in case of emergency.
• Inappropriate content: Kids with a camera phone should be strictly advised not to take, send or forward inappropriate pictures and videos to others. Sending threatening or offensive messages should also be restricted and your kids should inform you if they receive anything inappropriate from strangers.
• Online privacy: Your teenage offspring should know the importance of guarding their online privacy and that of others.
• Connected behind the wheel: 75 percent of all teen drivers admit that they text while driving. Impress upon the teens the dangers of texting while sitting behind the wheel or sitting in a car with someone engaged in texting while driving.