Since cell phones entered into the marketplace and especially since they became affordable enough for entire families to own, there has been the ongoing debate of if a child should actually have one. Although there are some legitimate arguments about why it’s not necessarily the best idea (they can look at material that is not suitable for them, they can become the target of cyberbullying, it can distract them from focusing on class and homework, etc.), there are more and more reports that prove that there are some real benefits as well; especially when it comes to a child having a smartphone.
If you’re a parent who is a bit “on the fence” about it and you’re looking for some reasons why it is actually a good idea for your child to have a smartphone, we have five good ones for you below:
You can keep up with your child’s whereabouts at all times. No parent is really comfortable with hours of time passing and them not knowing where they child is. Thanks to location services like FourSquare and Google Latitude, you and your child can know where one another is throughout the day. All you have to do is open up the service and look on the digital map.
It is a great navigation tool. Although it would be nice if children were always where they’re supposed to be, all of us know that it’s an unrealistic expectation to have. So, whether your child has missed their bus or has forgotten where they are to meet you at a mall or venue, they can use the GPS navigation system on their smartphone to get them to where they need to be.
Homework is made easier. Yes, a lot of us got along just fine without a smartphone when we were in school, but there is no way around the fact that having one definitely makes doing homework a lot easier. There are apps that allow your child to have access to everything from online dictionaries and flashcards, plus they can also download reading apps like Kindle and Nook. It can also make things easier for you because when your child has a schoolwork question that you can’t seem to answer, all they have to do is go to a search engine like Google or Bing to look it up.
They can send photos and videos. If your schedule prevents you from making visits to your child’s school as much as you would like, have your child send you pictures (or videos) that they took with their cell phone of how clean they are keeping their locker or of the score that they got on an in-class assignment. It will make you feel almost like you are right there with them.
You get all of these benefits at a reasonable price. If all of these reasons still weren’t enough to convince you to go out today and purchase a smartphone for your child, we have one more that just might change your mind. If you already have a smartphone yourself, it really doesn’t cost much money to add an additional phone to your plan (even if you are looking for a rate that will protect your bubble iPhone insurance). So to have all of these advantages and not have to pay much to do it, you really can’t beat getting a smartphone for your child. Just try it out and see.
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