you are 5 and you have a cell phone? whom do you call?

“you are 5 and you have a mobile phone”, is a very common statement used these days by many adults and even teenagers. But there is nothing to be surprised about. These days, young kids own a mobile phone and they know how to use it including operating very complicated functions like operating a GPS or sending emails through phones. But is it meant for them?

Children own phones not because they have to make real use of it like make important phone calls or text messages containing important information. It is merely to show off to their mates that they own a mobile phone and use it as they like. However, it is very unsafe as children are exposed to a lot of information which they aren’t supposed to be exposed to at a tender age. For example, children are prone to giving their cell numbers to many people who in turn send them text and multimedia messages having sexual content which affects the mental health of children. Moreover, the personal and private nature of mobile phones makes parental supervision almost impossible.

Moreover, children are addicted to mobile phones. It has become an integral part of their life. The EMC world has published a report which says that children are addicted to cell phones more than toys and they can’t live without it and parents often cannot keep a check on what do the children do with mobile phones.

It is not only harmful to the child’s mental health but also to their brain. A research proves that children at the age of 10 or below are prone to ear tumors by 4 times compared to adults. The radiations from cell phones can also affect their DNA. To prevent the misuse of cell phones, a special mobile phone was devised in UK but was withdrawn from the market because it encouraged children at that age to buy a mobile phone.



Cell phones are necessary to an extent when parents want to contact their children or for use in emergency but children aren’t mature enough to decide what is right and what is wrong for them. Parents should be careful while giving cell phones to children and should take it back when the need is over. Also children should be made to understand what they should do and what not in order to maintain their privacy and safety.