There are a lot of things that parents can do to help give their kids a safe and productive way to have their own cell phone. Any family can use these simple ideas to regulate cell phone use in the home and create a healthier relationship with technology. Parents can also use these ideas to help keep their kids safe when they are using their cell phones. Here are five smart cell phone rules for kids.
Work on a family plan
Many kids will want to have their own cell phone plan. This may seem harmless to many parents, but it can be an issue for a few reasons. First, having a separate plan allows kids to conduct more activity with their cell phone that parents will not know about. Second, when they order Vonage in New York family plans, families can save a lot of money on their cell phone bills.
Turn off phones at bedtime
Having cell phones at night can cause a lot of issues for kids. Using their cell phones at night can cause kids to lose sleep, which can affect their performance in school the next day and cloud their judgment. Parents should keep their children’s phones at night to prevent this issue.
Inform kids about the dangers of sharing their information online
Having a smart phone allows kids to connect to the internet anywhere, anytime. Parents need to be sure that they inform their kids about the dangers of sharing their information online. There are still a lot of cases of identity theft today, and age is no deterrent for some hackers. Parents should stress this importance whenever their kids are using the internet.
Set some no phone times
Some people might notice that cell phone use is affecting a child’s ability to function properly in certain settings. For example, phone use can cause children to lose focus when studying or at the dinner table. Parents can set no cell phone times to fix this problem, not allowing their kids to have access at certain times to help them focus and be more productive.
Set passwords for buying new apps
There are a lot of mobile apps that kids have become obsessed with today. These apps can help kids be more productive, but many can be a big distraction to them throughout the day. Parents should have a password that only they know on the account that kids will need to use to buy or download new apps. This will ensure that parents have to OK every single app that is on their child’s phone.