Today’s cellular phones (cell phones) are more than just phones, they are hightech appliances that also serve as a mini-computers. Cell phones are electronic gadgets that allow users to surf the web, conduct text chats with others, take photos, record video, download and listen to music, play games, update blogs, send instant text messages to others, keep a calendar and to-do list, and more, much more. For children and teenagers, they allow for anytime, anywhere communication especially with friends. With cell phones, children are always only a few buttons away, highly connected and instantaneously available. Parents who allow their children to have cell phones feel secure that they too can contact their sons and daughters at a moment’s notice. Many parents also feel relieved to know that their children can have access to them and to emergency personnel in case they need them. For instance, a cell phone is especially convenient for kids who participate in after school activities such as sports or clubs. If the activity ends early or late, or has been canceled, kids can call their parents to let them know about the changes. Kids can also call their parents to ask for permission should last-minute changes in their plans occur.

"Driving While Dialing." In November of 2005 a Highlands Ranch, Colorado 17-year-old allegedly lost control of his car while text-messaging and hit a bicyclist who died two days after the accident. The boy was charged with a misdemeanor which comes with a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

The fact that cell phones pose a great risk when combined with driving cannot be of any surprise to anyone. Let’s face it. First, drivers must take their eyes off the road while dialing. Second, people can become so absorbed in their conversations or other cell phone use that their ability to concentrate on the act of driving is severely impaired, jeopardizing the safety of vehicle occupants and pedestrians alike. In fact, the National Highway Transportation Safety Association has determined that driver inattention is a primary or contributing factor in as many as 25 percent of all police-reported traffic accidents (NHTSA, 1997).² It’s not just talking and text messaging, the two most popular cell phone applications. Remember, cell phones have – and will continue to expand their capabilities as a central communication/collaboration device. So, in addition to "drinking and driving," parents ought to seriously consider a rule for their children that includes no "cell phone use and driving."

Time Away from Homework. Technology affords teens (and adults) a host of ways to do something other than what they are supposed to, in this case homework. In the adult world, it is a common experience that the lines between work and leisure have been blurred. Adults often work at home and play at work – emailing and text messaging friends and family, passing along jokes and family photos, shopping, viewing pornography, reading the news, and even gambling. Business owners are increasingly relying on stealth spying programs to snoop on their employees to make sure that their activities are both appropriate and work related. Their bottom lines are at stake. As parents, we too have the responsibility to help our children focus on their productivity. Their "bottom lines" are academic achievement and success.

Since consumers must be 18 in order to purchase a cell phone contract in the United States, most parents are buying the phones their children carry. This is good news because parents can choose a plan that fits how the cell phone will be used and can review monthly cell phone bills which typically includes a log itemizing phone activity. However, problems still exist. For one, children can quickly go over their allotted minutes for the month which can leave their parents with bills that can easily approach hundreds of dollars for the month. One thing that helps is the availability of cell phone plans that include unlimited minutes during certain hours or between certain cell phone carriers. Choosing a plan with unlimited minutes can ease the risk of mounting monthly phone charges although does not solve the problem with understanding what kids do with those unlimited minutes. Cell phone features such as text messaging and Web browsing are increasingly included in bundles with extra weekend and night minutes, in essence, giving children unlimited and unsupervised access to each other and to the Internet. Thus, parents who have a supervision system that works for computers at home may unknowingly give their children a work-around for getting into trouble outside of the home in a way that is even more convenient to the child.

According to Sullivan (2004)³, when cellular phone games were simple, such as the knockoffs of the Atari-era "Breakout," there wasn't much to worry about. But newer phones with color displays and higher processing power create a landscape that might make some parents worried about what their kids are playing on the bus home from school. Games and videos with sex and violence are now a technological possibility -even if the screens are still small, and the characters pixilated. And then there's the more subtle messages sent by some games as shown in this game’s description:

"Prince of Persia," by Gameloft, urges players to rescue a kidnapped harem of women. "The Sultan’s wives have been kidnapped by the Vizier in order to carry out experiments on abstinence. The Sultan’s real mad! He no longer knows how to express his desires. Seven female prisoners – and only you can set them free and bring them back to life!"

Complicating matters further is the fact that game ratings can't be used on cell phones -- the technology does not currently allow it. Console and computer games have ratings on the outside of the package, so parents at least know what they are getting into when they make a purchase. Since cell phone downloads offer no method for displaying ratings before purchase, there is no way to enforce a rating system. To be fair, cell phone companies seem to be doing a pretty good job of regulating themselves and preventing putting inappropriate games in the hands of children via their cell phones. How long, however, can they resist this incredibly lucrative market? When will profit grease the slippery slope of providing increasingly more violent and sexually charged games? Even now, cell phone games have changed from old style and innocuous arcade games such as Tetris to games with more elaborate (and questionable) plots. For instance, one cell phone game is described as the following: Play as Tanner, undercover cop and action hero, and bring down a car theft ring on the city streets of Miami, Istanbul and Nice. DRIV3R is packed with driving and out-of-car missions that keep the action fresh and exciting, including chases, timed racing, combat and much more! DRIV3R’s explosive action and incredible depth will keep your pulse racing in high gear! Another game, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® 3, for example, may entice children with the following description:

This game is fashioned after the PC version of the same title, which, incidentally, is rated "M" for mature.

Cell-phone pornography (also known as mobile pornography or mo-po for short) is a fast-growing business that analysts expect will generate about $2 billion in global revenue by 2009. Already, U.S. sales of erotica or porn distributed via cell phones were estimated at about $30 million in 2005 (Cell phone sex, 2006)⁴. The least restrictive site I found on the Internet (which I won’t mention lest I advertise for them) provides visitor with a warning: "If you are under 18 years of age, or if it is illegal to view adult material in your community, please do not click this link. [My comment: Okay, whether you’re a kid or adult ... is this not an invitation to click?] We can't be held responsible for your actions. We are not acting in any way to send you this information; you are choosing to received it! Continuing further means that you understand and accept responsibility for your own actions, thus releasing the creators of this web page and our service provider from all liability. All persons depicted herein were at least 18 years of age at the time of the photography."

That’s it. No other means of age verification. All the child has to do is agree to the terms of condition:

YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE AND REPRESENT THAT YOU KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE MATERIALS PRESENTED AT, AND/OR DOWNLOADABLE FROM, THE WEBSITE INCLUDE EXPLICIT VISUAL, AUDIO, AND/OR TEXTUAL DEPICTIONS OF NUDITY AND SEXUAL ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, HETEROSEXUAL, BI-SEXUAL, HOMOSEXUAL, AND TRANSSEXUAL ACTIVITIES OF AN EXPLICIT SEXUAL NATURE; THAT YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH MATERIALS OF THIS KIND; THAT YOU ARE NOT OFFENDED BY SUCH MATERIALS; AND THAT BY AGREEING TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS YOU ARE WARRANTING TO THE COMPANY THAT YOU ARE INTENTIONALLY AND KNOWINGLY SEEKING ACCESS TO SUCH EXPLICIT SEXUAL MATERIALS FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL VIEWING. BY CREATING A FREE ACCOUNT, YOU HEARBY AGREE TO RECEIVE FREE VIDEO OFFERS VIA E-MAIL. TO STAY ON OUR E-MAIL LIST, THERE IS NO NEED TO DO ANYTHING. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE CONTACTED BY US VIA E-MAIL, PLEASE CLICK ON THE UNSUBSCRIBE LINK LOCATED IN THE FOOTER OF THE E-MAIL AND YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM OUR LIST. YOU HEREBY FURTHER AFFIRM AND WARRANT THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY OVER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS (TWENTYONE (21) IN PLACES WHERE EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS IS NOT THE AGE OF MAJORITY) AND ARE CAPABLE OF LAWFULLY ENTERING INTO AND EXECUTING THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

Actually, this text only comes up if the visitor clicks on the appropriate link. A visitor could simply just check off that he or she has read these terms without ever really reading them. Notice that according to the terms, the user also agrees to receive video offers via e-mail which, my guess is, will be difficult to stop. Some teens may set up a "dummy" e-mail account with one of the free online e-mail services that they check and clear (delete all the emails without reading them) every so often for this very purpose. Basically, anyone with a cell phone can automatically download a new porn video clip every day for free.

How can parents enjoy the benefits of staying connected with their children while also diminishing the risks that arise when cell phones and children mix? Well, for one, I hope that you have gotten the message throughout this book that, as a parent or care taker, it is important to stay focused, be assertive, and maintain your ground. It may very well be that the answer to owning a personal cell phone is simply, "no." You may determine that in the event of an emergency, your child will already have enough access to you and to emergency personnel by virtue of all the communication possibilities around them. In stores, malls, schools, etc., there are plenty of ways to immediately communicate. I’m sure you have noticed that no matter what the emergency (e.g., school crisis, car accident, etc.), the level of response for school and emergency personnel is amazing. Helpers (and the media) are on the scene within minutes. You will be notified or become aware of any problems very quickly. In special circumstances such as going out to a party, football game, or field trip, your child can always just borrow yours for a day or two.

If you decide that, for whatever reason, your child should have a cell phone handy, you might consider getting one that is programmable and includes parental controls. This means that you can program the phone to only accept certain calls from you and your family members, for instance. And, these phones typically have presets for ambulance, fire, and police. Finally, many of these phones designed for children include GPS locator services. Here are a few examples:

_______________________