Parent’s Guide to Cell Phones

If you have kids, and they don’t have cell phones yet, they’ve probably asked for one. Once they reach their teenage years, they’ll spend the majority of their free time yakking on the phone. Possibly, it has occurred to you that this is less than ideal. However, giving your kids cell phones has its upside also. For example, your kids will be able to call you in an emergency, no matter where they are. And if they know you’re going to call them, you’ve removed a plethora of excuses as to why they were late to answer the phone.

If you have a teenager, they will almost certainly be begging you for a cell phone. But what about younger children? There are some very good reasons to make sure your youngster has his or her own cell phone. For example, in an emergency, they would be able to call you, a neighbor or babysitter, or even 911. Enter a company called Firefly. They make cell phones for kids under ten years old. Firefly phones come in a variety of appealing translucent colors. Check with your state’s laws before purchasing, however, as some states have forbidden speed-dialing 911.

It wasn’t that long ago when the cell phone seemed like a minor miracle. Now, they’re so widely accepted as to be taken for granted. Can you remember what life was like before cell phones? Yet today, even inexpensive cell phones are actually a lot more powerful computers than that desktop machine you had in 1990. Most users don’t tap the full power of ordinary cell phones, let alone a smartphone. Nonetheless, there are many programs and services available should you choose to use them. Among the most useful is the calendar/day planner. Many phones allow you to access your email, provided the network coverage includes it. If you have kids with cell phones, they’ll probably install games on their cell phones.

There are around 200 million cell phone subscribers in the United States today. According to a 2005 survey published in Consumer Reports, about a third of them are so dissatisfied with their mobile phone service they are considering switching to another mobile network provider. Calls are dropped for no apparent reason, and spotty network coverage means that even in a major city, where you stand may make a striking difference in how good your coverage is—or whether it exists at all. You might have a strong signal in your living room and no signal in your bedroom. You’d think that the industry, as riddled with problems as it is, would be unable to survive—yet cell phones remain wildly popular.

The cell phone situation in North America is different than in most of the rest of the world. You can move your phone number from one provider to the next quite easily. However, chances are you won’t be able to take your phone along with you when you switch. Most phones are sold to you by the mobile network when you sign up for service. The reason for the incompatibility is simple—mobile network providers want to keep making money from you. They make it hard to switch. In spite of all this, cell phones have just about moved out of the ‘want’ category and into the ‘need’ category.