Discussion Text

Do Teenagers Really Need a Mobile Phone?

Nowadays, mobile phones are becoming an extremely popular electronic for people. They are also becoming more technologically sophisticated; most can take and share pictures and videos and connect to the Internet for web surfing. Many teenagers are becoming cell phone owners, however. It’s debatable whether a teenager actually needs a mobile phone, but mostly they will say that a phone was essential to their happiness and social standing. Without a mobile phone, the average teenager is unable to function–they can’t talk to their friends and life just isn’t worth living. But before you give in and rush off to buy your petulant teenager a brand new iPhone, read the following list.

One of the reasons of letting a teenager have a mobile phone is because one way of making a teenager do exactly what you want is by using a combination between bribery and blackmail. They will do what you want easily if you offer to put more data on their mobile phone. Second reason is that mobile phone can also be an excellent way of staying in touch with a teenager when they are away from home. Third, many cell phones enable the teenager to access internet. By using this feature, teenagers can obtain answers to questions very quickly and easily.  The last, if a teenager has a mobile phone, they can use it to call for help in a sticky situation for some reason. In such condition, having a cell phone handy could be a lifesaver.

In spite of having some advantages, letting teenagers have a mobile phone has also some disadvantages. First, cheating can be done more easily by using mobile phone since students can search or text the answers under their desks during tests. Second, mobile phones can be very distracting from some important activities in a child’s life such as studying, doing homework, or even crossing the street. Third, sexual content which can be accessed easily is also an issue for parents to consider before giving a mobile phone for their child.

Everything must have its good and bad effect, and mobile phone must too. We need to be wise to use such a sophisticated technology in our lives. As parents, we can set guidelines for our children on when they are able to use their cell phones or give a suitable phone for their age so that we can get more advantages from purchasing a mobile phone for our children.