Kids on mobiles

May 12 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

LIKE all the most successful innovations, mobile phones swiftly moved from being luxuries to necessities – and they are now so prevalent it is difficult to conceive life without them.

They have developed from a clumsy, club-like device that was the preserve of business and the wealthy to an essential item most of us would now struggle to do without.

No-one would argue against the notion that the mobile is one invention that has helped improve just about everyone’s lives.

When it comes to their use by children, however, there are some serious concerns, surrounding both the potential health risk that could be involved and the danger that they can be disruptive if used at school.

When to let their offspring have a phone is a question parents will inevitably face.

A survey in today’s Examiner shows that the majority of mums and dads feel children should not be given their first mobile until they are at least 11 and some say they should wait until they are 14.

While it should be remembered that they are a very useful way for parents to keep in touch with their children and make sure they get to and from school in safety, nobody really knows yet what the long term effects of mobile phone use might prove to be.

The mobile phone industry position is resolute; there is, they say, no evidence that they cause human beings any harm. But there are too many unanswered questions and it is clearly prudent not to over-expose youngsters to them.

Parents who hold out – and it’s a tough job against pester-power, we admit – are doing the right thing.