Spinoff internet on cell phones

shabbatiscoming

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 10:40 pm

Im wondering what people think.
DO you think that a teenager needs to have internet on their phones. I personally do not think a teenager needs to have internet on their phones. They can look at the internet when they get home from school or at their friends or the library.

What do you all think?

freidasima

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 11:48 pm

Why not? Today people live with internet, it is a tool. They have to be responsible, and learn not to waste their time on narishkeit, but it's a way that people keep in touch, check directions (waze) and many other things that they may need during the day. Maybe not a 13 year old but definitely a 16 or 17 year old. What's the difference between that and needing it at 18 when you go to the army? Just because you are in that jail that they call "high school"? Or is the fear that they will surf all day long at school instead of listening to the teacher? I guess you have to know your own kids. They can also spend time on the school computers surfing instead of studying like many did before cellphones with internet!

Odelyah

Tue, Sep 02 2014, 12:23 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

I don't think so. I don't think most people need internet on their phones. I don't have it and my teenagers don't have it. It's bad enough having it at home...

yo'ma

Tue, Sep 02 2014, 5:52 am

The internet is not only used for surfing. My ds uses his internet on his phone for two games and whats app. My dd uses it to watch one or two specific shows and chat with her friends. I don't surf the net and neither do my children or dh. We're not interested in that. We go on what we enjoy and that's it. Now if that's all needed is another story.

Tablepoetry

Tue, Sep 02 2014, 6:01 am

Depends on their community.
My kids have internet on their phones after age 14 or so. They would have no social life if they didn't. Whatsup has become the main tool these teens use to communicate when and where to meet, to arrange surprise birthday parties, to see whose mom can pick everyone up, to ask what was for homework....A kid without whatsup would really be out of the loop in these classes.

etky

Tue, Sep 02 2014, 6:42 am

Tablepoetry wrote:

This is very true. My DS 16 does not have a smartphone and he feels out of the loop. He has to rely on a friend to convey information like this. Though we held out until 18 with our eldest DD, we feel that we might have to provide him with a smartphone earlier. I am loathe for him to have unfettered internet access at this age though. We have a filter on our home network. He's also the type who could end up the entire day on his phone playing games, surfing and texting. He says that most of his peers spend a good portion of their time on whatsapp, even during face-to-face social interaction. I really do not like the idea but we're beginning to feel that we're hampering him by not letting him own a smartphone.