5 Safety guidelines for cell phones and how to monitor cell phone safety

Research shows that cell phones are the #1 form of communication for teenagers. An overwhelmingly 70% of teens use cell phones to chat on a daily basis and 60% use their cell phones to text message every day. A recent poll by How Teens Use Media shows that teens on average receive 2,899 texts per month and 191 phone calls. As a parent, you must take the time to talk to your teen about their cell phone. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Have clear guidelines about when the cell phone can be used.
• Do your teens turn in their phones at a certain time each night?

• What are the cell phone policies at school?

• Create a user agreement to sign and adhere to. Here's an example.

• Absolutely do not use any sexual language when texting or send sexual pictures.
• When a person texts a nude photo and sends it to someone, that is now called 'sexting.'

• Sexting is prosecutable under federal law and teens are being charged as adults.

• When you put something in print or online, it will never completely disappear.

• If your child receives a rude text, do not respond. This is could only get them in trouble for cyberbullying. Show the text to an adult immediately.
• When a teenager is threatened or harassed using technology, that is cyberbulling.

• Cyberbullying is becoming more prevalent among teens.

• Children have committed suicide and killed each other due to cyberbulling.

• Talk to your cell phone provider to find out about the parental controls and take the time to set them up.
• The larger cell phone companies have parental controls. Visit here for more information on how to activate them.

• Ask your provider what cell phone options they have for younger children. Verizon's Firefly program is one example.

• There are so many new cell phone options now. Check out the new Firefly Mobile flyPhone.

• Review your child's phone regularly to check text messages, pictures and phone numbers. Seriously consider purchasing a monitoring program like My Mobile Watchdog. You can monitor every text, picture and phone call.

Remind your child that a camera and texting are privileges. If they are abused, you will stop paying for the services.

Sources:

iCare About Protecting Children

Common Sense Media

How Teens Use Media

Stop Cyberbulling

Firefly Mobile

My Mobile Watchdog