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I participated in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Zact. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
Did you know that Zact mobile services conducted a survey that found 73% of U.S. parents are concerned about the lack of parental control of a childs activities on mobile devices? My kids are not quite old enough to have a smartphone of their own but they practically live on mine. I’m always hearing “Mom can I have your phone?”. It doesn’t even feel like it’s mine sometimes.
When my kids are old enough to have a cell phone I totally fear them going over data/minute allowances and finding something on the web that’s not appropriate. When the time comes I will definitely need a low costing cell phone plan with built in parental controls. 
It’s crazy how much smartphone usage will increase among children over the next few years. After all, everyone and their dog has one these days. It’s not very surprising when you think about it. Heck, kids nowadays just pick up a smartphone and bam they know how to use it. It’s pretty amazing how quick kids pick up on technology these days. What are your biggest concerns for your kids when they have a smartphone? How do you talk to them about it?
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Zact. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
Wow, that’s quite an infographic. I see very young children walking around with iPhones and it’s just wrong. While I think it’s good that they can contact their parents easily, there’s a huge downside. As a society, we have so many more ways to communicate with each other, and yet I’m not sure we’re really connecting effectively. Children are the future, and they should be learning how to talk, make decisions, gather information, and not depend on technology for all the answers.
I agree that children need to KNOW how to do things not just know how to make technology do it for them. It’s good to know how things work underneath the surface.
Technology can be a great thing for young children but it can also have negative effects. I am amazed when I go out and I see whole families so involved in their devices that they are completely ignoring each other. There are many apps and learning materials that can help children learn and grow. I think the main thing is moderation. Children need to have the experience of technology but not be consumed by it. 🙂
I hate when I see parents at baseball or soccers games all on their phones not even paying attention to their kids playing. I agree that kids don’t need to be consumed with technology but I fear that is harder to do than it seems.
As a mom I am amazed at home many young children have technology that I DON’T even have. While I agree that it can be educational it can be used as a babysitter.
I agree that a lot of people use it as a babysitter. I am def guilty as using it as a distraction at times especially in public.