Danger of Teenager Cell Phone Use

Cell phone use poses dangers to everyone, but it seems to be amplified with teenage use. Teenagers are impressionable and strive to keep up with their friends, and cell phone use leads to habits that may be dangerous. In addition to reports documenting radiation dangers, texting, "sexting" and other dangers are cropping up quickly. Familiarize yourself with the dangers lurking out there for your teens when they are using cell phones. In some countries, cell phone use is limited to texting for children and teens. While it is too early to determine the long-term effects, parents should know the risks.

Radiation Dangers

A recent Swedish study saw a 400 percent increase in risk to radiation exposure for teenage and child cell phone users compared to non-users, according to an international collaborative group of activists.

And ABC News reported that the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., has compiled a list of the 1,000 highest radiation emitting phones. The top three are the Samsung Impression, Motorola Razr V8, and the Samung SGH-t229. However, radiation dangers are still in review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and these finding were not proven based on long-term effects.

Texting

Although texting itself is a convenient way to communicate, it can be dangerous if precautions are not followed. One of the annoying and possibly costly results of texting is unsolicited or spam texts. Spam texts have been shown to be more effective, simply because people are not expecting them. However, some of these spam items may be inappropriate for a teenage audience.

Another, more serious danger is texting while driving. According to Mobil Spy, 67 percent of teenagers admit to texting while driving. Texting while driving is dangerous for obvious reasons. It is a major distraction to drivers and can lead to traffic accidents.

In Colorado in 2005, Patrick Sims became one of the first teens to have an accident while texting. According to CBS News, he was driving and texting and hit a 64-year-old man on his bicycle, killing him. Sims has since become a speaker on this issue.

Sexting

You may have heard of texting, but not sexting. Sexting is a new teen trend that involves sending and receiving nude or partially nude photos of yourself or a boyfriend or girlfriend. While this may seem like a coming-of-age type of activity, keep in mind that phone pictures can be uploaded to a computer. If a teenager breaks up with her boyfriend, he might post her photos on Facebook or MySpace for revenge. Not only can classmates view them, but also it opens her up to sexual predators.

According to a recent survey by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 20 percent of all teens have participated in sexting.

Prevention and Solutions

There are several ways to help prevent risky teenage cell phone use. Talk to your teens about the dangers, and limit their cell phone use. Consider getting your teens a landline at home instead of a cell phone. Monitor your teens' text messages, both sent and received, making sure to also check the deleted items. You also can request that your cell phone provider block spam messages or picture messages. Also, set rules for cell use in the car.

Benefits

Cell phone protection by parents has many benefits. Children and teens will be aware of the dangers and can prepare themselves for the peer pressure, and teen drivers will be safer on the road. While most parents cannot monitor all situations, prevention techniques can increase your chances of keeping your teen safe.

References

• Tech World
• Mobil Spy
• Environmental Working Group

Resources

• Mobil Spy
• ABC News
• Textually.org