Smartphones, Kids & Parents

I saw a link on Twitter today to a study done by Nielsen looking at kids and smartphones. The study looked at the average age at which kids first received a smart phone, why parents purchase a smart phone for their child and the concerns parents have.  It’s pretty interesting to see the responses and then, as parents and those who work with students, think through how that impacts the students with which we work.

Here a few highlights from study:

• The most predominant age when kids got a service plan was age 10 (22%)
• 45% of mobile kids got a service plan at 10-12 years old
• Among parents likely to get their kids wireless service before they turn 13, being able to get hold of their child easily and that their child can reach out to them easily were top reasons (90%)
• 72% of parents were concerned that smartphones pose too much distraction

It’s an interesting article for parents whose children have a smart phone and for parents who have the issue coming in the future.  The article shares other stats and infographics as well.

You can read the entire article on the Nielsen website.

So…how old were your kids when they got their first smart phone?

How old do you think a child should be to manage a smart phone?

Texting While Driving Fact Sheet

“We’ve been talking on the phone for 80 years. We’ve been driving for 100 years. It’s only recently that we’ve tried to combine the two.”

That is a quote that is featured on the Texting While Driving Fact Sheet provided by The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. CPYU is providing this information to teens and parents to help raise awareness of the dangers of texting while driving.

You can view/print the Fact Sheet online at CPYU’s Digital Kids Initiative webpage.

Feel free to pass this on to other parents and teen drivers.

I Am Doing a Good Work

My YouVersion reading this past week took me through the story of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.  Think it is interesting that nothing miraculous happened in that event.  God just used people who were committed to do what He laid on their heart to do.

I was catching up on listening to some podcasts and I listened to a message from Andy Stanley, who used the story of Nehemiah to launch into the new year.  He emphasized a verse I had read and it further cemented that principle in my mind.

Nehemiah, who lead the rebuilding, faced many different obstacles.  Two of those obstacles were named Sanballat and Geshem.  They wanted to distract Nehemiah by pulling him off the wall.

Read their invitation and note Nehemiah’s response from Nehemiah 6:2-4

“Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”  Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.”

Nehemiah didn’t allow their words distract him from the good work God had given him.  Andy Stanley made the point that while each of us has a different work we are doing, we cannot allow distractions to cause us to stop and leave that good work.

While we may not be rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, what good work has God given each one of us to do that we shouldn’t leave for other distractions?