Most schools strictly state that the use of mobile phones by teens in school is illegal. They clearly state this in their school rules and regulations, but some parents insist there are some advantages in a teen carrying a cell phone to school. You as a parent should think about all the pros and cons before deciding on whether you should allow your teen to carry a cell phone to school.
First we can elaborate on the good side of your teen carrying a cell phone to school. The advantages are :
Faster and better communication
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A cell phone is the best instant piece of communicating. In case your teen needs something urgently at school, then he or she can call you and you will deliver it to your teen. If your teen does not carry a cell phone to school then he will first check with the office which will be a longer process. The office may not even deliver the teen’s message.
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The teenager may get into an emergency and will want to call the parent. This will be an advantage if the teen carries a cell phone to school. This may be due to fire breakouts in the school or getting stranded somewhere. You as a parent may also need to talk to your teen in case of an emergency at home otherwise it will be stressful to send the required information to your teen.
Teaching aid
Cell phones are useful in getting information and teens can use them as a teaching aid. Learning is all about getting and understanding new information so that the information will be useful to your chld. Teens carrying cell phones to school can gather more information in case the cell phone is internet enabled. Getting information from the library is more cumbersome and time taking. On the internet you just enter a keyword and you are done. Thus such a teen will always do his homework in time and will ensure resourceful learning.
No interruption
Cell phones in school are not always an interruption. When a teen carries a cell phone to school, he or she would put the tones on silent mode. In such a situation there will be no interruption and noise in class.
However, there are many disadvantages that come with a teen carrying a cell phone to school. This includes the following cons:
Carelessness
Some teens while in class or in the library may forget to turn the cell phone into the silent mode. This will be a major noise pollution thus interference with studies of the student and the whole class. Some teens are very careless and will never take any precaution.
Poor concentration
Even if the phone is in silent mode, some teens will still use short messages to communicate in class. This will result in poor concentration in class. Social networks are the major cause of disruption in class. A teenager with an internet enabled phone and one who cannot control him or herself will go to chat rooms in class time. This will cause a major drop in the school performance. Not carrying a cell phone to school would only be the best solution to avoid falling into temptations of using the phone in class.
Cheating
Cell phones are mostly used in cheating during exams especially the internet enabled cell phones. Some teens are good in hiding the cell phones and sneaking them into school. He will never do anything on own because he will be addicted in copying.
Threats
Some students use cell phones as a means of sending threats to other teens or even their teachers. This is very dangerous and the teen can be prosecuted for ending threats.
When weighing both sides, the parent should note what is best for the teen. If the teen is responsible and follows rules told to him then he may be allowed to carry a cell phone to school. If the teen disregards rules and is always careless then it would be best to make sure he or she doesn’t carry a cell phone to school.