I used to laugh seeing so many people with cell phones because I never really saw the point. Once I got a cell phone in high school, I still didn’t get the point. Now, it seems both of these features are not only common, but expected. With all the technology involved, why aren’t there more parents keeping an eye on what their children are doing? 

I came across an article about a teenage girl getting caught, and arrested, because nude pictures were discovered on her phone. But this wasn’t the only incident. Other girls in different schools sent similar pictures to their boyfriends, who in turn sent the pictures to other guys. High school girls sending nude photos over their cell phones: doesn’t really surprise me considering the kind of pressure society is putting on younger girls to be ‘hot’ and ‘sexy’. That’s a problem when it involves them showing revealing pictures of themselves to others.

I can understand parents wanting to have a way of contacting their kid, especially when the kid is in high school and constantly on the move. I also know some parents submit to the whining of their children in order to remain cool. However, I believe it is a privilege for anyone under a certain age to carry a cell phone. There has to be some manner of responsibility and maturity, or the phone simply becomes another cool item and its purpose is forgotten.

I wonder why the parents weren’t paying attention to what was going on. The cell phone companies are great in the sense that they keep records of calls and even text messages. In light of that fact, it doesn’t make it difficult for a parent to know who their child has been interacting with. 

Parents could have taken control of the situation before it got out of hand. Cell phone companies have plans for parents, some of which allow them to control what features are available on their child’s phone. Failing that, they could just not give a phone to the child in the first place. That might lower the parents down a few rungs on the coolness ladder, but it could prevent a larger embarrassment later.

These girls and boys were obviously not mature enough to handle a cell phone, but I feel the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the parents. They weren’t paying attention to their children, and once that starts, it’s a downhill battle from there. Until children are mature enough to understand decisions and consequences on their own, parents need to take a much stronger stand in their children’s lives.