Effects of Having a Cell Phone in Elementary School

1175 Words3 Pages

Technology has dominated our lives in every direction. Children are growing up in a digital era; a world full of technology. Since our world is full of technology every child is growing up wanting to be a part of the latest portable technologies. Children younger and younger are exposed to the latest technologies as the technology advances. Determining whether or not it is appropriate for elementary school students to be able to carry their cell phones in school is very difficult. Parents and guardians are under the impression that technology is beneficial, but they don’t understand how children are using the technology to their benefit. Robin M. Kowalski, Susan P. Limber, Patricia W. Agatston, who wrote the book Cyberbullying: Bullying at the Digital Age describe and discuss how since children are growing up in technology they are so much more advanced in the digital world than their parents. Parents at the least initially, tend to view the Internet as a helpful tool to aid their children with homework. Similarly, in parents’ eyes, cellular phones are a means for kids to call home in emergencies. Children and youth, on the other hand perceive the internet, cell phones, and other related technologies as a critical tool for their social life. For most parents, this technology is relatively new and somewhat foreign and, therefore, something about which their children need to be cautious. For children and youth, on the other hand, these communication technologies have always existed, so they have a comfort level with technology that if foreign to many of their parents. (2) Since children are growing up surrounded by technology they are learning what technology is like at younger ages. Research shows that over 10.5 million kids ... ... middle of paper ... ...more successful in school. Works Cited: Ritchel, Matt. “Growing up Digital: Wired for Distraction.” New York Times 21 November 2010:A1. Print. Robin M. Kowalski, Susan P. Limber, and Patricia W. Agatston. Cyberbullying: Bullying in the Digital age. UK: Wiley-Blackwell. 2007. Print. D'Antona, Robin, Meline Kevorkian, and Ashley Russom. "Sexting, Texting, Cyberbullying And Keeping Youth Safe Online." Journal Of Social Sciences (15493652) 6.4 (2010): 521-526. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Kerr, Dara. One fifth of third graders own a cell phone. News.cnet.com, April 9, 2012. Medium. Web. Ferrell, Finessa. “Should students have cell phones at school?” Ednews.org. ednews, 24 January 2012. Web. DeAngelis, Tori. "Is Technology Ruining Our Kids?" Is Technology Ruining Our Kids? American Psychology Association, Oct. 2011. Web

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