Parents of children as young as six admit they don't monitor their child's phone use because they don't want to 'invade their privacy'

Parents of children as young as six fail to keep tabs on their mobile phone use for fear of 'invading their privacy', according to a new survey.

Almost 60 per cent of mothers and fathers questioned said they did not monitor their child's mobile phone activity. 

Of those, one in four said they chose not to check in order to respect their infant's privacy.

The majority of parents - 42 per cent - said they never got around to checking what their youngsters were using their phones for, while 13 per cent said they trusted their child with the device.

Over 2,000 parents of children aged 10 or younger who owned a mobile phone were questioned for the survey, which was carried out by mobileinsurance.co.uk.

The survey revealed there are children as young as six in possession of a mobile phone.

Nearly 80 per cent of parents whose child had a phone with a lock or pass-code on it admitted they would not know how to access it.

This is despite the fact that children could be using their smartphone to access the internet.

The firm behind the survey urged parents to ensure their child's access to online content was suitably restricted.

According to website director Jason Brockman, mothers and fathers should monitor children's mobile phone use as a means of 'keeping them safe'.

Parents must to more to ensure their children 'aren't talking to strangers or being bullied' via their smartphones, he said.

It's not a case of invading their privacy, but it should be seen as a way of keeping them safe,' he said.

'Parents should make sure that, if their children have access to the internet on their phones, adult content and websites are restricted, and it's also important to make sure they aren't talking to strangers or being bullied. 

He said it was 'pretty shocking' that children as young as six should have their own mobile phone.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2359249/Parents-admit-dont-monitor-childs-phone-use-dont-want-invade-privacy.html#ixzz2YeLycjQC

Kids And Their Phones: A Dangerous Mix

Ready access to the internet and the ability to forward texts and photos leave youngsters vulnerable to cyber-bullies and predators.  That we know. But what other hidden dangers might cell phones pose?

Talking on wireless devices while crossing the street puts anyone—especially children--at risk of serious injury in a pedestrian accident, says a study published recently in Pediatrics. 

In a ground-breaking experiment researchers at The University of Alabama Birmingham had 77 ten and eleven year olds engage in 6 trial street crossings in a virtual environment.  Results were clear: when cell phones were added to the mix even experienced, attentive children took 20 % longer to begin crossing, were 20% less likely to look both ways, and were 43% more likely to come in close contact with virtual vehicles.   

What accounts for the increase in danger in the experimental scenario?  One explanation is the complex and cognitively demanding nature of street crossing. To be safe, walkers must be on their cerebral toes at all times. Distractions posed by cell phone use put children at increased risk of vehicular injury and even death, researchers concluded.  

Though subjects of the Alabama study did not send electronic messages during their simulated crossings, it is assumed that the dangers of walking and talking generalize to texting and other wireless communications.  So what should parents take away from all of this? Children and teens should be instructed never to use cell phones while crossing the street. Multi-tasking may look appealing but its dangers are very real.

Read more : http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/apologies-freud/201305/kids-and-their-phones-dangerous-mix