Once upon a time teenagers pleaded with parents for their own phone in their room. Soon that was no longer acceptable and teens demanded their own phone lines or at the very least, their own ring. Unfortunately, those days are gone and now teens everywhere are demanding wireless communication. Marketers are targeting teens and if you’re the proud parent of an adolescent, chances are your young adult is tugging at your wallet and your heart strings, begging for their very own cell phone. Before you run out and buy one or flat out refuse to, you may want to ask yourself these questions.

1. Does your teen drive? Having a teen that drives is very scary. Parents often worry about their young drivers while their out. What is they get in an accident? What if their car breaks down? What if they run out of gas? Allowing your teenager to have a cell phone will alleviate some of your worrying buy allowing you to have contact with them in the matter of seconds. Should your son or daughter encounter a situation where they need help, a cell phone will allow them to call you or emergency services quickly.
2. Is your teenager often out of the house? Between school and extracurricular activities, life as a teenager can be pretty busy. If your son or daughter is often at games, practice, club meetings, or even at friends’ houses, a cell phone can be a great way to keep the lines of communication open and ready. If your teen doesn’t have their license or a car yet, they will be able to call you for a ride when they need one without having to borrow someone else’s phone, walking to a pay phone, or look for another way to get home.
3. Are they responsible? Do you have a teenager or a young adult? The maturity level of your son or daughter is a great way to decide whether they are capable of responsibly owning a cell phone. If your teen is generally well organized, does what their told, does well in school, and generally a responsible individual a cell phone may be a great way to award them. If they are doing poorly in school; have a horrible attitude, don’t listen, are always late, and are hanging out with the wrong kids, you may want to think twice about giving them a cell phone.
4. Do you trust their judgment? Just because your teen is responsible doesn’t mean they will make the right decisions all the time. Allowing them to own a cell phone will give them the ability to communicate with anyone at any time. If you fear that your son or daughter is a risk for speaking to the wrong people at the wrong time, you may want to hold off on buying them a phone. Nothing will help you gauge your child’s ability to make sound decision than having a chat with them about cell phones and safety issues.