[Jesica Kimer]

I have a 15 year old daughter and she has an Android phone since she was 11. I thought that was too young, but my wife insisted. However, my daughter never follows any rules about using the mobile phone. It is strictly prohibited for students at the school to use their cell phones during class time and their mobile cell phones are ought to be turned off.

Unexpectedly, when I was checking her phone records, I found that she has been texting over a hundred times during class and making about at least 10 calls a day. She used to be a very good student, but since she has had that phone her grades have slipped and she has even failed some classes. So, I put a complete block on her phone for calls and texting during school hours. Well, when her mom found that, she yelled at me and said that I was looking for ways to get her into trouble. I was really frustrated. Is it so bad to check on a kid's cell phone usage to make sure they are not abusing it?

[Advertisements]

I can tell you something about that problem as a 18 year-old boy who got his Abitur (A-levels) in Germany 5 months ago:

I got my first smartphone when I was 14, but it had no internet access nor any cool apps/games or something. My first smartphone with Android and internet access followed two year later. I didn't really used my phone during a class. Most of my friends were in my class and most of the time the lessons were not that boring. But there were some people (I have to admit that the girls used their smartphones much more than us boys ) who constantly were texting and surfing. And I have to say that these girls didn't have the best graduation, but I can't really remember that their grades were good at any time.

 

I don't think that controlling the phone usage in that way is a good idea. Teenagers always find a way to do something the way they want to, I speak from my own experience.

The better way would be to ask other parents what they think about the situation. I guess your daughter's friends will be texting as well, it's somehow a peer pressure. Informing the teacher about the current situation might be good as well. I personally don't know how teacher can oversee that someone is using one's phone constantly. At my school, most teachers bagged cell phones for the rest of the day when they caught someone using it.

That's the way I see it and how I experienced it. I hope this helps a bit, if you have any questions, just ask

Edited by Xeni, 26 September 2014 - 07:18 AM.

[Xeni]

I can tell you something about that problem as a 18 year-old boy who got his Abitur (A-levels) in Germany 5 months ago:

I got my first smartphone when I was 14, but it had no internet access nor any cool apps/games or something. My first smartphone with Android and internet access followed two year later. I didn't really used my phone during a class. Most of my friends were in my class and most of the time the lessons were not that boring. But there were some people (I have to admit that the girls used their smartphones much more than us boys ) who constantly were texting and surfing. And I have to say that these girls didn't have the best graduation, but I can't really remember that their grades were good at any time.

 

I don't think that controlling the phone usage in that way is a good idea. Teenagers always find a way to do something the way they want to, I speak from my own experience.

The better way would be to ask other parents what they think about the situation. I guess your daughter's friends will be texting as well, it's somehow a peer pressure. Informing the teacher about the current situation might be good as well. I personally don't know how teacher can oversee that someone is using one's phone constantly. At my school, most teachers bagged cell phones for the rest of the day when they caught someone using it.

That's the way I see it and how I experienced it. I hope this helps a bit, if you have any questions, just ask

Edited by Xeni, 26 September 2014 - 07:18 AM.