Running head: SHOULD CHILDREN USE SMARTPHONES Should Children Use Smartphones English Composition November 14, 2017 Should Children Use Smartphones 1 SHOULD CHILDREN USE SMARTPHONES 2 Technological advancements have initiated a range of positive and negative impacts in contemporary societies. Some of the impacts associated with the technological advancements comprise those introduced by smartphones. While smartphones are among the gadgets that have transformed the society into a global village, they have triggered positive and negative challenges. Access to smartphones by children is one of the challenges faced by families. The complexity of access is twofold implying that there is a range of positive and negative impacts associated with children owning smartphones. Scholars have engaged in unending arguments, which has been augmenting with increased use of the gadgets. Proponents of the idea claim that smartphones are good and their ownership helps children during instances of emergencies, accidents, kidnap, and education. However, those who oppose the idea argue that when children own smartphones, their attention becomes distracted and they become vulnerable to vices executed by online criminals. It is within this backdrop that the essay argues the two sides concerning whether children should own smartphones. Impacts Associated with Access to Smartphones by Children Positive Impacts Some of the benefits that proponents advance regarding the fact that children should own smartphones include convenience and timely response to situations that require emergency feedback. The proponents claim that some emergencies have received due attention just because children had smartphones which they used to contact their parents or caregivers. Issues such as kidnap and other emergencies can occur when parents are away from home or school, thus necessitating the need to have a gadget that can quickly convey the message to them. Moreover, at times adult family members may not be in a position to access help an in such scenarios children can use smartphones to call for help and save losses that could occasion in absence of SHOULD CHILDREN USE SMARTPHONES 3 access to the gadgets. Radesky, Schumacher, and Zuckerman (2015) allude that several cases of kidnap and household accidents have received timely solution courtesy of children who had access to smartphones. The assertion makes it imperative for children to own smartphones. Another argument that justifies the importance of smartphones among children is the benefit of educative content accessed through the gadgets. Apparently, the amount of information that the children could obtain from the online platforms availed by smartphones is numerous. Therefore, with its right use, children can do their revisions and studies and augment their performance using the smartphones. Instead of spending money purchasing books that cover space and are discouraging to read, a caregiver can just purchase smartphones and limit its internet access to sites that have educative contents. By managing access to the internet and ensuring that the sites available for the children are those that educate them, a caregiver helps them improve their education at the comfort of the rooms and in a convenient manner. Negative Impacts The negative impacts presented by those who oppose the idea that children should own smartphones include increased vulnerability to online crimes, distracted attention, as well as increased chances of engaging in unethical behaviors. According to researchers such as Palmer (2015) when children own smartphones, they can easily become subjects of online criminals who mislead them in to engage in unethical acts. Moreover, the criminals can coerce the children and con them by acquiring details of smart cards, and credit cards of their caregivers. Several stories of families conned by online criminals who illegally acquire their private details through their children. Remarkably the ease enjoyed by online criminals when conning children occasions from the naivety that they demonstrate especially on issues associated with fraudsters. Besides increasing the rate of vulnerability to online criminals, smartphones also distracts that attention SHOULD CHILDREN USE SMARTPHONES 4 of the children. Instead of spending time doing meaningful activities such as reading or accomplishing household chores, children can indulge in endless games or chat with friends. As such, children can slowly become addicts of the games or interactive platforms, a factor that greatly affects their performance in school and at home. While some scholars argue that the use of smartphones can be manageable, it is fundamental to explicate the fact that their management among children is challenging and difficult. Research undertaken by Mascheroni and Ólafsson (2016) found out that children who had unlimited access to smartphones registered a drop in their performance as compared to those who had controlled access to the gadgets. Another disadvantage associated with access to smartphones by children is an increased tendency to engage in unethical acts. Notably, when parents give their children unlimited access to smartphones, the children can log into sites designed for adults. After watching the explicit content in the sites, the children may decide to practice them among themselves, something that gradually introduces them to unethical vices common among some individuals in the modern societies. A number of cases linked to drug abuse and eventual addiction owe their origins to unlimited access to explicit content in online platforms at tender ages. It is momentous to explain that even if few children come across the content, they can share it with their friends and the issue progresses to become a challenge to the caregivers. Conclusion In as much as smartphones have challenges which characterize its unlimited access, controlling their use of among children is important. Instead of denying children the opportunity to have a Smartphone, parents can limit their access so that the negative effects become minimal. Apparently, the benefits associated with Smartphone ownership among children outweigh the SHOULD CHILDREN USE SMARTPHONES negative impacts. Therefore, access to Smartphone by children should be limited so that the caregivers maximize benefits are and minimize the demerits. References 5 SHOULD CHILDREN USE SMARTPHONES Mascheroni, G., & Ólafsson, K. (2016). The mobile Internet: Access, use, opportunities and divides among European children. New media & society, 18(8), 1657-1679. Palmer, S. (2015). Toxic childhood: How the modern world is damaging our children and what we can do about it. Orion. Radesky, J., Schumacher, J., & Zuckerman, B. (2015). Mobile and interactive media use by young children: the good, the bad, and the unknown. Pediatrics, 135(1), 1-3. 6 Grading Scale Grades Course Grade Quality Points A (90-100) Excellent A = 4.0 B (80-89) Above Average B = 3.0 C (70-79) Average C = 2.0 D (60-69) Below Average D = 1.0 F (below 60) Failure F = 0.0 I Incomplete Not Computed W Withdraw Not Computed Attendance Policy For a specific listing of participation and substantive interaction requirements, please refer to the University Catalog; Section 2.5 Participation and Substantive Interaction Additionally, course acceleration is not permitted. 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