How soon should your child have his or her very own cell phone? Parents around the world are having a tough time with this inevitable decision. Cell phones for children have their own advantages as well as disadvantages. This article will help you in making this tough decision and also to discuss the effects it may have.

Parents state that good reasons for giving your children cell phones include being able to contact them and be contacted. While others think that cell phones for children do more harm than good, because in this way they can no longer be monitored by their parents. With cell phones parents don't know who's calling their child. Notice how kids are so protective over their phones.

Different parents have different opinions on this topic. Some parents think that children, especially at a young age, have NO business whatsoever with a cell phone. Doesn't matter what the reasons are in their book. While other think that children get hurt and go missing when they are on the close watch of their parents. Children, especially teenagers need their privacy. Children should feel loved, trusted and protected. Not watched, spied on and distrusted.

Some parents argue that children don't need to own a cell phone to be constantly in contact, because they have common-sense. They will know what to do in tough situations and will also know when to use a pay phone. But even when that common-sense rule is observed, it is still possible for children to become separated from a group, lost, suffer an injury or even become involved in, or see, a pedestrian accident without an adult close by. In such cases, it is vitally important for a child to be able to contact a parent or 9-1-1 emergency personnel.

Teenagers use cell phones a bit differently and this may not always be in a constructive way. Teens can share and distribute pornographic and adult photos to others via messaging. It's called cell phone porn and it's rapidly growing worldwide. Teenagers who use cell phones have five times more brain tumors by the age of 29. Teens are error-prone drivers. They're more likely to excessively speed.

But teenagers today use their cell phones for so much more. With texting, Internet access and camera capabilities, teenagers use cell phones not only to connect with people but also to get information about their world

There is a somewhat disturbing trend as well. Families with multiple communications devices are "somewhat less likely to eat dinner with other household members and somewhat less likely to report high levels of satisfaction with their family and leisure time than are families with lower levels of technology ownership," according to the report.