Camille Bautista on Mashable:
What exactly does today’s wireless family look like? According to CTIA, The Wireless Association, 70% of children under 12 have used a mobile device, and more than half of kids age 8 to 12 have a cellphone. As the modern family introduces tech earlier on, parents are trying to close the gap between the perception of what they think their kids do online and what really goes on.
The full infographic is here. Keeping in mind it’s US data, there are lots of interesting stats. Here’s a few that stood out to me:
- 12 years – average age when children receive their first mobile
- 10% – percentage of infants who have used a mobile device: 10% (ours would be included here – bedtime story every night!)
- 60 – average # of texts a teenager sends a day
- 93% of parents say they talk to their kids about online safety
- 61% of teens say their parents actually have…
Tim Challies in his book “The Next Story” points out that
“Digital technologies are an unavoidable part of today’s world and there is no biblical reason to utterly separate ourselves from them. As we will see, digital technology is not inherently evil. It can and must be used in ways that honor and glorify God.”
So it’s a fair way away for us yet but I’m curious…
Parents – when did you (or will you) give your teens a phone? (Or if you’re not a parent yet, when did your parents give you a phone?)
What about other wireless devices (tablets, ebook readers etc)?
Anyone have any practical tips on how to use wireless devices in ways that honour and glorify God?
