We have to face the fact that our children childhood is not the same as ours.
Whilst we met up with friends to play game, the play games on the computer.
Whilst we to contact through letters and the telephone, they use e-mails, Internet chat rooms and the hand phone.
Since computers and handphones do not come cheap, parents need to fork out more money.
Apart from the costs, parents should also be concerned about the negative effects of both hand-phones and computers.
Since the use of hand phones and computers is now virtually unavoidable, parents can take this as opportunity to teach the child some basics about money discipline.
Since it is about something close to the child's heart (and the fact that they may lose their handp-phone or computer privileges), the lesson is more likely to sink in.
The Handphone Users Survey 2005 carried out by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission found that those below 20 made up 13.
1% of the total subscribers of some 16 million.
According to the survey, the adult market for mobile services is now saturated and teens and preteens are set to be the new target market.
Sooner or later your child will likely want to have her own hand phone.
Make it later because studies have shown that mobile phone radiation can cause changes in human cells that might affect the brain and thus may cause brain tumors.
The younger the child the greater the risk.
When? The question of when, or even whether, to give your child a hand phone needs consideration.
Parents want the security of knowing that their child can reach them quickly and easily at any time.
If your child is mostly either in school or at home, then there is no need for a handphone as you can be easily contacted should the need arise.
However, if your child is often away from home, for example attending tuition classes, you might want her to be able to reach you anytime anywhere.
One of the drawbacks is your child may spend too much time on the phone making unnecessary calls.
Boundaries One of the things to consider before handing over the phone is how responsible your child is and whether she is willing to accept the boundaries you set for her.
Rules are needed to avoid conflicts over phone usage.
Rules that have to be clearly laid down should include the maximum monthly hand phone charges and whom she can call.
A child ringing up debt shows a lack of discipline and discipline is important in helping her manage her income in the future.
So be prepared to take the phone away temporarily or even permanently if she does not abide by the agreed rules.
Which model? All she need is a basic model since its purpose is for making calls and SMSing (short message service) friends and family.
She definitely does not need a phone that provides 3G mobile service.
Prepaid or post-paid? With prepaid plan, you pay for the service in advance and when you use your allocated prepaid value (say RM30) you have to top up the account in order to keep making calls.
With a post-paid plan, you can make as many calls as you like but you won't know how much you have spent until the phone bill for the month arrives.
With a post paid plan, you get an itemized bill so you can keep track of the calls made.
However, as far as we know, one service provider does provide itemized statements on its website for those who sign up for its prepaid plan.
To avoid getting a shocking bill, choose the prepaid plan for your child.