“Mom, I want to have a cell phone like Nia, my classmate,” said Tita, a 7-year-old girl, expressing her wish to her mother. You may have heard those words from your little one’s mouth.
Financially, he may be able to buy his son a cell phone with attractive features such as games, radio, camera, video and Internet.
However, is it appropriate to provide a girl as young as Tita with a mobile phone? Especially when the reason given is simply to keep up with a classmate.
It’s worth reevaluating how important necessity is when considering giving your child a cell phone for school.
In fact, the benefits of having a mobile phone can be significant. A mobile phone can serve as an effective communication tool between parents and children.
Especially if parents’ work schedules reduce quality time. Through a cell phone, parents can communicate with their children, from monitoring their activities, asking them about meal times, study times and other activities.
This tool can facilitate remote communication. However, there are psychological aspects to consider when giving a mobile phone to a child.
First of all, understand that a mobile phone is a luxury item, even though it is affordable today. If a child of primary school age is given a luxury item, it is like burdening him with responsibilities.
“Young children are not yet able to take responsibility for these objects. If the mobile phone is damaged, their parents get angry. This can create unnecessary psychological pressure on the child,” says child psychologist Agustina Hendriati, Psi, MSc , Independent consultant. for education and child protection at Unicef and the ILO.
Furthermore, communication via mobile phone is not a valid reason to bring parents and children together. “What a child needs is face-to-face interaction and physical affection, not just questions and attention transmitted through the mobile phone,” she emphasizes.
