Passage #1- Are Tweens Ready for Cell Phones? Extended Response
Stimulus Materials:
Source Material #1 Speech: "Tweens" Are Ready for Cell Phones by
Deborah Pendergast "Safer Kids Summit" Thank you for inviting me to the first
"Safer Kids Summit." We are here to discuss ways to keep our children safe in an
increasingly complex world. Today's focus is on technology-specifically on the ideal
age to give kids their own cell phones. As a representative of a large
telecommunications company, I receive many inquiries from parents on this topic, and
this is what I tell them: It depends on the child, of course, but in general, age 10 is just
about right. A 2012 survey by the National Consumers League backs me up. The
survey found that almost 60 percent of children ages 8 to 12 already have cell phones.
These "tweens" can contact their parents at any time, and vice versa, giving the kids a
sense of empowerment and their parents a feeling of security. Caroline Knorr, of the
group Common Sense Media, says, "We want our kids to be independent, to be able to
walk home from school and play at the playground without us. We want them to have
that old-fashioned, fun experience of being on their own, and cell phones can help with
that." Picture the following scenario: You told your fourth-grader that you would pick her
up after school, but you are stuck in traffic. She is waiting for you...and waiting, and
waiting. But if you both have cell phones, you can call her to let her know you are
delayed, and she can go back inside the school, where there are adults around. You
both breathe a sigh of relief. Psychologists tell us that the period between ages 10 and
12 is one of growing independence. It is a time to teach children about responsibility,
and to give them opportunities to earn our trust. Providing a 10-year-old with a cell
phone offers an ideal way to achieve these goals and gives parents peace of mind as
well.
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