Like I alway say…you need a license to have a dog, but any idiot can legally have a child.

schools*, just to beat whoever will come next to correct me to the punch.

And parents have no rights in that matter for two reasons: There are phones in schools for emergency purposes. Too many people using cell phone will interfere with communications during a crisis.

Every school has protocols in place for crisis situations. There is NO reason for a child of any age to have a cell phone during school hours. I don’t care which parents complain–they have no case. THEY are not in charge of the health and safety of all the students in that building–the school administration is. Parents need to get that through their heads.

Agreed. My children did not get a cell phone till age 16 and they were either driving to work or school in the event there was an emergency. They always called when leaving/arriving somewhere. And if they ever abused the privilege, it was gone for good and understood. Kids do some pretty dumb things, Lord knows I did my share, but as a parent, you have to set limits. And 13 is far too young for a cell phone and for what purpose? Want to call your friend, use the phone in the family room. Yep. I am a mean parent. I know this.That’s my job.

i think kids need a license to use sophisticated techno toys, coz d have crazy minds..

bad influence at young age has dark future..

thumbs up steven..

I am not quite certain that a 13 year old is considering the implecations of student loans or food stamps later in life when she is taking or sharing pictures of herself.

MR, are you really that dense? His comment is about how this isn’t child porn, the same way swaying mammaries in the Cote d’Azure (sp?) isn’t pornographic. Under the law, this is considered child porn.

Kinda ironic considering the receivers of the photos are children themselves!

MR, you must be an idiot. Kids have been showing themselves to each other and playing doctor since the dawn of man. Yes, it is social. That’s what they do, and what they’ve always done, just not using the new technology. People yelled and screamed about the new technology called the telephone which was going to lead young people astray with calls from strangers, etc. That’s why there are bills in the works to make texting a misdemeanor instead of a felony. So, before calling someone a pervert, look in the mirror and gaze at a true idiot and moron.

Shut up MR as a kid you didn’t play “show me yours and I’ll show you mine?” if you say no your freaking lying or not human. this is no different,

Arthur kinney
I never played the show me yours I’ll show you mine game…I guess I’m not human. I had morals as a kid. I wasn’t some crazy teen.

MR never played that, as he was a good, christian boy. He was too busy in the back of the church with the priest.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Irony rings supreme in your post, M. Not only do you demonstrate poor manners by calling him an idiot, but – irony of ironies! – your post fails to grasp the simple fact that he’s not suggesting that we should allow child pornography.

Any normal-thinking American understands the current laws don’t address the problem. This is no different than the 19 year-old kid who slept with his 17 year-old girlfriend, then was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He ended up in prison due to an overzealous prosecutor who couldn’t fathom the idea that it’s proper for a 19 and 17 year-old to date . . . and a kid taking pics of herself doesn’t make it child porn. An adult in possession of it? A completely different story.

lol @ m

@Ken you have a camera in your phone so you don’t have to carry and phone AND a camera…

How is texting BS? It’s how it’s done today and it’s perfectly acceptable. Times change good sir you need to accept it and move on instead of being a grumpy old man

To elchiablo: How “what’s done? Wasting time? “Talking” to friends? There are no relevant people skills in use when one incessantly texts “small talk” over and over to the same person. Why not pick up the phone and call your friends–or better yet, talk to them face to face? You’d probably be more productive in life and learn something about sincere communication.

You should be aware that your comment reads as “I’m old and scared of technology!” Camera phones are the evolution of digital cameras, by the way. You added nothing to the conversation. Well done.

Parents whine when you try to stop their kids from bringing phones to school.

Looking at these comments their seem to be some people commenting who think they know what is best because they are grown up, pious, or whatever the case might be. This is not an issue about whether cell phones inhibit learning, or an issue of morality, it is an issue of education and learning to make proper choices. Like all other pieces of technology, cell phones must be used in the proper way. Like fire or the internet, cell phones can be useful and very helpful as long as they are used for the right reasons. The best way to do this is through education. Educating teens on why this issue is such a big deal is the only way to get through to them. Monitoring cell phone use is not going to get parents any where because it will only create more hostility between them and their children, and this will prevent children from being able to have open communication with their parents. I am an excellent student, but if my parents were to monitor my cell phone, I would deeply resent them.

@ student – we are not here to be liked by our children. We are here to parent them.

LOL. Good one! I have found that most Christians don’t know their own Bible. I’m an agnostic … I know the Christian Bible.

Dear another student,

You bring up a great point about educating children.

However, in regard to your last comment about resenting your parents…tough. Your parents are there to protect you and aid in your growth. Until you are 18 years of age, you have limited and discriminate privacy since you are THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. If you were found performing criminal acts on either a computer or a cell phone that they are responsible for, YOUR PARENTS WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT, TOO. As you grow up, you should start thanking your parents for everything they’ve done for you.

They’ve obviously raised you well so far to speak so eloquently about the importance of education. You’ll get over your resentment when you’re old enough to understand why anyone would care enough to monitor your activities. Find other ways besides using a cell phone to promote your own privacy. Good luck to you.

Maybe you should put down the cell phone and learn proper grammar, punctuation, etc. Pay attention in school so my taxes don’t have to support you when you go on welfare.

I suppose you are proof of the damage that Ms. Chocolate was referring to. Your post is a display of ignorance. Grow up.

I’d guess you didn’t like English class, did you? Your writing is barely legible or literate.

Obviously, you weren’t paying attention in English class.

I’m having a hard time with your position that the teacher isn’t nice because the teacher wants you to be focused so you can get an education and secure a better future. It’s deplorable that you would find the efforts your teachers put in to helping you gain some kind of opportunity to become something to be nothing more than an imposition to be resented. I would have been fine having you as a student . . . year after year apparently because you surely would have failed my class based on the abject ignorance your comments reveal. Maybe you would have learned something about accountability for your choices at the very least.

student, you went to Eisenhower and this happened your first year? Based on your logic and writing abilities, I’m guessing you are now in your 3rd first year at Eisenhower….

Nice comments, kid. Do you say shut up to all adults or just your teachers? I would have your butt in the office so fast if you dared be disrespectful to that degree in my room. Schools have telephones for emergency use–students do not need cell phones during the day. Turn them off and keep them in lockers. This eliminates distractions. I don’t know why all schools do not have these kinds of policies. Unless cell phones are engages as learning devices, leave them out of the classroom.

It’s NOT just the age. It’s naivete on the part of parents. Limit cell phone use and monitor it. Do not allow your child to use the cell phone alone in their rooms. It isn’t necessary for kids to text friends 100% of their waking hours. Leave the cell phone turned off overnight. You can also look online at cell phone usage to find out to which number your child is connecting and whether it’s a text or call. You can monitor the situation. It’s just gotten so out of hand now that parents who want to limit cell phone usage do not have any support for each other. They just let kids live their lives with their cell phones because that’s what everyone does.

Keep computers in common areas of the house so that children can be monitored. Do not buy your children laptops until they are of college age. Do not give them smart phones–these are not necessary. Cell phones have become primary communication devices for adults, and now kids are stuck on them. How great for the technology companies! They keep us poor because they know we are addicts. Don’t turn your child into one.

I find it absolutely hysterical that a kid comes on here and insults people who are seeing all sides of an issue with incorrect grammar, punctuation, and spelling. I was a hell of a distraction kid. I WAS the class clown. But at least I paid attention and learned basic life skills! I work at a law firm now. If I get a brief that is as poorly put together as this kid’s comments, I would send it right back to whoever wrote it. What a joke our society has turned into. Whether it be the liberals who make us show respect in lieu of the First Amendment or the conservatives who want to put everyone in jail for doing things they feel are lower than their morality. You’re all a bunch of dummies. The parents, and ONLY THE PARENTS are responsible for this kid’s actions. At 13, we don’t expect this kid to make any independently smart decisions. It’s the reason we don’t impose the same punishments on them as adults and the reason we don’t allow them to marry, drink, drive, or stay out past a certain hour. They’re not to be trusted and parents should know that.

Motivator–What do you do at the law firm? Empty wastebaskets? (No offense to those who empty wastebaskets.)

Once pornographic material depicting minors is in the possession of the public, it is the responsibility of law enforcement to track down all who have it. With no consequence for the person who originally disseminates it (minors included), porn traffickers can use children to send these images without penalty. No, that is not an overly conservative view–that is reality. Criminals can and do use the law to their advantage. Stop this activity in its tracks–NOW. Make it illegal to send pornographic images of minors, PERIOD.

Open mouth, insert foot. You’re an embarrassment to yourself. Forget about paying attention to a teacher . . . no one is going to pay any attention to YOU during your life if this is how you communicate.