Vermont bill would ban cellphones for anyone under 21

[SlogginThroughIt]

60. So tired of this shit.

You didn’t have a cell phone when you were a kid when nobody else had cell phones? Wow!!!!

Look we aren’t putting the genie back in the bottle. Whether you like it or not younger people’s world is much different than yours was when you were that age. Likely it is different than yours is right now.

I am sorry but I like knowing where my kid is. I like my kid being able to call me for help. I like that my kid knows how to use technology and I fully understand it is my role as a parent to help them to understand how to use it, what is appropriate and how to be responsible. My eldest has had an ipad since she was 7. She has had an iphone since she was 9 so that she could keep in touch with her Dad who is on the road a lot and so that she could keep in touch with her father estranged grandparents. Because of her having GPS on her with her phone we have been able to allow her more freedom to explore our neighborhood. And now that she is a 13 yr old having crossed over puberty you can bet your ass my wife and I make sure she has her phone on her at ALL TIMES when she is out of the house. She is very active in team sports, clubs, and friend groups and that means she is not always under parental supervision -WHICH IS REALLY GOOD FOR HER. Granted this is anecdotal but because she has been able have more independence with the ability to contact us if needed, she has been much more self sufficient. This kid has the confidence to go out in the world. For example, she goes out on trail in the boundary waters for weeks at a time with counselors in a small pack of 6-8 in the group total.

Did having an Iphone create this alone? Of course not but instead if blaming technology or fearing it, people need to understand that like it or not it IS part of their world and the sooner we teach them how to use it responsibly the better equipped they are for using what is a basic tool in THEIR lives. If we keep treating everything the same way we do with alcohol then we can expect to keep having the same problems with those things that we have with alcohol.