More than a quarter of a million children are abducted each year in the United States, statistics show that more than a hundred of these children are seriously injured, killed or are never found.
A cell phone for a child can be a lifesaver and even children as young as four or five can be shown how to use a simple mobile phone.
There are companies that make mobile phones specifically for small children – they look like toys, but it is the parent to impress upon the child that he is not a toy and it show how to use it properly. Important Numbers 911 which can be pre-programmed.
Small children are obviously not need a cell phone to talk to their friends, but when they get a little older, they will want to use it so that if a prepaid cell phone the way to go. Some plans for cell phones for children are very affordable – less than $ 10 per month and include access to a GPS phone locator.
All the parent has to do is pre-program the phone to send an e-mail at specific times of the day. The parent then uses their computer or mobile phone to actually “see” where the phone is. Very useful if the phone is lost, but even more useful when the child is late or does not fit.
The parental controls can be added as the child grows. Again all the parent has to do is pull up the phone folder on a computer. Telephone use can be monitored online and e-mails, texts and websites the child has visited can be accessed. All risk behaviors may be terminated immediately by blocking some sites, email addresses or numbers.
Many children who are missing have simply lost their friends, but can still be a very anxious time for parents and may use a lot of resources of law enforcement. Nearly half of children who disappear are eventually found to be with family members, a separated father or mother took. For $10 a month if a child has a cell phone many of these cases could be resolved more quickly.
Of course, as the child grows, he will want a more sophisticated phone, but that does not mean it will be less threatening. Recycle his old phone properly or give it to another parent of a small child, but when you buy your next cell phone child, leave the GPS monitoring program on it.