Fun with phones

Today's teens are keeping in touch and managing hectic schedules with handy gadgets

ILLUSTRATION BY KNIGHT RIDDER TRIBUNE

PHOTOGRAPH BY SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE

By Jessica Hernandez

SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Teen cell phone ownership is on the rise across the nation. Almost 50 percent of 10- to 18-year-olds in the United States own cell phones, according to a study conducted by NOP World Technology.

Topeka High School student Nicole Wing, 17, has had her own phone for two years. She said the phone comes in handy because she drives by herself a lot. Her cell phone is also a social necessity.

"I need it when trying to figure out what everybody's doing at nights and on weekends," Wing said.

Cherie Jim, 15, who attends Royal Valley High School, has had her own cell phone for a few months. She worked during the summer and bought a prepaid cell phone. She now does chores to earn money to buy minutes.

"I wanted to have one so I can call my friends on a separate phone, talk to them whenever my parents need the (home) phone," Jim said.

Her mother, Sandi Jim, said her daughter must earn the right to keep the phone.

"As long as she's not abusing it and she's earning her own minutes, that's showing responsibility, then it's OK," Sandi Jim said.

A local cellular company, Personal Communications Inc., requires customers to be 18, but there are ways around that.

"We have a lot of parents coming in to buy them for younger kids," said Jarrod Millard, sales representative.

Personal cell phones are used by many high school students and are becoming more prevalent in middle schools.

"We have a representative group, I'm sure," said Sharon Chandler, secretary at Logan Junior High School. "I would say a third, probably (have cell phones)."

Some parents buy their children cell phones to help with hectic schedules. Anita Mendez, of Topeka, said she purchased a new phone for herself and gave her old, prepaid phone to her 11-year-old daughter Raven, who is a sixth-grader at Landon Middle School. Raven is restricted to talking only to her mother.

Mendez said the phone helps because she travels across town to transport her daughter to and from school.

"In case of emergencies or I'm running late, I can call her," she said.

Though teen ownership of cell phones is growing rapidly, some parents think teens and preteens don't need phones. Rose Adams' two daughters, Brandy, 12, and Amber, 13, both want phones because many of their friends have them.

"I think it will be a waste. They can talk on the home phone," Rose Adams said. "They can have cell phones when they get older and can pay their own bill."

Sandi Jim said her daughter's phone is more of a luxury and comes in handy for disciplinary reasons.

"I could ground her but it doesn't do any good, and I can't make her do chores because she already does a lot of chores around the house," Jim said. "When I take away her cell phone, that hurts."

Cell phones owned by teens and preteens are turned off and stored in lockers for the greater part of the weekdays.

"We prefer they don't bring it to school. If they do bring it to school, (the phones) are to be kept in their lockers. They're not allowed to have them out during the school day," said Kelli Hoffman, assistant principal at Eisenhower Middle School.

Jessica Hernandez is a student at Washburn University. She can be reached at confabulation_jae@yahoo.com.

Copyright 2005
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