Kids not having enough sleep due to texting

Well, I am a mother, but I still don't think that it is appropriate for very young children (mine are 4 and 8 years old) to have cell phones, I also don't think that they need to wait until they are in college to have their first cell phones. I got mine in the late '90s when I was a junior in high school. The reason that I got a cell phone at that time was because I was driving and also very involved in extra curricular activities. For that reason, I will also get cell phones for my children when they get very involved in extra curricular activities. However, I hope that they will learn from my example and leave the phone outside of the bedroom when they go to bed at night.

It's the same everywhere in the world. Mobile users are getting younger and younger, even kids aged 6 even had one now. Their excuse? To contact parents. I don't believe that's really the case because once mobile phones are in school, friends will tend to compare. When that happens, mobile phones are not simple basic usage anymore. They are more for playing, show off as well as being in the trend.

Hi. freymind. Many kids are texting on their cell phone for many different reasons. I would never let my child text while they are trying to sleep. They will need to put their cell phone completely away. Sleeping with a cell phone on is not healthy in my opinion.

I see no reason for kids to have access to a cell phone during their sleep time. The parents should make it a policy to have the phone off and put away during the night time preferably in the parent's bedroom. Should there be a true emergency the kid will know where to go to call 911 or other help source. Personally, I don't think that kids should even have their own cell. They see their friends off and on all day at school and through the summer vacation time. Why do youngsters need a cell phone? What's the matter with the land line at home?

For me it is can vary but most of all in the internet games.

It depends though, if they abuse it too much, it could be a really a bad habit. I'm a teenager myself (90s) but I don't really love to text or call. It's either I would go to the internet(which I am guilty right now) or chat personally with them. It's true though that kids nowadays tend to rely on their gadgets and not on the real game, life.

I can't really say to much because when I was younger I did sleep with my cell phone under my pillow in case someone would text me in the middle of the night. When my daughters are older I will be a bit stricter. If and I mean IF the have cellphones I will require that they stay out in the kitchen at night to be charged and that they are not permitted in the bedrooms at night. I think that if you set limits on them then the children will not abuse them. I do see the benefits to teens having cellphones for emergencys but I can remember being young and we actually TALKED to our friends, not sending them text messages. I can also remember playing outside from early morning to night fall, and my mom would yell from the front steps for me to come in, she wouldnt call my cell phone. I didn't get my first cell phone until i was almost 17 years old. I think that parents need to step up and take responsiblity for their children, and teach them that sleep is important to their well being.

I think if the person spends all night texting and does not get enough sleep, he or she will have to deal with being tired at school or work the next day, and eventually learn that saying goodnight or ignoring a text isn't the end of the world. I don't like being tired at work so I always get to sleep early, even though I love to text.

The trend of mobile phones and text messages have become a regular scene in every corridor. The sleep gets disrupted but being the individual himself/herself they must be made a little aware that sleep is an important factor in health and to not replace it with the continuous use of phones. The phone use at nights can't be stopped by just keeping away the child's phone as a parent and this would increase the thoughts of negativeness in kids. Best thing would be a little advise, not much and also tips of the harms of the lack of sleep would do real good. The small kids to own a phone in young age isn't a great thing but to provide them with one when they are matured enough like in ends of teenage, huh.

I see this as a bad problem with my niece and nephew, see they think it is cute to text me at all hour of the night. I have a blackberry and it has the facebook application, so from time to time I can view the status updates. My niece and nephew both do not live near me at all as they live in opposite side of the city. Anyways I can see that with their mobile phones they are texting their status and updates messages to facebook at 1am - 2am in the morning. I have spoken to my their mother to let her know but if she does not do anything then I cannot. I think they emphasize way too much with these gadgets because I cannot imagine them waking up energize in the morning for school, because they do this way too often. If for any reason a child needs a phone in my opinion it should not be iphones and or expensive ones and should only be for emergency calls nothing else.

Children should not have their cell phone in bed or even close to their bed. It should be put on silent mode in another room. Cell phones are radiation gadgets. Cell phones should be used only when it is imprtant and necessary. I've rules for my 11-years old daughter how and when she are allowed to have and use her cell phone.

hehe "On call" are supposedly terms used in hospitals for medical practitioners. It is quite alarming that it has been nicked now in children texting all night. We should teach that children have their own limits and too much freedom isn't good at all.

I love that it's called "on call". Like you said, children today live in a much different time to what children in the 80s or 70s lived in. heck, it's different to the 90s as well! i only got my phone once I was 13 (which is late, when most of my friends got it when they turned 11). I don't think you shouldn't let them get one till college - as dependent as we are on phones, they are an extremely valuable tool that we use on an everyday basis! Rather, I think it's a better idea to have restrictions/bans on when the childs phone can be used - tell them they must put it on silent, and that if you (assuming you are payng the phone bills), see phone calls at 3am, then the phone will be taken away. Simple.