Why shouldn't children have cellphones?

The short answer is that children just do not have the NEED for cell-phones.

They can be expensive to replace if lost.

Children should not be treated as if they are adults. Some adults need to carry cell phones at all times for business.

Others, such as law enforcement personnel, must carry cell phones to be available for emergencies.

It should be noted that this question is imbalanced. Consider changing to "should children have cell phones", so as to allow for a balanced argument. That being said, there are some valid reasons for children having cell phones:

1. Safety. Likely the most important reason for children to carry cell phones-- by having reliably instant contact in the event of emergencies and potentially dangerous situations, parents can prevent their children from coming to harm, and ensuring that they are safe and accounted for.

2. Because parents "care": while some might argue that parents can "care too much" (i.e. helicopter parents), that is the parent's prerogative, and cell phones can help ensure that the child is experiencing an environment that meets the parent's standards for their children.

3. Social Networking: In today's age of technology and the internet, having a cell phone is becoming a necessity for anyone, even children, so that they won't be cut off from the outside world. whereas before we could take social networking and mobile communication for granted, it is quickly becoming a necessity for children who want to be culturally enriched, and/or for parents who want their children to have that enrichment.

Depending on the age of the child involved, if he/she is defined as a child, there should be nothing more important in their lives than shopping for school clothes, or looking for the latest music CDs, or going to the movies.

Parents should recognize that their children should never have important business needs for a cell phone.

It is an expensive luxury that only adults should carry.

If you think you need to keep in touch with your child during the day while you are at work and the child is at school, make arrangements for your child to go to the school office to call you at work at some previously planned time.

It is disruptive to the classroom teachers to have students using cell phones during class.

Parents should have enough courtesy for the school and teachers to forbid their children to carry cell phones to school!

They simply don't need them!