Being Mobile

As the parent of an adolescent I cannot ignore, nor deny, the importance given to mobile phones by teens. Every one of my daughter’s friends, females or males, has a phone which is constantly used. However, I have to say that I have noticed a higher preference, by my daughter and her friends, for texting. I have referred to a mobile phone jokingly as “a life line” on many occasions. After reading Stald’s article and description of a mobile phone as, “an ubiquitous, pervasive communication device which young people find it difficult to be without, whether they like it or hate it, or feel something in between” (p. 146), I consider that perhaps my description is not that far out there. 

As I have been reading these articles for our blogs, I continue my journey trying to understand how technology helps adolescences morph and shape their own identities. It seems that communication with peers and self-expression are vital for the development of self-concept and the process of becoming individuals (Individuals very similar to their peers). 

Visiting with my husband, a psychotherapist, I asked him about adolescents wanting to be able to communicate and be available to peers 24/7. He told me that during this period, adolescents consider other peers the only ones that can understand what they are going through (As a mother I have come across this comment a few times). Stald made reference to it when he stated Jacob’s comment, “Your true friends-those with the label ‘real good friends’ in the address book-they’re the ones you call or text at 2 a.m. and say” ‘Hey, I’m in trouble. You’ve got to help me!” (p.151). This comment made me think about Tracey’s last blog and the consideration of parental involvement in our children’s life and use of technology. We, parents, supervise and talk to our teens about other interactions they are involved in, such as gatherings, friendships, going to movies, etc. Technology is another area in which we can offer guidance and support. I think that children will listen to their peers for feedback and interactions to make sense of things, no matter what. However, the easy access to technology, in this case mobile phones, demands more involvement in our children’s life.

Furthermore, teens, as human beings, need to fulfill the sense of belonging they experience. Mobile phones contribute to the ability to maintain those ties to others like them.

G. Stald’s (2008) final statement in this article caught my attention, “The mobile is an important tool that allows one to be in control-which is an essential ability for adolescents in general-but simultaneously it is becoming more and more important to be able to control the mobile” (p. 161). This past Friday my husband and I attended parent teacher conferences for our daughter (Barbara). We made the comment to her Algebra teacher that Barbara will soon be driving on her own. Her teacher, who is the SADD coordinator at her school, asked us to please talk to Barbara about “Driving and Texting”. She said that research is showing that it is more dangerous to drive while texting than driving under the influence of alcohol. She mentioned that when someone drives under the influence of alcohol, they are more conscious about a cop seeing them and try harder to keep control of the car as opposed of someone texting. We and our teens need to learn to control the “urgency” to answer the mobile phone for safety and courtesy.