State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan

I came across this interesting use of mobile phones to track kids in Japan. More on this below but this story prompted me to write about the bigger issue of kids and technology. The amazing pace at which communication technologies have advanced has both positive  and negative aspects. In this post I’ll limit the scope of discussion to this question: What should a parent know about young children’s interactions with mobile phones? 

According to this research 10-12 is the average age at which kids get a mobile phone. Reasons most often mentioned security and peace of mind. Naturally kids like to play with gadgets and they can learn plenty of things even if they just play games. Usually parents will depend on their kids to configure the phone’s different features. But that’s not all – there are many potential hazards as well. In a (relatively) conservative society such as Pakistan, access to a mobile phone (even without network access) can create some difficult situations. Teenagers are early adopters and usually are tech savvy but they are also emotionally immature. An article in the June issue of Flare lists the following dangers when children use mobiles: snatching, scamming, exposure to inappropriate material, (possible) health danger and risk of other criminal activity.

The other aspect is how the phones are used? What limits are set for the usage? The social activities of the youth is a whole different chapter which is not possible to cover here… simply put mobiles make it easy for kids to go towards uncharted territories. I don’t think most kids need a phone - unless they can demonstrate a real need AND maturity.

Back to the tracking story, from Japan’s Cellphone Edge.

A Japanese company, Tokyu Security has built a system that tracks a child’s movement across public transportation, school and pre-school domains and reports the results via mobile phones to parents. Every time their child passes the installed checkpoints, parents get a notifications such as the one shown below.

Invasion of privacy or parent’s right? Read more about this technology to track kids in Japan.

The notifications are usually emailed to parents’ mobile phones reporting such information as the child’s name, time and station where the child got onboard or got off the train. The checkpoints at school inform the time of arrival.

Tokyu Security makes use of PASMO cards, the rechargeable IC cards, and special reader equipment to implement the system. Scheduled for launch in December, the service will be offered at all Tokyu line stations in greater Tokyo except Setagaya line and Shibuya station. A subscription fee of JPY525 (USD4.66) must be paid every six month to keep the service activated. The service will target elementary and middle school children.