Teddy phones - irresponsible?
Discussion
So now 4 year olds can have a Teddy Phone. On the news today they tried hard to suggest the manufacturer was being irresponsible by making these available.
My take is that if parents feel a child of four needs to have a phone at all (a separate argument), then at the very least this phone offers reduced emissions and is less attractive to Chavs than the parents cast-off phone would be, and gives parents a choice that they hereto didn't have.
My take is that if parents feel a child of four needs to have a phone at all (a separate argument), then at the very least this phone offers reduced emissions and is less attractive to Chavs than the parents cast-off phone would be, and gives parents a choice that they hereto didn't have.
"The bear's mouth will move in sync with the incoming callers converation and his head will also move in delight."
anyone else find this a little freaky
details www.bargains.uk.com/shop/product_info.php/products_id/37
anyone else find this a little freaky
details www.bargains.uk.com/shop/product_info.php/products_id/37
I was not allowed a phone till I was 16. In fairness, I didn't need a phone. If I was out, there were phoneboxes, if I was at home there was the landline.
Many parents argue that it makes the child safer by giving them a way of contacting home - yes but it also makes them open to mugging etc.
I see no reason for a 4-year old to have a phone, whether teddy shaped or otherwise. When is the child going to be in a situation where it will need a phone - surely a child of that age should still be supervised even when playing outside?
Making a phone that appeals to a 4 year old is simply a selling tactic. Child sees older sibling with a phone. Child sees something an older sibling has got, made to look especially appealing to him or her, child puts pressure on parent to buy it.
A very sneaky (but sadly very effective) marketing technique used by manufacturers.
Many parents argue that it makes the child safer by giving them a way of contacting home - yes but it also makes them open to mugging etc.
I see no reason for a 4-year old to have a phone, whether teddy shaped or otherwise. When is the child going to be in a situation where it will need a phone - surely a child of that age should still be supervised even when playing outside?
Making a phone that appeals to a 4 year old is simply a selling tactic. Child sees older sibling with a phone. Child sees something an older sibling has got, made to look especially appealing to him or her, child puts pressure on parent to buy it.
A very sneaky (but sadly very effective) marketing technique used by manufacturers.
minimax said:
Many parents argue that it makes the child safer by giving them a way of contacting home - yes but it also makes them open to mugging etc
you mean the child hasn't got a parent/nanny in attendance at all times at that age?
Sorry, I was thinking of older kids having them for that purpose.
However, the 5 year old next door runs riots round the streets until well after dark.
My cousin is 6 and the most she gets is to ride her bike outside the house (which is at the bottom of a quiet cul-de-sac) while with her older sister.
Whether they should have one is, as I said, another argument. Millions of parents apparently think their kids under 11 do - they have them already. I'm not in their number BTW.
The question is, given that there is a demand already, is it better to meet it with potentialy less harmful and less generally covetable phones than last years Nokisson?
The question is, given that there is a demand already, is it better to meet it with potentialy less harmful and less generally covetable phones than last years Nokisson?
victormeldrew said:
Whether they should have one is, as I said, another argument. Millions of parents apparently think their kids under 11 do - they have them already. I'm not in their number BTW.
The question is, given that there is a demand already, is it better to meet it with potentialy less harmful and less generally covetable phones than last years Nokisson?
IS there a demand? Or are the manufacturers trying to make us think there is a demand by developing a product which is supposedly satisfying a need - the need may not be there... even the chavvy 5 year old next door doesnt have a mobile that I know of (though a teddy one may damage his street cred!)
A little more information, its not a phone in its own right more like a hands free adapter to an existing phone.
"TeddyPhone works with your existing telephone using the supplied adaptor.
When you receive a call your existing telephone will ring as usual - but that's when TeddyPhone takes over! You can have TeddyPhone answer the call by squeezing the red spot on TeddyPhone's arm."
http://3gnewsroom.mobiles.co.uk/handsfree-teddy-tele
"TeddyPhone works with your existing telephone using the supplied adaptor.
When you receive a call your existing telephone will ring as usual - but that's when TeddyPhone takes over! You can have TeddyPhone answer the call by squeezing the red spot on TeddyPhone's arm."
http://3gnewsroom.mobiles.co.uk/handsfree-teddy-tele
wd* said:I suspect there might be some manipulation of the fugures, but apparently the government was concerned enough about the numbers of minors with mobiles to issue an advisory. I suspect that the figures probably count a lot of 10 years olds and not many 4 year olds, and now the manufacturers are promoting a product aimed at the lower end of that range.
Whether they should have one is, as I said, another argument. Millions of parents apparently think their kids under 11 do - they have them already. I'm not in their number BTW.
The question is, given that there is a demand already, is it better to meet it with potentialy less harmful and less generally covetable phones than last years Nokisson?
IS there a demand? Or are the manufacturers trying to make us think there is a demand by developing a product which is supposedly satisfying a need - the need may not be there... even the chavvy 5 year old next door doesnt have a mobile that I know of (though a teddy one may damage his street cred!)
Something all similar lines but not targeted at the lower end of the age range might have been more responsible I guess. I can't see many 10 years old boys going for a pink teddy phone really.
So at what age would you give a kid a phone? For me, as soon as Alex gets independant enough to be playing significantly far away from home on his own/with friends I'd be happy for him to have a phone so we could contact him or he could ring us in emergencies. Not at 4 or even 5, maybe 6/7. It really depends on how quickly he gets that independant.
Cotty said:Er, no, that wasn't the product. It was a real phone, 1/10 of the power of normal phones.
A little more information, its not a phone in its own right more like a hands free adapter to an existing phone.
"TeddyPhone works with your existing telephone using the supplied adaptor.
When you receive a call your existing telephone will ring as usual - but that's when TeddyPhone takes over! You can have TeddyPhone answer the call by squeezing the red spot on TeddyPhone's arm."
http://3gnewsroom.mobiles.co.uk/handsfree-teddy-tele
tombaron said:
I was not allowed a phone till I was 16. In fairness, I didn't need a phone. If I was out, there were phoneboxes, if I was at home there was the landline.
Spot on. The good old days hey?
Lol, I'm only 21!
But seriously, I have a mobile now. It hasn't been charged for about 3 weeks. It drives people mad, they are constantly asking "do you not have your phone on", "did you not get my message?"
Can they not pick up the landline, or even walk the three streets to come and visit me?!
For a while my husband would get in a flap if he couldnt get me on my phone and would start ringing round his parents, my grandparent, my friends, to track me down to make sure I was alright... once I pointed out that I am a grown woman and perfectly capable of having a trip into town without too much of a mishap, he calmed down! The only time I did feel better having it was when I was pregnant,but even then it was nice to just switch it off and keep them guessing!
victormeldrew said:
A little more information, its not a phone in its own right more like a hands free adapter to an existing phone.
"TeddyPhone works with your existing telephone using the supplied adaptor.
When you receive a call your existing telephone will ring as usual - but that's when TeddyPhone takes over! You can have TeddyPhone answer the call by squeezing the red spot on TeddyPhone's arm."
http://3gnewsroom.mobiles.co.uk/handsfree-teddy-tele
Oops got a link to the other phone then
Found it I think. Is it called Teddyfone not Teddy Phone
www.teddyfone.com/
>> Edited by Cotty on Tuesday 29th November 14:00
Cotty said:Just looking for it. Can't find anything at the moment.
A little more information, its not a phone in its own right more like a hands free adapter to an existing phone.
"TeddyPhone works with your existing telephone using the supplied adaptor.
When you receive a call your existing telephone will ring as usual - but that's when TeddyPhone takes over! You can have TeddyPhone answer the call by squeezing the red spot on TeddyPhone's arm."
http://3gnewsroom.mobiles.co.uk/handsfree-teddy-tele
Oops got a link to the other phone then
Did find this: 500,000 kids to get mobile phones
Oh, here you go, the Buddy Bear Phone
Manufacturers website
>> Edited by victormeldrew on Tuesday 29th November 14:06
dern said:Looking at the "phone", its more a case of the parents wanting one.
Why on earth would a 4 year old need a phone?
We went to Orlando recently. At one point we were it Disney MGM and Alex suddenly freaked at dinosaur noises in the bushes outside the Dinosaurs ride. Totally out of character and unexpected, he went into full "fight or flight" mode and legged it. He was pretty much instantly lost in the crowds. What followed was the must stomach churning couple of minutes of my life. To have had one of those things in his backpack at that point would have stopped my life expectancy from dropping by ten years.
>> Edited by victormeldrew on Tuesday 29th November 14:58
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