Today’s tech-savvy kids have a world of digital and social media available at their fingertips. They can call, text, e-mail, surf the web, watch TV and movies, play music and games, take and share pictures and video – all from their mobile devices.

While there are infinite benefits of wireless products and services for kids such as mLearning, mHealth, civic engagement and others, parents around the country are trying to balance the good with the need to prevent their children from using the technology in an irresponsible or inappropriate manner.

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project:

• 15 percent of 12-17 year olds who own mobile devices say they have received sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images of someone they know via text messaging on their cell phone.

• 54 percent of text-using teens have received spam or other unwanted texts, and 26 percent have been bullied or harassed through text messages and phone calls.

• One in three texting teens ages 16-17 say they have texted while driving.

The question that many parents or guardians wonder is, “How do I make sure my children are using their devices responsibly?”

Together with kids, expert educators, parents and The Wireless Foundation, CTIA-The Wireless Association and its members have developed the “Be Smart. Be Fair. Be Safe: Responsible Wireless Use” campaign, primarily focused around its website www.besmartwireless.

com. To help parents or guardians talk with their kids about their mobile device usage, they are offering some simple tips.

Know your child’s service plan such as voice, text messaging, e-mail and Internet access. Be familiar with your child’s phone’s features, as well, such as the ability to take and send pictures or videos or download music or apps. This includes knowing what parental tools your wireless carrier may offer.

Discuss your family’s rules on using mobile devices. This may include certain times and ways of use and consequences if these rules are broken. Make sure to write down these rules and penalties and post them in a central location at home.

Periodically, revisit these rules as your children grow older and wireless technology evolves.

While some children may view this as prying, it is very important that kids know how their parents or guardians expect them to behave and utilize wireless products and services. In addition, children must feel comfortable talking to their parents, guardians, educators or other trusted adults about all of their wireless use – including when they receive questionable content or contact on their devices. CTIA and the wireless industry believe parents and other caring adults are the keys to kids’ responsible wireless use.

“Be Smart” is a national education campaign focused on equipping parents and caregivers so they can teach kids to use their wireless devices responsibly. The website www.besmartwireless.com provides easy-to-understand information, including a listing of wireless providers and the parental features and filters they offer; a glossary of key terms; tips, example of family rules; two free 6th-12th grade educational lessons plans and more.

Facts on how teens and children are affected by technology

Mobile Ownership

• “The mobile phone has become the favored communication hub for the majority of American teens.” 75 percent of children ages 12-17 now have a cell phone, 83 precent of 17 year-olds now own a cell phone (up from 64 percent in 2004), and 58 percent of 12 year-olds now own a cell phone (up from 18 percent in 2004).

• 20 percent of media consumption by eight to 18 year-olds occurs on mobile devices such as cell phones, iPods and handheld video game players — an average of more than two hours per day.

• During the past five years, the percentage of children ages 8 to 18 who own their cell phone has grown from 39 percent to 66 percent while the percentage of children in the same age bracket with iPods or other MP3 players increased from 18 percent to 76 percent.

• Approximately one-third of children ages 13-17 said that it was “absolutely essential/very important” or “important” to have the latest and greatest cell phone for their purposes, and 57 percent of teens somewhat or strongly agree that having a mobile phone has improved the quality of their life.

How Children and Teens

Use Mobile Devices

• Fully 72 percent of all teens – or 88 percent of teen cell phone users – are text-messagers. Teens make and recieve far fewer phone calls than text messages on their cell phones.

• Half of teens send more than 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month, and one in three send more than 100 texts a day, or more than 3,000 texts a month. Boys typically send and recieve 30 texts a day; girls typically send and recieve 80 messages per day.

• From April through June 2009, 64.2 percent of subscribers 13-17 years old sent text messages daily.

• With respect to text messaging capabilities, 67 percent of teenagers said they “love it” and would “die without it”.

• For children ages 13-17:

– 25.5 percent used a mobile browser to access news or information;

– 32.2 percent took photos weekly and 66.8 percent took photos monthly;

– 12.1 percent captured video weekly and 34.7 percent captured video monthly;

– 21.3 percent uploaded photos to the web monthly; and

– 19.8 percent used email monthly.

• One-third of teens are browsing the Web on their phone, and 19 percent engage in social networking on their wireless devices, including status updates, messaging friends and family and posting and viewing pictures and video.

Children and Teens Mobile Behavioral Issues

• Unlimited plans are tied to increases in use of the phone, while teens on “metered” plans are much more circumspect in their use of the phone.

• 4 percent of 12-17 year olds who own mobile devices say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images of themselves to someone else via text messaging.

• 15 percent of 12-17 year olds who own mobile devices say they have received sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images of someone they know via text messaging on their cell phone.

• 8 percent of 17-year-olds with cell phones have sent a sexually provocative image by text and 30 percent have received a nude or nearly nude image on their phone.

• 17 percent of teens who pay for all of the costs associated with their cell phones send sexually suggestive images via text while 3 percent of teens who do not pay for, or only pay for a portion of the cost of the cell phone send these images.

The facts are on from the website www.bestmartwireless.com.

* Pew’s focus groups revealed that three main scenarios for sexting: 1) exchange of images solely between two romantic partners; 2) exchanges between partners that are shared with others outside the relationship and 3) exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but where at least one person hopes to be. [Source]

* 54% of text-using teens have received spam or other unwanted texts and 26% have been bullied or harassed through text messages and phone calls. [Source]

* One in three (34%) texting teens ages 16-17 say they have texted while driving. That translates into 26% of all American teens ages 16-17. [Source]

Parental Control Usage

* 98% of parents of cell-owning parents say a major reason their child has the phone is that they can be in touch no matter where the teen is. 94% of cell users ages 12-17 agree that cell phones give them more freedom because they can reach their parents no matter where they are. [Source] 78 percent of teens responded that mobile phones make them feel safe while on the go. [Source]

* Teens’ use of cell phones is strongly associated with the type of plan they have and who pays the phone bills.

o 69% of teen cell phone users have a phone that is part of a contract covering all of their family’s cell phones.

o 18% of teen cell phone users are part of a prepaid or pay-as-you-go plan.

o 10% of teen cell phone users have their own individual contract.

o [Source]

* 64% of parents look at the contents of their child’s cell phone and 62% of parents have taken away their child’s phone as punishment. [Source]

* 46% of parents limit the number of minutes their children may talk and 52% limit the times of day they may use the phone. [Source]

* 48% of parents use the phone to monitor their child’s location. [Source]

* When parent’s limit their child’s text messaging capabilities, children:

o report lower levels of various texting behaviors among teens such as “sexting”; and

o are less likely to report being passengers in cars where the driver texted behind the wheel or used the phone in a dangerous manner while driving.

o [Source]

Mobile Use in School

* Most schools do not permit mobile devices in the school or classroom. [Source]

* 12% of all students say they can have their phone at school at any time. 62% of all students say they can have their phone in school, just not in class. [Source]

* 65% of cell-owning teens at schools that completely ban phones bring their phones to school every day. [Source]

* 58% of cell-owning teens at schools that ban phones have sent a text message during class. 64% of teens with cell phones have texted in class; 25% have made or received a call during class time. [Source]

* 18 percent of teens said they somewhat agreed or strongly agreed that the mobile phone has positively influenced their education. [Source]

Research/Surveys

Here are some of the recent research papers and surveys on kids and their wireless use.

* Teens and Mobile Phones, Pew Internet & American Life Project, released April 20, 2010 – Source

* Social Media & Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults, Pew Internet & American Life Project, released February 3, 2010 – Source

* Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year Olds, Kaiser Family Foundation, released January 10, 2010 – Source

* Teens and Sexting, Pew Internet & American Life Project, released December 13, 2009 – Source

* Teens and Distracted Driving, Pew Internet & American Life Project, released November 16, 2009 – Source

* A Generation Unplugged, CTIA/Harris Interactive, released September 2008 – Source