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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 20, 2005 Kids' cell phone use booming By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings Cell phones and teenagers seem to be joined at the hip. Steve Jorgensen, right, uses his cell phone to capture images of his friends. He also listens to music and shops online with his cell phone. Orville Hector | Ashland Daily Tidings Go to any local mall or movie theater and you'll see teens on their phones, text messaging friends or calling their parents to pick them up. During lunch at Ashland High School on Wednesday, the quad was full of teens hanging out with their friends, cell phones in hand. Gaining popularity the past several years, cell phone use, especially among teens, is drastically growing. The Yankee Group, a networking research and consulting group reported that one-third of 10- to 19-year-olds had cell phones in 2004, with that figure estimated to increase to two-thirds this year. A needed item AHS sophomore Kacie Abercrombie, 15, said her parents bought her a cell phone before she entered high school. "They wanted to make sure they could get a hold of me when they needed to and to see where I was," she said. Abercrombie, a member of the cheerleading squad said it's great to have the cell phone to tell her parents when to pick her up from practice, or other social functions. She and all three of her friends she was hanging out with at the school quad had cell phones. Her last friend without a cell phone finally got one for Christmas. "You see everyone turning off their cell phones before entering class," Abercrombie said. "It seems everyone has a cell and wants the newest cell phone technology." Jay Tennant, store manager for U.S. Cellular at several local locations including Talent and Medford, said teens or their parents buying them cell phones are a key demographic. He estimated they make up 30 to 40 percent of their customer base, with those figures constantly on the rise. "These kids are growing up in the digital age and with things such as text messaging and being able to take photos with cells we have seen a big increase," he said. With teens, text messaging is very popular, especially when talking to their parents, Tennant said. "I think it's a way for them to look cool around their friends, even when talking to their parents," he said. "It's a very private form of communication." Tennant said the major reason parents get cell phones for their teens is to keep the lines of communication open at all times. To help lessen excessive cell phone use, Tennant suggests parents use pre-paid minutes, which also helps teens learn about the importance of budgeting and lessens the chance of out-of-control cell phone bills. "It's a great tool to have," he said. Abercrombie said she knows all too well how cell phone bills can get out of hand. Once, while in California, she talked to a friend in Ashland on her cell phone for five hours, forgetting about the surcharge for out-of-state calls. The bill that month was $350, which did not make her stepfather very happy. "He said if it ever happened again he'll take the cell phone away," she said. Cell rules at school At AHS, students can have cell phones, but need to turn them off and not have them visible during class, said Glenna Stiles, dean of students at AHS. When cell phones do go off in class, consequences are up to the teacher, ranging from a warning to taking the phone away. It can be quite a distraction for a teacher hearing the cell phone ring while talking about Plato, Stiles said. "It's basically an etiquette and respect issue. ... that (cell phones) not be visible or audible during class," she said. After class, students can have them in the hallways. Stiles said it's very common to see students on their cells around the hallways and the quad areas. While they can be a distraction in class, Stiles said she can see it as a benefit for parents and teens to reach each other, and remembered the number of activities she was involved with in high school and the difficulty contacting her parents and vice versa. "My son is two and if he's going to be like I was in high school, I would want him to have a cell phone," she said. AHS Junior Courtney Rees, 16, said it "would be weird" for her not to have a cell phone. She said it's the way friends and her family get a hold of her and she uses it to tell the time. "When I forget to bring it I'm always asking everyone for the time," she said. James LaPierre, 16, agreed that his cell phone is nice to have so people can reach him. The downside is it can be annoying when the call comes at the wrong time, like when he's sleeping. He said a few times, friends have called him as late as 2 a.m. At Ashland Middle School, cell phone use may not be at the level of the high school, but is still visible, Principal Dale Rooklyn said. AMS students are not allowed to bring them into the classrooms and need to house them in their lockers. Rooklyn said cell phones are a good way for kids and parents to reach each other. "It keeps the lines of communication open," he said. Rooklyn said unlike high school, a small percent of students at AMS have cell phones. He estimated less than 10 percent of AMS students have cell phones, but many use their friends' phones. Students have even comes up to him after school and asked to use his cell phone to call their parents, he said. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's Slippers men's slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Memory Foam Mattress college loans alternative student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation trillion cut diamonds Currancy Exchange Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams