AT&T Mobile Safety Schools and a Twitter Party! #ATTMobileSafety

The kids and husband are off school. We’re stocked up on water. We have food. The outdoor toys are stowed in the garage. The electronic devices are charging. The wind is starting to kick up. The rain is about the same intensity. We have power…for now.

Now that my home is ready for Hurricane Sandy, I need to finish up one last blog post. Will we lose power? It’s anyone’s guess. But I want to get caught up on one very important-to-me post.

A week or so ago, I told you about AT&T’s new mobile safety initiatives. This past week I attended a trio of webinars for parents of kids ranging from 8-11, 12-14, and 15-17. I have a child in each age range so these webinars were all of great interest to me.

AT&T recently conducted a survey of 1,000 parents and 500 kids on a variety of topics relating to mobile phones, devices, and other mobile safety issues. The kids were aged 8-17.

One major question from parents is “What is the right age for a child to get a cell phone?” AT&T found that the average age was 12.1 years. In the 8-11 age group, the average age is 9.5 years. For 12-14s, it is 11.3 years, and for 15-17s it is 13.3 years. While most younger kids have cell phones, about 35% of 12-14s have smartphones and 37% of 15-17s have them.

As families are more connected and mobile, issues are cropping up that can’t be ignored…bullying, privacy, texting while driving, and more. AT&T has pledged to educate families about wireless safety AND provide resources, tips, and tools to help families stay connected and stay safe.

At&T found that of parents surveyed:

89% worry about texting and driving
67% worry about bullying text messages
69% worry about sexually suggestive messages
77% worry about kids receiving calls from unknown numbers

AT&T found that according to kids:

Over HALF had been in a car with someone who was texting and driving.
1 in 5 have received a mean text message.
Almost half have a friend who has received a sexual picture or message.
69% have received a call from an unknown number.

Parents are worrying about issues that are actually happening to kids. In other words, if you are worried about an issue with your kid and a cellphone, you should talk to your kid…now.

I found this statistic interesting…66% said their parents set rules on phone usage, BUT 90% of kids said they would be OK if their parents set rules. Kids like and need to have limits placed on their cell phone usage. Some parents may not be setting rules because they think that their kids will not follow the rules.

Another couple of quick stats:

93% of kids have rules for how they can use their cell phones at school.
76% of parents say they monitor their kids’ phones.
However, only 42% of kids say that their parents monitor their phones.
2 out of 5 kids say that their parents have not talked to them about mobile safety.

To learn more, visit ATT.com. AT&T has compiled resources to help parents.

Don’t forget about the #ATTMobileSafety Twitter Party!

#ATTMobileSafety Twitter Party — Friday, November 9 from 2-3 p.m. EST. (Rescheduled due to Hurricane Sandy.)
RSVP >> https://twtvite.com/attmobilesafety

I was compensated to write this post by AT&T and The Motherhood. I was invited to attend several sessions of the AT&T Mobile Safety School. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.