Looking to the future.
The wired world keeps changing, so don't blink. Twenty years ago the equipment for a mobile telephone had to be lugged around in a suitcase. Now cell phones weigh ounces and fit easily into a pocket. For the first time ever, the number of land phone lines is decreasing while cells keep multiplying. Kids are early adapters to new technology, so it isn't surprising that most American teens now have cell phones.

Media converging in the palm of your hand.
What is media convergence anyway? Media convergence is when the lines separating different forms of media disappear. We already see a lot of this happening – for example, video games are now Internet compatible, cell phones host mini-cameras, and you can watch movies on your iPod. We are going to see media convergence accelerate dramatically in the next few years, creating a world where most forms of media are accessible in a cell phone that can fit in the palm of your hand.

To cell or not to cell?
As with all new technologies, there are benefits. Parents like the idea that their kids can get in touch with them in an emergency or just when they're not in sight. Kids naturally love to be able to chat with friends and keep up with everyone and everything. Despite the benefits, cell phones are also posing new challenges for parents. - high cell phone bills, ‘sexting’ incidents, TWD (texting while driving) and more. Some kids run up enormous bills, disturb classes with inopportune calls, and use phones to bully other kids. As more forms of media continue to converge in cell phones, perhaps the greatest challenge will be monitoring and keeping track of our kids’ media use. Small, hand-held screens make it harder to “watch what your kids watch.” That’s why it’s important to stay ahead of the trends and talk with your kids about what you learned in this guide.



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