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Mobile phones

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Mobile phones

Mobile phones are a great way for children to stay in touch with their parents, family and friends. Mobile phones allow users to make calls, take photos, play games, send texts (SMS) and images (MMS), and access the internet.

While mobile phones provide immediate contact and can be fun to use, the fact that they can be available 24 hours a day and you may not always be available to supervise means there are potential risks for children and young people. Risks include:

  • excessive costs incurred from calls, messages, premium services and downloads
  • children having access to the internet without supervision or parental controls
  • children having access to GPS and Bluetooth capabilities which may enable others to locate them
  • children receiving unwanted content including content that is offensive or cyberbullying content
  • children being able to share images of themselves, including naked or ‘sexting’ images.

Mobile phone costs

Mobile premium services

Mobile phone risks

Tips for parents

Resources and information

Cybersmart Online Helpline