Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Corporal]

What's up with little kids in this country having handphones? Of their own, no less, but even just carrying around their mother's/father's and using them whenever they feel like it?

I can understand making more of a case for teenagers, although half the time they're not strictly necessary even then, but what is with the 10-year-olds having their own cell phone.

Any thoughts on this? After all who am I to say a child doesn't need an expensive piece of technological equipment? Perhaps Gord would like to tell me I'm being a cultural imperialist by imposing my values on others here.

[the_beaver]

Think of it as a toy. They'll get more use out of it than any other toy they'll ever own and it's a sight better than the walkie-talkie set I had when I was a kid.

[matko]

Same situation here in Japan.

At first, I thoght it was ludicrous. After a while, I realized it is just an extended leash.

At least you can contact your kid whenever you want.

[makushi]

[just because]

Yesterday at my hogwan my 5 year old student started to play with his hand phone in class. I said why do you have one and he told me in Korean that mom wanted to buy him one. I was pretty shocked because i don't even own one.

[just because]

Also,
I hate when your students ask you what is your hand phone number and I tell them i don't have one. You would think the world had come to an end by the looks on their faces,
WHAT!!! YOU DON'T HAVE A HAND PHONE!!! HOW DO PEOPLE CALL YOU!!!!
Ever heard of a public phone or the fact that there is a phone in my house or that everyone else i know has a hand phone. I have only found one situation in 20 months where a hand phone would have been convenient because in every other situation I could have used one of the above options.

[candide]

[just because]

[blaseblasphemener]

Well, if you are 10 years old and go to school from 9-3, and hogwans from 4-10, like many children do, then I guess that's parenting. I mean, if you never get to talk to your parents, then you're basically an orphan. Cell phones are a nice way around that.

Oh, and there not called "hand phones". It's "Cell phone". Or, do you not call them that in the States?

[ttompatz]

[ella]

They really are leashes. I've never had a cell phone and in fact the place I'm living now doesn't have a land phone. Why can't people just email? It's so much better.

[Green Tea]

[Oreovictim]

Yeah, I notice that everyone, including adults, play games on their cell phones, too. They'll be walking down the street, playing their game and not even look where they're walking.

I caught one girl in class yesterday with her cell phone. She wasn't on it. But she had it out, and was just staring at it. She was probably waiting for some boy to call her or something.

[red dog]

I always found it convenient to have one so I could call 1330 when I needed help communicating. I think it's also a good thing for kids to have them on hand for emergencies so they can call their parents -- or the police, if necessary.

[two roads]

I saw on one of the mobile phone companies websites that you can get a phone for your kids with GPS technology that will allow you to check up at any time on where your kid is at the present or where they have been in the past. You can even set it up to alert you if your kid leaves a certain geographical boundary (say, a one kilometer radius of your home). If you let your five year old wander the streets by himself, that might be kind of cool technology to have.