"Can Sally come out and play?" "She'll need to check her Blackberry and get back to you"

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My most cherished job I've had thus far in life was coaching a 12-year-old volleyball team. It was fun to watch the girls develop a love for the game; that, and their parents knew about as much about the game as they did, so I never had to hide from a mob of angry parents.

During the great flood of 2009, I had to contact the team and keep them up to date on if/when we would be having practice. As I was collecting numbers, I noticed no one gave me a land line number; every girl had a cell phone. But that wasn't what shocked me. What made me drop my jaw was that 4 out of 12 girls had Blackberries!

Are children getting cell phones at a younger and younger age? Much like the soda and tobacco debate, are we setting up children to get hooked on the media at a young age and then leave them to deal with a "media hangover" later?

After the tragic event at Virginia Tech, I understand how parents would insist that their children be reachable at all times. Juggling work (sometimes multiple jobs), children's extracurriculars, and household chores is no easy task. Being able to check in with a child through one quick phone call makes us more efficient and free to focus on other tasks. But, when is an appropriate age to give a child a cell phone? I got my first cell phone when I was a sophomore in high school, but according to recent studies, the majority of parents that took part in the study reported giving their child a cell phone at the ages of 12 and 13, with a small percentage receiving their first phone when they were 10 or younger.

This must be having some sort of effect on how children are shaped because their brains are still developing. Parents often times struggle to control their children's use of the Internet on the family computer. Giving them a cell phone when most are capable of Internet access will certainly not help. With children's brains still developing, they are unable to resist and control their impulses fully. Often times the Internet just encourages acting on impulse, clicking through links and banners and pop ups are all things that can distract even mature Internet users.

So when should children be allowed to use cell phones? I believe that is a decision the parents must make and take very seriously. It is important that children understand that a using a cell phone is requires responsibility on their part. The importance of phone etiquette and responsible use needs to be heard and understood. Although it increases independence, it is important that we don't instill a negative dependence on the technology.