Mobile Phone Etiquette
5 June 2013 Hits:4914
With this in mind I thought I’d share “The Mum Phone Contract” with you. This is aimed at teenagers, but there is some timely wisdom here for adults too:
1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?
2. I will always know the password.
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mum" or "Dad". Not ever.
4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night and every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone's landline, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill.
6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs.
7. Do not use this technology to lie to, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
9. No porn.
10. Turn it off, silence it, or put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
11. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. Don't laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear — including a bad reputation.
12. Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
13. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO – fear of missing out.
14. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
15. Play a game with words or puzzles or brainteasers every now and then.
16. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without Googling.
17. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You and I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.
Now, there’s some wise advice. Now, where’s my iPhone?
Rob Buckingham
Senior Minister
7 replies on “Mobile Phone Etiquette”
Rob, I’ve also been to a few social functions where rather than talking to other guests, people attending were texting their friends or updating Facebook statuses. It’s very frustrating, to say the least. The unspoken message here is, “My Facebook friends are more interesting than you or other people at this function.” That’s another reason why I don’t have a smart phone. All mine does is make phone calls and send text messages.
Excellent article for EVERYONE who has a mobile phone. The world would be a much better place following your advise. God bless you!
Excellent advise for EVERYONE owning a mobile phone. The world would be a much better place taking your advise. God bless you!
Thanks Rob this is a really helpful article- FOMO fever is a great one to recognise and break through.
Good list Rob!
Suggested tweak: it should however say “phone” or “smart phone” rather than “iPhone” (because the iPhone is just one brand).
Additions:
* Don’t “share” your music with others OR “receive” music from others – that is actually stealing (maybe you can’t do that on iPhones – but you certainly can on most smart phones)
* (probably only applies to adults): If you’re walking home at night then don’t have your nose in your phone. Keep your head up and be aware of what and who is around you. Someone who is unaware of their surroundings is FAR more likely to be targeted by a mugger (or worse).
* Put your phone in your pocket when crossing roads – it’s not worth spending a few weeks in hospital (or worse) just because you weren’t paying attention!
This is good Rob! I love the one about FOMO fear of missing out. We do get quite caught up in having access to everything at all times fearing we will miss out…meanwhile we miss out on what we are doing in that moment because we are on our phones!
I love this! It should be a shot of inspiration!!! Or put in a book ‘wisdom for the next generation’. Do it Ps Rob!!! Write a book!!! Our generation needs to not lose these truths!!