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Cellular telephones and electronic communication patterns among families in metropolitan New York

Janet L Schairer1, Suja Abraham, Ronald V Marino

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Jersey Shore Medical Center, 1945 Route 33, Neptune City, NJ 07753-4859, USA. jschairer@meridianhealth.com

The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association
|March 24, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Cellular telephone use is common in New York families, with 80% owning a device. Most parents provide phones to children for safety, though peer pressure also influences this decision.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Sociology
  • Communication Technology

Background:

  • Cellular telephone (cell phone) adoption has rapidly increased across demographics.
  • Understanding family dynamics and child access to personal technology is crucial for public health.
  • The New York metropolitan area presents a unique demographic for studying technology use in families.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of cell phone ownership and use among families with children receiving pediatric care.
  • To determine the age at which children in these families typically acquire their first cell phone.
  • To identify the primary reasons cited by families for providing children with cell phones.

Main Methods:

  • A survey was administered to 35 families with children attending a pediatric clinic in Mineola, New York.
  • The survey consisted of 34 self-administered, pencil-and-paper questions.
  • Data were collected from pediatric patients and their accompanying adults in the clinic waiting room.

Main Results:

  • Eighty percent (28/35) of surveyed families reported owning and using at least one cell phone.
  • Thirty-two percent (9/28) of families with cell phones reported that a household member aged 18 years or younger owned a cell phone.
  • The average age for children obtaining their first cell phone was 15.3 years, with safety cited as the main reason by 75% of respondents.

Conclusions:

  • Cell phone use is highly prevalent among families in the New York metropolitan area.
  • While safety is the primary stated reason for providing children with cell phones, convenience and peer influence are also contributing factors.
  • Further research could explore the long-term impacts of early cell phone access on child development and family communication.
Abstract

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