I am incline to agree more with Chinmoy. The use of modern gadgets by children cannot be totally avoided. There may be misuses but these need be regulated. Abid has remarked that previously, students went without mobile phones and all went well. But mobile phones are a recent product. We cannot compare past with current period.
We only have to discuss as to what type of phone be permitted, from what standard and how to regulate. I suggested simple phones with voice and text facility, from class VI (may be from Class XI) and subject to certain rules.
This is my concluding post in the current GD.

gulshan kumar ajmani suggested that" the stage when a child enters class VI. If the children in class VI are too young for mobile phones, let them use when they enter class XI.

but my views doesn't truly don't get inspired by his views that a time or age needs to be considered for kids

in my opinion any gadget designed & works only for user perspective so if user attains 18 age & his upbringings or thinking is unsocial like kasab what u can expect from KASAB even he is 18-22 range

so whatever gadgets r coming from market cannot really harm until you make it harm .so guys 18 age adult & 12 age kid doesn't matter we need lectures in schools & colleges,awareness campaign so that people,kids when educated will hope to see them proper use of mobiles & not use in road,s as after u become aware already a kid will never opt for mobile he will use phone booth as he too cares for safety

for kids special PCO ,MORE BOOTHS should be installed as HOLLYWOOD still shows booth in roads

So friends time has come to conclude my views on this sensitive and delicate issue on which all my friends have shared their valuable respective views. In continuation of the tenor of my earlier points I would ask all not to lose the perspective of this problem as any corrrective to be applied demands perfect understanding of the problem.Any misuse or abuse of any technological inventions should not be analysed divorced from the reality we confront that my result in failing to see the forest for the trees!

We have to study the moral break-down in our society today and there are not many role models for the youth and children today even the parents are failing to be role models before them and by portraying mobile phone as the villain of the piece we are glossing over the parental failure in discharging their sacred duties to build the moral characters of their wards.If a child or student is exposed to the immoral world why mobile phone he or she would be tempted to do the mischief in many countless manners possible!A fever is not a disease but the symptom of a disease as the doctors opine.Similary any mobile misdeamnour can at best be held as a symptom of something rotten about our society for which we need to lay greater emphasis on moral education which falls in the realm of parental duties.Today prices are coming down for mobile phone with sophisticated features at an unbelievably lower price.The other day I was shown a handset priced at Rs1400 which contain bluetooth and et al!The same mobile phone which was used for sending lewd MMS could be turned into a valuable tool to tickle the imagination of a formative mind with appropriate parental guidance and care!

Lastly I question the very hypothesis that it is always liable to misues.Do we have any verifiable data? Any research work or even empirical data? None of my friends has referred to any!There are reported cases of misuse.What is its percentage to the total students users? Plain dogmatism and guesswork can lead us nowhere!Similarly emotion and prejudice can always cloud our judgement so we have to take a very balanced view of things to arrive at pragmatic solution to this problem.With these words I conclude and thank you all for being so free with your views!

Chinmoy wrote:
[quote]Lastly I question the very hypothesis that it is always liable to misues.Do we have any verifiable data? Any research work or even empirical data? None of my friends has referred to any!There are reported cases of misuse.What is its percentage to the total students users? Plain dogmatism and guesswork can lead us nowhere!Similarly emotion and prejudice can always cloud our judgement so we have to take a very balanced view of things to arrive at pragmatic solution to this problem.With these words I conclude and thank you all for being so free with your views! [/quote]

Before I conclude my argument, I would like to quote a few examples related to the health hazards of mobile phone usage!

1. The pioneering research of professor Henry Lai indicating the serious effect of mobile radiations has long been ignored by the mobile phone industry who (misleadingly) stated that his findings had not been confirmed. But this was only because no other replications had been made (a sound governmental health protection system should have allocated necessary funding for this but in stead it was ignored). But recently this serious effect has been corroborated by other studies: In December 2004, preliminary results of work by 12 groups in seven European countries, the "REFLEX Study", found that radiation at some cell phone levels damages DNA in a laboratory setting.

2. Alarming report - fivefold increased risk for brain tumors in children
Excerpts from The Independent (21.09.2008):
Children and teenagers are five times more likely to get brain cancer if they use mobile phones, startling new research indicates.

The study, experts say, raises fears that today's young people may suffer an "epidemic" of the disease in later life.

David Carpenter, director of the Institute of Health and Environment at the University of Albany and Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute both have confirmed that the brain cancer risk from cell phone use is far greater for children than for adults.

Herberman shoed a model for lawmakers showing how radiation from a cell phone penetrates far deeper into the brain of a five-year-old than that of an adult.

A paper published this month by the Royal Society in London found that adolescents who start using cell phones before the age of 20 were five times more likely to develop brain cancer at the age of 29 than those who didn't use a cell phone.

For those who are interested in reading more about conclusive studies related to the health hazards of using a bolie, please see link http://www.psrast.org/mobileng/mobilstarteng.htm#eusms

Finally, to conclude my side of the argument:

Since we have already seen and many have agreed to it, prolonged usage of a mobile phone in young people leads to a certain degree of addiction, purposeless spending of time in talking to friends or texting them for hours together, a time that should be spent either playing in fresh air or doing something much more creative such as pursuing a hobby or something similar.

Usage of phones also leads to decreased concentration in studies and fuzzy brain functions along with increased risks to many life threatening diseases, that I have touched upon in my previous post.

Also, there is certain immaturity in school going children as to the proper usage of mobiles and may lead to incidents that would harm someone's reputation (An example of the Delhi school girl whose MMS was circulated among the students of her school speaks volumes on this matter)

Access to such gadgets may also lead to cheating and unethical practices in exams instead of studying hard and preparing for the exams.

We talk at length about modern day gadgets being part of our life and hence cannot keep children away from them. True, but as parents and responsible adults, we can definitely put a foot down and draw a line. Even though a child may learn to drive a bike early on, would we give hima license to do so??
Similarly, something that we know is going to compromise his or her life later in the life, it is only p[rudent that we establish some strict guidelines against using the phone before time. Ideally that age would 18 onwards, but that may not possible in all scenarios, hence why can't we establish that line at age 16, like Gulshan has recommended??

It is true that coercion would draw only defensive reactions from children, but as parents we cannot and should not always give in to their demands, that we clearly know are not in their good interests.

Hence I seriously feel that children should not be allowed to use mobile phones and only after they are 16, they be allowed to carry one, but now with all hi-tech features such as bluetooth et. al.

Sorry friends for making another post as the last one was meant to be my concluding post but Kalyani's last post has necessitated this.

@Kalaynai

Nowhere in my posts I have questioned the hazardous effects of its misuses and rather I sought data on the actual misuses and the scenario in India.As far as other issues which you have raised I think I have made postion very clear on them based on my objective views in my posts.Thank you all once again!

So the discussion is over here.Thanks to all the participants.Wait two days to declare the results.