Teens should have cell phones

Hello, my name is Justin Graves. Background: I'm sixteen, can't drive, but I do own a phone. Though, I feel I could drop it down a storm drain and be perfectly fine.My position in this debate is that phones are not necessary. They can also be harmful. This is not coming from an "overprotective parents" point of view, but from a teens point of view. Therefore, ad hominem attacks in this debate should be near nill. OK, I'd like to present my argument before I rebuttal my opponent's contentions.1.SurvivalCell phones are not necessary for human health. Not physically. Not mentally. Not emotionally. Not socially. Teenagers have had plenty of fun and done just fine for a long time before cellphones. They are not necessary parts of a teenager's life.2. MoneyCell phones cost money. Period. First there is the cost of the phone. And then the cost of the actual wireless plans. The cheapest text and call wireless plan from AT&T costs $60 a month, or $720 a year. That's some good cash that could be spent elsewhere. Especially if it is not the teen's money. Even if it is, over the course of their teen years, that would be $4,320. Wow. That's like a full quarter of tuition costs for college down the tubes.3. Sir, can I use your phone please? If I needed to call my parents, I did two things. a) I asked a stranger for the use of his cellphone. Or b) I went into a local business and asked to use their phone. It worked rather well and built social skills. No personal cellular device required.4. The dangers of cellphone use.A. This comes from some personal experience: Teens texting=Saying things you think no one will ever know about=BAD! One time, a guy "friend" of mine started asking me to "rate" girls on a scale of one to ten based on their looks via text. I said no at first, but he started naming some off and I foolishly did as well. Turns out he not only told some of the girls what I said, he forwarded the texts to people. He specifically asked about my girlfriend. I gave her a high number, but, apparently, I gave one girl a number that was .1 higher. So, he took advantage of this and told her I thought another girl was better looking, but thought that she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Needless to say, that relationship ended recently, and guess who she choose next? Yep, my backstabbing friend.B. Here is another: Sexting. According to the FBI, 20% of teens have sent nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves to others. 1 in 6 have received such pictures. The consequences of this can be dire. There are cases of teen couples going to prison on the charge of possessing child pornography. It can and does happen. It is a danger.Those are my contentions. On to my opponents"I need one because my school never lets students back into the building after they leave and my dad is prone to falling asleep before picking me up and I'm not allowed to walk home. And I would ask someone to use their phone but they always lie and say they don't have minutes but walk away texting someone."I cannot imagine that your school does not let students back in after they leave the building. And aren't there adults around SOMEWHERE? Even if all these facts are true, how about this solution: Go to the school office and call your dad BEFORE you leave the building?"I think teens should have cell phones. I would rather have a phone with a QWERTY keyboard though...I can type fast on a computer keyboard so it'd be nice cause on the old phone keyboards with 1abc 2def..etc i can't text more than 3 words a minute."This contention makes about as much sense as Bill Clinton while he is drunk. Which is to say: None. I would like to draw the reader's attention to these quotes:" I don't have my own phone and I never have." "Okay overprotective parents, go ahead and tell me why teens shouldn't have cell phones."My opponent seems to have a serious personal issue with her parents. And authority in general if she is willing to bad mouth a parent who has yet to accept an argument whom she has never interacted with. This seems more about wanting a phone for social reasons than to contact parents (My opponent's need for a phone for calling her dad has nothing to do with how fast she needs to text.)Regardless, I have shown some real dangers that can come from teen cellphone use and I have shown why teen use of cellphones in not necessary. I await my opponent's response.Oh, this has nothing to do with who is right, but I feel it is needed to be said. For the voter, this has nothing to do with positions or arguments in the debate, but just one more thing for my opponent: I see that you claim to be a Christian. I would like you to read Ephesians 6:1-2a "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother."If you don't feel like accepting not having a cellphone just because your parents say so and because the Bible says to obey your parents: Sources:http://www.fbi.gov...http://www.att.com...