It is becoming more common for high school students to have smartphones. However, parents may be hesitant to let their children use them freely, worrying about the negative effects and risks that may come with having a smartphone.
This time, we will explain the advantages and disadvantages of high school students owning smartphones, as well as some parent-child rules that will help your child use smartphones safely and securely.
First, let's look at the data on smartphone penetration and usage among high school students.
A survey conducted in 2018 found that 98.2% of high school students own smartphones, meaning that almost everyone owns one.
Furthermore, 65.7% of high school students spend more than two hours on the internet during school days, and 60.5% feel that they are addicted to the internet.
These data show that owning a smartphone has become commonplace for high school students, but at the same time, they are at risk of becoming addicted due to prolonged use.
Source: Mie Prefecture FY2018 "Survey on the Actual Use of Smartphones, etc." Results (Summary)
According to a survey on the actual internet usage environment of young people published by the Cabinet Office, the main purposes for which high school students use smartphones are communication, watching videos, and playing games.
What is noteworthy is that there are also high school students who use it for studying and learning.
Depending on how they are used, smartphones can pose a risk of causing students to neglect their studies, which are their main focus, but they can also help students progress smoothly with their studies.
Next, let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of high school students having smartphones.
There are four benefits that high school students can get from owning a smartphone:
With a smartphone, parents and children can easily stay in touch no matter where their children are, making family communication smoother.
In addition, by communicating via smartphone, you may be able to find out things that are difficult to understand from conversations at home, such as what is happening at school or what your child is interested in.
Smartphones are also a very convenient way to communicate with classmates and friends, whether it's for casual conversation, discussing worries, or exchanging information about classes.
In recent years, the number of services and apps that allow you to study using your smartphone has increased, creating an environment where you can study efficiently while commuting to school or waiting to meet up with friends.
Not only can you study easily at any time and place, but by installing a dictionary app on your smartphone, you don't have to carry around a heavy dictionary.
While your children are away from home, parents are likely to be constantly worried about where their children are and what they are doing, whether they have gone to dangerous places, or whether they have been involved in any accidents or incidents.
If your child has a smartphone, you can use the GPS function to track their location and the route they have taken.
High school students in particular often come home late from cram school or club activities, or are often away from home due to rebellious phases or socializing with friends, so knowing their location will give parents peace of mind.
Nowadays, anyone can easily spread information through various social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. However, some of the information being spread is false or exaggerated, so it is important to be able to discern which information is true.
Furthermore, those who send out information must be careful not to send out information with incorrect information perception. It is also important to be able to judge for yourself what information is safe to send out, from the perspective of protecting personal information.
By getting used to using smartphones while still in high school, students will be able to learn IT literacy through hands-on experience.
Next, the two main disadvantages of high school students having smartphones are as follows:
As mentioned above, 65.7% of high school students use their smartphones for more than two hours on a school day, and 60.5% of high school students feel that they are addicted to the internet.
For example, even adults tend to become addicted to watching videos and playing games on their smartphones, so this is even more true for high school students.
Not only can these influences lead to neglect of studies, but students must also be aware of the dangers of high charges for in-game purchases.
To avoid any trouble or problems, parents need to keep track of how their children use their smartphones.
While smartphones can be used at any time and place, there is also the aspect that they can be used without limit if you want to.
In a survey conducted in 2018, the most common problem faced by high school students who use smartphones was that they "can't finish exchanging emails and messages, which leads to sleep deprivation and makes it difficult to concentrate on their studies."
In addition, the blue light emitted from smartphone screens can cause eye strain and sleep disorders, so prolonged use is not recommended.
In order for high school students to use smartphones in a healthy manner, it is important for parents to manage their children's usage time.
Source: Mie Prefecture FY2018 "Survey on the Actual Use of Smartphones, etc." Results (Summary)
To protect your child from smartphone-related troubles and addiction while letting them use smartphones safely, it is essential to have rules between parents and children. Specifically, it is a good idea to create the following rules:
For example, setting rules such as not using smartphones during meals or after 9 p.m. will reduce the risk of your child becoming addicted to smartphones.
In addition, to prevent excessive use even when parents are not looking, if smartphone functions can be used to limit the time periods during which the device can be used, it will also reduce health concerns such as declining eyesight and lack of sleep.
By choosing a service with comprehensive filtering functions, parents will be able to easily manage their children's smartphone usage time without having to nag them.
If your child is allowed to use unlimited data, not only will your monthly bill be high, but your child may mistakenly think that data = free.
Therefore, by setting limits in advance on things like call charges, communication fees, and in-app charges, your child will be able to learn to use data in a planned manner, just like they would with pocket money.
If the monthly fees is too high, it may be a good idea to consider using an unlimited calling plan or free calls on an app.
However, if the restrictions are too strict, there is a risk that they will restrict your child's activities when they suddenly need data on their smartphone, such as when going out with friends or for club activities.
To prepare for situations like the one above, it is a good idea to use a service that allows you to flexibly adjust your data usage based on your smartphone's available data capacity.
If the rules listed above are not followed, it may be necessary to confiscate your child's smartphone or cancel the contract.
However, with typical flat-rate plan services, parents may find it difficult to take action due to the basic fees that is charged even during the confiscation validity and the hassle of canceling the contract.
If you choose a service with a low basic fees to prepare for such situations, you will have the advantage of not having to go through the trouble of canceling the service, as you will only have to pay a small financial burden even during the confiscation validity.
For parents who are unsure which smartphone to give their child for the first time, we've selected three recommended smartphones for high school students.
If you choose the latest model of the iPhone series, which accounts for about half of the smartphone penetration rate in Japan, your child will have no trouble using it on a daily basis.
It has sufficient performance as a smartphone, including a high-resolution camera and a CPU capable of high-speed processing.
However, the specs may be too high for high school students to use, and the latest models tend to be more expensive.
If you are concerned about cost, we also recommend the iPhone SE (3rd generation), which offers sufficient performance despite its reasonable price.
| iPhone14 | iPhone SE (3rd generation) | |
|---|---|---|
| size | 146.7mm×71.5mm | 138.4mm×67.3mm |
| Weight | 172g | 144g |
| Camera pixel count (rear camera) | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Storage capacity | 128GB/256GB/512GB | 64GB/128GB/256GB |
| Battery capacity | 3,279 mAh | 2018 mAh |
| Reference price* | From 140,640 yen | From 70,935 yen |
*See prices on au Online Shop
Google Pixel 7 series, which boasts high-performance camera functions and long battery life, is also a recommended smartphone for high school students.
The real-time translation function translates conversations in real time, which may also be useful for language study.
Furthermore, the long-lasting battery, which can last up to three days, will reduce the stress of having to forget to charge your device when you're busy studying, participating in club activities, etc.
| Google Pixel 7 | |
|---|---|
| size | 155.6mm×73.2mm |
| Weight | 197g |
| Camera pixel count (rear camera) | Approximately 50 million pixels |
| Storage capacity | 128GB/256GB |
| Battery capacity | 4,355mAh |
| Reference price* | From 87,310 yen |
*See prices on au Online Shop
The OPPO Reno7 A OPG04 offers a good balance of price and performance, making it safe for children who are getting a smartphone for the first time.
Furthermore, it has excellent waterproof and dustproof properties, making it easy to use for active high school students.
While it has all the functionality of a modern smartphone, it is more affordable than the three models mentioned above, making it perfect for parents who value value for money.
| OPPO Reno7 A OPG04 | |
|---|---|
| size | 160mm×74mm |
| Weight | 175g |
| Camera pixel count (rear camera) | Approximately 48 million pixels |
| Storage capacity | 128GB |
| Battery capacity | 4,500mAh |
| Reference price* | From 43,720 yen |
*See prices on au Online Shop
Unlike typical monthly flat-rate services, povo2.0 (*1) is a new type of fees plan that allows you to use the functions you need as paid Topping for a basic fees of 0 yen (*2) (*3) (*4), and there are no contract validity restrictions.
There are 11 paid Topping to choose from: 6 types of data, 2 types of content, 2 types of calls, and 1 type of support. Parents can sign up for their child's smartphone contract under their name, and parents can also manage paid data Topping.
This not only helps to prevent your child from using too much data, but also reduces the chance of unexpected high charges.
In addition, you can change the name from a parent to a child online, making it easy to register a smartphone you no longer use for your child.
In addition, povo2.0 allows you to sign up for a filtering service that protects your high school-aged children from dangerous websites and apps, allowing them to use their smartphones safely.
With features like time limits and the "Anshin Filter for au" which filters out harmful information, parents can rest assured that their children are safe using smartphones.
povo2.0 not only makes it easy to enforce smartphone usage rules between parents and their high school-aged children, but also makes it easy to impose restrictions if the rules are broken.
If you are worried about letting your high school-aged child have a smartphone, why not consider povo2.0, which offers a comprehensive filtering service that allows you to use your smartphone safely and with peace of mind?
*1: As this is an online-only plan, all procedures and support will be handled online. Please contact us via the povo2.0 app or official website.
