Tampa, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/22/2014 -- Smartphones are popular gifts during the holiday season. But for as many kids hoping to find a new phone under the Christmas tree, there are just as many parents unsure about giving their children a gift that comes with so much responsibility.
To help parents who might be nervous about giving their son or daughter their first cell phone, MamaBear Family Safety App has released "Tips For Giving Your Teen Their First Smartphone For the Holidays."
"The debate continues among families about when to give your children their first smartphone," said MamaBear co-founder and mother of two Robyn Spoto. "The connectivity to the world and responsibility of pricey technology is a big step into independence for our children with even more responsibility on the parent to keep our children safe. Only you as the parent will know when you and your child is ready."
The article lists a series of steps that parents can follow to ensure kids use their phones responsibly and appropriately.
"Don't just give your teen a smartphone and allow them to figure it all out on their own," Spoto continued. "You need to teach them how to use it, establish rules and set boundaries appropriate for their age and safety."
The article goes on to explain how creating a "Cell Phone Contract" with usage rules can help hold kids accountable for how they use their phone.
"Tips For Giving Your Teen Their First Smartphone For the Holidays" also looks at how parents can use the phone as a safety tool. They advise parents to use apps like MamaBear that connect parents and children through features like one-tap check-ins, family messaging and location sharing, driving speed alerts and social media monitoring to keep children safe.
To get the full list of tips for giving a teen their first smartphone, view the article here: http://mamabearapp.com/tips-giving-child-first-smartphone-holidays/
About MamaBear
MamaBear is a leading-edge, all-in-one parenting app for Android phones and iPhones that connect families and protect children with a powerful set of social media monitoring tools, location sharing and driving notifications. Since its initial launch in late 2012, MamaBear has received extensive media coverage in the U.S. and has been installed all over the world. The app is available in the Google Play Store for Android phones and in the Apple App Store for iPhones.
The makers of MamaBear Family Safety App are a group of parents, digital visionaries and experienced technology entrepreneurs with a passion for fostering family unity and worry-free parenting. Their mission is to create tools that provide parents peace of mind while giving children needed freedom. Their core values are to protect children, honor families, encourage trust and respect privacy.
The MamaBear team regularly blogs about a variety of issues affecting parents and their children, especially when it comes to family safety. Read the blog at mamabearapp.com/blog.
Learn more about the MamaBear Family Safety App at MamaBearApp.com or follow MamaBear on Facebook and Twitter.