On Monday, April 27, 2015 at 11:52:12 AM UTC-4, Stephen Sprunk wrote:   
       
   > _I_ had a mobile phone in high school.  I couldn't afford to use it much   
   > at first since my only job was mowing lawns, but it bought me a lot more   
   > freedom than my older siblings had since my parents could reach me at   
   > any time.  I didn't have to ask for permission to go places, check in   
   > every couple hours to see if plans changed, give them all my friends'   
   > home numbers in case of emergency, etc.  That's why so many parents   
   > bought phones for their kids as soon as it became economical.   
      
   We grew up before cell phones, but we also did not have to check in every few   
   hours or provide contact numbers.  Our parents accepted a certain degree of   
   autonomy as we grew older.  They figured in case of emergency--which was very   
   unlikely--we'd be able    
   to find a payphone or use someone's phone.   
      
   Today I noticed parents constantly checking in on their kids, which seems   
   strange to me.  Indeed, a few years ago some cell phone carriers offered   
   parents a way to track their kids' whereabouts through GPS, a concept I found   
   rather disturbing.   
      
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