Teens are cash cows for cellphone companies
Teens are cash cows for cellphone companies
It seems Bell Mobility has a new slogan: we’re not happy until you’re not happy. OK, so they don’t, but that is how I feel these days.
We all try to raise responsible teenagers. Having a 14-year-old without a cellphone — by their standards — is a form of “abuse.” We, as parents, of course want happy teens who fit in with their peers.
So, with the sound of acquiescence in the air, we go to Bell Mobility and purchase a contract and a phone for an amount of money that could easily provide six months of sustenance for a family of four. The monthly bill: approximately $75, give or take.
But how do I monitor his phone usage? Teenagers are constantly on their phones and we have to embrace this new world of technology, or so I’m told. I’m not a bad parent, or at least I don’t think so. My teens are expected to get good marks, make their beds, and they have other chores. But the Bell Mobility bill is a huge ongoing battle that never seems to end.
So let’s review how it works: once a 14-year-old teenager reaches 95 per cent of his data usage, Bell Mobility sends him a nice reminder by text, which he promptly ignores — hey, he is hanging out with his 14-year-old buddies! That’s more important, isn’t it? Or so he seems to think.
The next nice text message says for $30 you can get more data — just click here. The next text message for $50 you can get even more data, just click here… and so on and so on. Until we have a $500 bill — on top of the regular bill that equals six months of sustenance for a family of four. My ongoing calls to Bell Mobility continue: how do I manage my child’s data usage? And the same answer is given: we do send him friendly reminders! Of course you do.
I have a novel idea — maybe Bell Mobility can develop a data plan for children under 16. Let’s call it “Data plans for children under 16.” Once you and your child discuss a data plan best for them, let’s sign up. And maybe Bell Mobility can hire an outside expert to figure a way to shut off data once 100 per cent of data is reached. (I’m told over and over again by Bell Mobility, “We do not have that technology.”)
Too many of us accept what is. It’s time to make large million/ billion-dollar profitable organizations, such as Bell Mobility, take some ownership here.
Cellphones and teenagers — an easy way to increase profits (by the millions). Ann O’Brien St. John’s
“We all try to raise responsible teenagers. Having a 14-year-old without a cellphone — by their standards — is a form of “abuse.” We, as parents, of course want happy teens who fit in with their peers.”