An unusual divergence from computing technology, I want to focus on cellphones and their use and abuse by young people — what you as parents need to know, and to look a little close at the rumoured health risks with mobile phone use.

When I started in the IT industry, I was given a pager. It hung on my belt for several years, and I was contacted dozens of times. It beeped out and displayed a number that I was to call, from a payphone or someone's home. It was quite fascinating.

Just a few years earlier, Captain James Kirk had taken his communicator from his belt, flipped it open and spoke to his engineering officer. At the time no one believed it would happen anytime soon.

If you're like me, you grew up without cellphones. You could go out on a Saturday morning with friends and not return until dusk, and never speak with parents or friends on the phone all day. Today its different, we are in the middle of a communication revolution which allows urgent news photographs to be sent around the world within minutes of incidents taking place — indeed, it is rumoured that some photos of the tsunami in Indonesia and the surrounding areas in 2004, were broadcast on news channels just 180 seconds after being taken.

It is inevitable that young people will want a cellphone — it is a peer-pressure thing, and it's a signal that they are responsible — a maturity thing.

It's important, however, that its use remains in context, and that young people do not overuse it, nor become ignorant of the world around them because of it. Let me explain. Adults as well as children would do well to take heed of what I am about to say.

It is rude for people to deal with e-mail and text while they are talking, face to face, with another person. It took a good friend to point that out to me, and I did not realise I was doing it — I did not realise I had gotten caught up in the techno-comms stuff that I so despise when it impinges on interpersonal communication. Make the decision not to do it, and take the time, at an appropriate point, to excuse yourself to deal with it. Why, then, is it a surprise when our young people view their cellphone communication as more important than face-to-face communication with us, or anyone else? It is a case of "monkey see: monkey do", and we have only ourselves to blame.

So, if we want to see a better priority given to face-to-face communication among our young people, we'd better start with ourselves: The person right in front of you is the most important person — the one you are talking to face to face — not the one who texted you or e-mailed you — the one directly in front of you.

Now before, you all beat me up over this, I am someone who uses a cellphone a lot — it is one of my critical business tools and I use it every day, several times a day — but it is a tool. I make sure that if I am talking to someone face to face, my cellphone is of secondary importance — even with an incoming call. If I must take it because it's a critical business call, then I will excuse myself and take it — but — even in business, things are rarely so critical they cannot wait five minutes, and if they are critical the caller will leave a voicemail. Before we can expect to coach our young people in cellphone etiquette whilst in company, we need to practise it ourselves...

Next time then, I will look at what young people do with their cellphones, and then look at the controversial issue of potential health risk...

Next time then, "Digital Kids: Use and abuse".

Bob Mellor is a senior business technologist with over twenty years experience in the IT industry. He is accredited by the British Computer Society as a Chartered IT Professional, and currently Technology Consulting Manager at Bermuda Microsystems Group. He can be contacted on bob@bmg.bm. Mr. Mellor's views here do not reflect the views of The Royal Gazette or Bermuda Microsystems Group, and are purely based out of his personal experiences and knowledge.