Popular holiday gifts this season seemed to have been smartphones. Due to technology getting a hold of this century, the age limit for children receiving cell phones has decreased.

According to a survey conducted by WRBL, a news station located in Georgia, out of 300 parents, 75 percent of their children, as young as four years old, have cell phones.

Even though the thought of toddlers carrying around their own cell phones seems completely outrageous, the thought of parents buying their toddlers cell phones, seems to be the most surprising of all.

The original purpose for a cell phone was to communicate with others. However due to the evolution of technology, we have drifted from the original purpose.

With all the social media platforms we now have access to, we have more ways to connect with each other.

Smartphones have enabled us to meet different people and learn more about different cultures with just one click.

However, smartphones prove to not be all that secure, posing a great risk for young children.

In fact, with the easy access we have to various things on the Internet, it’s no wonder that smartphones are dangerous for kids.

According to Parents.com, every 40 seconds in the United States, a child becomes missing or is abducted.

For many, the typical age for an adolescent to get a cell phone is once they enter middle school.

At this point in time, students are more likely to stay after school or walk home from their bus stops alone. As a result, it is more reasonable for someone to have a cellphone at that age.

“I got a my first cell phone when I was in sixth grade,” freshman Ayman Elhag said. “I was 12 years old.”

The fact that people nowadays can track you using your location services makes it that much easier for the kidnappers.

There are many dangers that a cell phone can pose to adults, let alone children. Due to social media not being very restricted, we have no idea whether a person we are talking to is truly who he or she claims to be.

We can say whatever we want about anyone or anything anonymously. This can pose a great risk to little children who are very innocent and naIve to the dangers surrounding them.

Another downside for children having cell phones is that it decreases their social interaction skills and takes away their youth.

These days, it’s very hard to have a conversation with someone without showing a picture, a tweet or a post.

The very device created to connect us to each other has disconnected us from the world around us.

We have come to the point where we rely on phones to direct our conversation and if we don’t have it, it would be very hard to keep a conversation going.

Children should not be exposed to this instead, they should continue to enjoy their time as little kids and should take the time to run around and enjoy the outdoors with their peers.

“A student should get a phone, in high school, either ninth or 10th grade, senior Andrew Peters said. “Only when it becomes beneficial for communication, schoolwork or protection as they go to and from school.”

With all the risks associated with cell phones, it’s important for parents to really judge the maturity of their child.

At the end of the day, a child is just not mature enough to handle the dangers of having a cell phone.