Time for Fewer Cell Phone Features?

It’s happened again — teenager armed with cell phone records two teens engaged in intimate behavior and sends the video to friends. The unsuspecting girl in the incident alerts the police, an investigation begins, and now charges of statutory rape could be in someone’s future.

Let’s blame technology

When the local television station reported the story, the standard implications were made — technology is to blame. The implication is far from the truth. In this case, technology was an enabler for criminal conduct. Someone still had to make the recording and someone still had to send it to friends and classmates.  The cell phone didn’t commit the crime, a couple of teenagers did.

If you buy into the idea of “technology is to blame,” then you might call for cell phone manufacturers to take some level of responsibility.  Normally I’d roll my eyes to this type of response and chalk it up to technical ignorance.  This time, however, my opinion is a little different.

New market for a step backwards

I won’t go so far as to insist that cell phone manufacturers take responsibility, I will say these types of incidents (which are becoming more common place) are creating a new marketplace for cell phones — phones with fewer features.

Yes, smart phones are certainly the source of techno lust for gadgets hounds; however, not everyone wants or needs a cell phone stuffed with a myriad of features. Sometimes people just need to place or receive a call. When it comes to parents that have given their kids a cell phone, they’d probably love to have the option to give them “just a phone.” Yes, kids with “just a phone” could use a digital camera, email account, and Internet access and commit the same crime.  The difference is that it requires more steps and more devices readily accessible and most teenagers are simply not that prepared.  With the “all-in-one” cell phones so common today, kids have everything they need to commit such a crime with them all the time.

Limiting technology isn’t the complete solution

As much as technology is not to blame for this recent incident, limiting technology wouldn’t have prevented it either. There is no substitute for good parenting and educating kids on proper cell phone use. Nevertheless I’m one parent that would love to see a bare bones cell phone: make a call, receive a call, and address book. Try and find a cell phone that just does that — it’s impossible.

In my opinion, there is a market for a technological step backwards.