Teen access and Parental involvement

I read an article that studied how much teens really use technology these days, and although the figures were not surprising, I was still a bit annoyed with what I read.  I understand that technology is everywhere and use of the internet and using cell phones are very important in our society, I feel like parents are using that as an excuse to not do their job.
If you are a parent, it is your job to be the gate keeper for your children.  If you buy your teen a cell phone, you need to take the time to be aware of the calls being made, and the text messages being sent and received.  I don't care how responsible you think your 13 -17 year old is, if they are given complete freedom in communicating with people, they are not going to be communicating in a way that you would probably approve of.  Again... I am talking about 'the rule' and not 'the exception'.  I am sure there might be a teen here and there who might have the ability to police what he/she says and is completely respectful in all communications... but I have yet to meet that teen.  
According to my article, 59% of teens between  13-15 have their own cell phone, and 74% between 16-17 have them. I didn’t get my first cell phone until I was 20 years old.  I am only 26. I know that things change very quickly but I feel like it is important that the people using the technology are responsible enough to use it, and I don’t think that is the case.  Growing up, I did not have a cell phone, there was a land line and my parents answered the phone.  They were the gate keepers to who my sister and I had contact with.  They knew who we were talking with and where we were going, for the most part.  When we were out with friends and we wanted to go someplace else, we had to go home and ask our parents if it was okay, now a child can call from their cell phone and the parent really has no idea where their kid might actually be calling from.
I understand that giving a child a cell phone or their own lap top might be more convenient for a parent but its allowing for much too much freedom at too young of an age.  And as we see from all the bullying that is happening via text and via the internet... its true.  Children cannot handle that much freedom.  They need to be taught how to control themselves and how to interact in situations.  My article talked mostly about teenagers, but I want to make the point that kids as young as 6 and 7 have their own cell phones… and that’s not event hat uncommon.  My nephew just got his first cell phone when he turned 8.  I was astonished and still can’t wrap my head around why a 3^rd grade child would possibly need their own cell phone. 
In regards to internet use, I can honestly say that it is amazing to see that a 7 year old can have a better understanding of how to use a mobile device or computer than I do, and I also thing that it is wonderful that they can command such an understanding, I just hope that parents don’t mistake their understanding on how to use a program for maturity and social understanding. 
Recently I was on Facebook and browsing the pictures of a current Pop singer, and I was STUNNED when I began reading some of the comments that were made about pictures of some of her young fans.  There were amazingly cruel words written about two young girls… by other young girls.  Making fun of everything from their hair, weight, teeth to clothes.  I know that girls are mean, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to say such mean things about people.  The girls making comments probably have never met the girls in the pictures which made it feel safe to them to say what they probably thought was funny, because to them, the people in the picture aren’t real, they are just people in a picture.  But putting myself in the place of the girls in the picture, I can’t imagine how hurt I would have been.  I can only imagine that they were incredibly excited to have been posted up on their singing idols page, only to be verbally beaten down by a faceless entourage of comments.  Policing our children is SO important.  And not only policing our own children but being aware of what others are doing around us.  

This article was punblished for the National Crime Prevention Council and put together by Harris Interactive.  Released February 28, 2007 By the National Crime Prevention Council.  The link to the article I used is:

http://www.ncpc.org/resources/files/pdf/bullying/Teens%20and%20Cyberbullying%20Research%20Study.pdf