Two interesting stories today about kids and technology, a subject near and dear to my heart as a parent of a tween. First, the AP reports on how the Japanese government is concerned about the amount of time young kids are spending on internet enabled mobile phones. According to the government, about one third of Japanese 6th graders have cell phones and 60% of 9th graders have them. And earlier today, Eight Forty-Eight had a segment from Curie Youth Radio about how texting has replaced note passing in classrooms. My wife and I often debate whether we should get our daughter a phone. We love the idea of her always being able to get in touch with us. But we also see cell phones as devious authority-subverting tools that can only lead to scheming and trouble (master-minded by other kids - not our daughter, of course). Is it a good idea, especially for safety in the city, for a kid to have a phone? And what age is too young? Here’s the Curie piece: Curie Youth Radio: Texting In Schools