Give Your Kid Your Old Mobile Phone As A Toy... But Make Sure They Don't Call 911

from the holiday-suggestions dept

Wed, Nov 22nd 2006 8:20am — Mike Masnick

It's the time of the year for gift giving suggestions, and while we don't do a gift guide, it did catch our eye that an education professor is suggesting that you can give your old, obsolete mobile phones to toddlers as holiday presents. Not only does it keep the phone out of a landfill somewhere, it introduces kids to the basics of the technology. A couple I know even insists that their toddler's favorite toy is his father's mobile phone, because of all the flashing lights and beeps it makes. However, the real reason the story got our attention was that just a few hours before, we had seen a different article about how a little kid playing with a deactivated mobile phone kept calling 911 baffling police and wasting resources for hours as they tried to track down the caller to make sure nothing was wrong. Carriers are required to provide 911 service on phones, even if they have no official phone service. So, if you must give toddlers old phones, perhaps figure out someway to block them from calling 911 first.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

57 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

David, 22 Nov 2006 @ 8:47am

Blocking 911?
I'm British, so I might be wrong, but wouldn't it be an offence to block the 911 service, for whatever reason?

Or am I simply misunderstanding US law?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Jamie, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:28am
  
  Re: Blocking 911?
  As long as the physical phone belongs to you, you can do whatever you want to it. Including blocking 911 calls on it.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Jo Mamma, 22 Nov 2006 @ 8:50am

No way to block it that I know of
I don't think there is a way to block 911 access.

In fact, my Samsung will actually dial 911 when it's locked! So if it's in my pocket, locked, and the combination 911 is hit, and send is pressed, I get a dispatcher on the line!

This wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that not only does '911' dial the cops, but other obscure combinations as well, including 08, 112, and about three or four others.

When I asked the pimply faced 19 year old about this at the phone shop, he said "by law, they had to provide 911 access, even if it's locked. Somehow I doubt that, but it might be true, I suppose. I think it was just an easy way to blow me off.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- ThatOne, 26 Jan 2016 @ 9:44pm
  
  Re: No way to block it that I know of
  It is by law almost in every country that a phone even without a SIM card must be able to call emergency services, such as 911, 112 (europes 911) and with smartphones you must be able to do so with it locked.
  
  That is to make it easier to call 911 and if you are out cold and have the only phone that works, then it would be a shame if they couldnt call 911 :)
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Pangolin, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:07am

True for some phones
The Motorola V325 I have can have he keypad locked - but 911 (holding 9 down) still functions. Even with every lock in place we (or the baby) have made multiple 911 calls. Now she's not allowed to have the phone.

Another phone - Kyocera Kx1v can be locked so 911 doesn't work. So I think it varies by phone.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:23am

if you keep to a basic, candy bar style, nokia you can deactivate it. you can even program in the emergency numbers.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dan, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:24am

Locked
There is a simple way to lock a phone so it can't call 911, just remove the battery. Alternately, leave it on for a while and don't recharge it. I was just as happy with my "phone" when I was younger, it didn't make noise, but we had imagination back in the day.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Brett, 29 Nov 2006 @ 8:50am
  
  Re: Locked
  I agree with Dan. I should think removing (and recycling) the battery should be the safest, most effective way of disabling it. It might also be wise -- if one is concerned about such things -- to erase/remove the memory so that the previous owner's personal/private information is not compromised, should the child lose or get rid of the phone.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Random Guy, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:24am

Smart thing to do...
I gave my old Toshiba VM4050 to my 4-year old to play with, and to prevent calls I just disabled the radio with by using the "airplane mode." Good tip to share!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:32am

Giving old mobile phones to small children seems like a great idea! After all these phones are so well constructed, and void of small objects they will certainly stand up to being banged on the table or floor!

Other great gift ideas for your toddler...

Rusty scissors
Your old refrigerator - he can make a fort!
and last but CERTAINLY not least...
used condom baloons!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Nicole, 17 Nov 2008 @ 5:13pm
  
  Re:
  I feel the same way! Old cell phones are not a toy. They are to be bagged up and recycled properly so the toxic chemicals and metals used in their construction can be properly disassembled and reused in newer technology.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 1 Mar 2013 @ 11:43am
  
  Re:
  your an idiot
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 1 Nov 2014 @ 5:57am
  
  Re:
  your dumb
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 1 Nov 2014 @ 5:57am
  
  Re:
  your dumb
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 1 Nov 2014 @ 5:57am
  
  Re:
  your dumb
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 1 Nov 2014 @ 5:57am
  
  Re:
  your dumb
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 1 Nov 2014 @ 5:57am
  
  Re:
  your dumb
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 30 Mar 2021 @ 9:02am
    
    Re: Re:
    You're
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kevin F., 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:32am

Just a thought...
Most cell phones these days have a mode you can switch to where the radio antenna is off. In this way, it acts like a real phone except you can't actually dial out...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 11 Jan 2013 @ 7:07pm
  
  Re: Just a thought...
  Nope, dialing 911 will automatically disable airplane mode!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Otiom, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:33am

obscure combinations like 08, 112
Think global !
There is not only the US that have cell phones -believe it or not. Germany has 112....
They have different numbers and don't use a obscure number like 911.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Jaidev Bhola, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:35am

I don't think that's a good idea
I don't think giving an infant a old cellphone that is enabled is a good idea at all. The cellphones still emit radiation which could be potentially harmful to the kids. Their skulls are thin and not fully developed and as a result they'll be more suseptible to the harmful effects of the microwave radiation.

As adults, we are a bit more resistent give our thick skulls.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- sceptic, 22 Nov 2006 @ 10:44am
  
  Re: I don't think that's a good idea
  I see a case of a thick skull already...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
smithers, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:38am

Why not just give them them the dead phone as a toy and don't charge the battery. It's a friggin toddler. They are just going to use it to make "pretend" phone calls anyway.
Are you planning on getting it a long-distance plan too and just hope he doesn't dial China?
If you want the kid to learn about technology, do you think giving it a phone with contacts and memos and all those "complicated" menus is really going to teach the kid anything. it'll just be impressed by the lights and beeping noises.
I mean c'mon people!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Virdict, 10 Mar 2013 @ 3:04pm
  
  Response to: smithers on Nov 22nd, 2006 @ 9:38am
  Not true at all. My 3 year old brother in law can search YouTube for what he wants, call who he wants to talk to, take pictures and edit them with the camera app, and many other things all because we've given him the iPod to play with, he can use Samsung galaxy as well. Based on what I've seen, to not give your child a smart phone or tablet is to horrible handicap them. You'd be a bad parent...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
smithers, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:38am

Why not just give them them the dead phone as a toy and don't charge the battery. It's a friggin toddler. They are just going to use it to make "pretend" phone calls anyway.
Are you planning on getting it a long-distance plan too and just hope he doesn't dial China?
If you want the kid to learn about technology, do you think giving it a phone with contacts and memos and all those "complicated" menus is really going to teach the kid anything. it'll just be impressed by the lights and beeping noises.
I mean c'mon people!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
TX CHL Instructor, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:40am

911 service
It almost doesn't really matter whether 911 can be dialed from a cellphone -- at least, not here in the Dallas area.
Last time I called 911 on my cellphone (to report a fire), it took 22 rings before the 911 dispatcher answered -- more than a minute. The time before that (to report an accident with injuries), it 'only' took 15 rings. I'm glad that *I* wasn't in any personal danger either time!
BTW, that's one reason I carry a gun. 911 simply is not reliable, nor is it fast enough in a real emergency.
--
chl-TX.com
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anon, 22 Nov 2006 @ 10:22am
  
  Re: 911 service
  And a solution emerges! Instead of giving them the phone as a tou, give your toddler your old guns to play with!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Ryan, 27 Nov 2006 @ 11:53am
  
  Re: 911 service
  Yeah, the entire Dallas emergency response system is incredibly flawed.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Jeff, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:45am

Instead of wasting your old phone on a toddler, why not donate it to your local womens shelter? They, in turn, give them to abused women (who can't afford a phone of their own) so they can dial 911 the next time they're threatened or attacked. I believe some police departments collect them for this reason also.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kevin F., 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:45am

Again...
For people suggesting the removal of the battery, if the goal is to let them be entertained by sounds and lights and whatnot, that obviously wouldn't work. And for those talking about all of the various other codes beyond just 9-1-1 that might be called, the turning off of the antenna would address that issue.

The real question is... why worry about all of this for a toddler? They have toys that mimick cell phones, anyhow. If you want to save the landfill from the extra trash, fine, but donate the phone to one of the many foundations out there who provide them to battered women or whatever.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Mike F, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:52am

Ummmmm...
If you want your toddler to play with a phone umm BUY THEM A TOY PHONE. Come on!!!

Not to mention who thinks its a good plan to give a toddler something to play with that they can easily remove the battery. its not like they are screwed in like most infant toys.

Hey JoJo wanna play with a battery....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dosquatch, 22 Nov 2006 @ 9:58am

Display models
An alternative: The cell phone manufacturers build gutted display models, some of which still beep and boink and blink lights, but with no radio or functional circuitry. These often show up on eBay.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dan G, 22 Nov 2006 @ 10:08am

what are we doing
What happened to normal toys, the young ones has their whole life to develop a interest in technology and other stuff why can't ppl just leave them be let them be kids and let their mind develop.

besides i think those who would carelessly and unloving of their child to think give the little ones a cell phone would shut them up for a good hr or two, should really look at yourselves and see what you are doing to your child
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- spoon?!?!, 22 Nov 2006 @ 10:39am
  
  Re: what are we doing
  First, mental development isn't one dimensional. Second, sure they have their whole life to like technology, but they only have their childhood to soak up the absolute batholith of technology information that exists today before they lose the ability to soak up knowledge like water, and wind up like me, wishing we'd been introduced earlier so I wouldn't have to work in a goddamn factory because I can barely get Windows to behave. Third, giving a toddler a toy doesn't equate to placating them and getting them out of the way. You could give them a stick and they'd be just as happy and fascinated, and last I checked happy, fascinated kids are a lot more healthy than deprived kids coming from Spartan parents. Finally, learn English, you intolerable, useless Luddite!!!
  
  Sorry to take the flamebait, but... just... GAAAAAHHHHH!!! What part of the brain does one poke with a cotton swab to make ^ that!?!?!?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Peet McKimmie, 22 Nov 2006 @ 10:31am

Instead of removing the battery, pop off the back and remove the antenna... Oh, wait, though - without an antenna the 'phone would always run in "maximum power" mode, emitting nasty radiation at short distances and flattening the battery in minutes. As you were.

Here's a radical idea - why not teach your toddler not to be reliant on a cell phone? Lets not bring up another generation constantly shouting on the train. :-)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Larry the Arab, 22 Nov 2006 @ 10:45am
  
  Re:
  I am as technologically plugged-in as the next nerd, but I have NEVER been able to figure out the fixation people have with cell phones. I live in Europe and people over here behave as if cell phones are linked to critical bodily functions like breathing. Some of the soap operas over here spend over 50% of the time showing characters talking to each other via cell phone.
  
  What is the deal?!?!
  
  The absolute LAST thing the world needs is a way to make toddlers more familiar with the technology; lack of such 'infant exposure' doesn't seem to have been a hindrence as most kids (and adults) seem willing to have the cell phone surgically implanted if the option existed.
  
  Dudes, it's just a PHONE!!!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
James Bond, 22 Nov 2006 @ 10:33am

Cell Phones
Just toss the old phone away and get the kid a toy gun to get used to and play with,can do more with that anyway as they get older and then get a real one for them .Calling 911 for help from an attacker is not as effective as shooting him to stop him for good when a head banger or gheto rat is after you.Kids learn gun and shooting games young these days on the computer or xbox so they are prepared for a real one with minimal training.If you have a cell phone it calls the swat team after a certain amount of time of connect/disconne to come see you also.For those who say guns are bad and kill people look at all the people who kill folks every day with their phones making useless stupid nonsese calls in their cars and most kids that have a phone or looks like a locust hanging off their ear are doing the same or making drug deals and why train them for that lifestyle
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anon, 22 Nov 2006 @ 10:52am
  
  Re: Cell Phones
  Hey James Bond, or should I call you double O run-on, try using some punctuation?
  
  "...they are prepared for a real one with minimal training" Seriously? You want to give a kid a gun with minimal training, just assuming all those hours logged on the gaming console will prove to be sufficient training for carrying around a loaded gun?
  
  Oh by the way, original post had absolutely nothing to do with the effectiveness of the 911 emergency system.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
spoon?!?!, 22 Nov 2006 @ 10:52am

to take more flamebait
And @21, it's not having a cell phone that makes one dependent on cell phones, it's a social life and its augmentation by a constant link - people who have few social or business relationships have little use for cell phones, and aren't dependent on them. I doubt you could get a toddler to get hooked on a cell phone if you tried, anyway! As for you Bond, go join your backwater fundamentalist friend @19, there are those of us who can do simple multitasking without killing everyone around us.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
D, 22 Nov 2006 @ 12:27pm

easy way
If you have a cell phone with a sim card, just remove it and the phone won't be able to connect to a network to dial 911 or any other number.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Richard Mullens, 11 May 2020 @ 5:36pm
  
  Re: easy way
  Actually a cell phone will reach 911 even if the SIM card is removed, even a phone that is not on a service plan of any type. Inactive, in other words.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
AMP, 22 Nov 2006 @ 12:54pm

ferchristsake
Just giver your kid some freakin' Lincoln Logs and forget about it.....wait, do they still make those?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Jim Zandi, 22 Nov 2006 @ 1:45pm

I gave one to my kids a couple of years ago, but I carved-out the "send" key with a knife first. I didn't really think about the radiation, but if you can't send, does it still emit? After the battery ran out, I removed it and they still had a blast with it. Oh, and I pulled and destroyed the SIMM card too.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
isabel, 22 Nov 2006 @ 2:14pm

if you don't have kids, you don't know what you're
kids love to mimic adults. you can give them a cell phone that is not charged and they love to pretend to talk on it. but they'll mimic you talking on the phone without being given a phone. so it's not like you're 'teaching' them to be rude, loud, phone talkers or anything about using a phone.
and i highly doubt the idea was to give the toddler a cell phone and a live account attached to it. i gave my kid my old phone. who cares, get over it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
victor, 22 Nov 2006 @ 3:48pm

Removing SIM Cards
Removing the SIM card is out of the question.
Phones are designed to accept emergency numbers even if locked, or if there's no signal from your carrier.
Even when there's no SIM card, the phone will simply look for any active network within its range and connect to emergency services through that network.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
DV Henkel-Wallace, 23 Nov 2006 @ 4:47pm

toy phone
I found a pocket calculator made a perfectly good toy phone that is still sufficient for an 8-year-old. Plus he gets to use it on the plane.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
C Fryer, 29 Jan 2007 @ 2:04am

DO NOT DO THIS
DO NOT DO THIS!

MY OLD PHONE SAR RATING INCREASED BY 600% FROM OCCASIONAL DROPPING ETC..... DO YOU WANT TO FRY YOUR KIDS BRAINS!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- C Fryer, 29 Jan 2007 @ 2:53am
  
  Re: DO NOT DO THIS
  I must add, that my findings are not within scientific control and are just a quick test with a microwave meter. But worth bearing in mind.
  
  Best play it safe!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kavin, 6 Sep 2008 @ 8:28pm

to be strong
hi my name is kavin i like to be a firefighter when i grow up and i want 10000belling dolers in are bank a cont and i want to grow up and be strong and eat good food but i dont and i want to i am praind to god becase i have a sezre and i am on gouten free i cant eat the thigse that have gloten on it i am on dalaenten medacashen and i love my self to strong but i am not. from one girl kavin
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 16 Oct 2012 @ 12:17pm

wow you people are nuts.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
debdtexas, 11 Dec 2012 @ 9:08am

Kids cell phone
I agree with most of what you all are saying except the reason I was searching for something for my granddaughter is that she is so used to using her parents Iphone but not to call people. She can play multiple games & also uses the camera. She has no care about making the calls, she doesn't even like talking on the phone. It's all about the games (which are all learning games)& taking pictures.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
jan, 3 Jun 2013 @ 1:36pm

deactivate 911
Wow. I got on here cuz my daycare called 911 over 100 times today. No they dont usually radiate their brains you paranoid freaks. They listen to ringtones, play frogger, and take tons of pictures. Obviouusly i typed in paranoid lecture cuz thats all i see. No real help at all from all you know it alls.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
s.S.Reckers, 5 Jul 2013 @ 11:29pm

Old Cell phones
Removing the battery certainly willkeep any 911 calls from actually being placed, but it also takes away the ability for the child to take actual pictures. Is there any way to reatin the picture taking ability and yet not flood 911 with unnecessary calls?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
geraldine, 2 Oct 2013 @ 3:50pm

children playing with cell phones
I heard cell phones have lots of radiation
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anyonmus, 29 Mar 2014 @ 4:45pm

WTF
I gave my 14 month old neice my old mobile with NO SIM so know calls could be made. I hooked it up to the wifi and downloaded a load of fisher price apps for her. I then downloaded and app called kids place which means she can only acces apps that I say she can. She can't lock it, open the notifications tab, change the volume or go home she can just play her own apps that she enjoys and decide which ones she wants to play with so I don't have to fiddle with it making sure she dosent call anyone or anything.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Jester (profile), 10 Jan 2019 @ 2:11pm

Really people???
Ok so my son is 3 has a tablet that he can work and do things on it. He can count to 25 knows all basic colors and shapes. He has learned this from playing EDUCATIONAL games on the tablet. He can open and unlock me and my wife’s phone and can go onto his games and play them. He can work Hulu and Netflix on our phones. All you people saying stupid crap about giving a “toddler” a old phone must not be parents. Second. Cellphones don’t emit enough radiation to be picked up unless it is a extremely ultra sensitive detector. The FCC has regulations on how much can be put out and have stated that no harm can be done even if you had it by your head 24/7-365. Some of yall need to do some reasurch before opening your mouth(or texting with your fingers). No it is not a law that every cell phone have the 9-1-1 feature in use. It IS a law that they all have to be able to make the call without a SIM card. To the dumb youknowwhat who said let’s give the kid rusty scissors and used condom and to the other dumb you know what who said let’s give the kid a gun I hope you never become parents and if you do I fear for that child. Let’s do a little more research that shows lights and noises are great for younger kids to keep them stimulated and exposure to Teknowledge he is good for younger kids to prove this to everybody who says what happened to old toys have you ever seen a old person Use technology it is extremely hard for them and almost everything these days is ran by some form of technology. If your basis is that young kids do not need to be exposed to technology then how about we don’t teach them the ABC’s or one to threes because they can learn that when they are older how about looking up the fact that exposure to something at a younger age is More beneficial to retaining the information and being able to expand on the information. Now back to the original question yes Sam song phones can be routed through developer options to completely disable the antenna Apple can be jailbroken and me to act like a iPod touch
[ link to this | view in chronology ]