Up until recently, parents are puzzled if they should get a cell phone for young kids. They want to be able to get in touch with their kids whenever necessary, but it was either way too expensive or there is a concern about if kids can use it properly. Now Firefly mobile phones have made their way to the market.

The feature of this phone is totally designed for kid: The address book button has up to 20 phone numbers in it. These are to be programmed in by the guardian or parent, who knows a Pin which is intended to keep the child from changing the numbers. In this way, parents control who their kids are calling. The phone also offers a call screening option which, when activated only allows the numbers that are in the phones memory to call that phone.The standard features are of the phone are up to 8.5 days standby time and up to 6 hours talk time. Texting and download capability are unavailable, which allows parents to manage phone costs.

I think this is a cool idea for both children and parents, children are be able to contact their friends and parents in moderation, and parents save money for signing up those expensive plans. However, there is a flaw in phone design since there are “Mom” and “Dad” buttons. Firefly offers no alternative button overlays to reflect families that are not mormal, such as in a mother and grandmother household or a single-parent household, or families that are non-hetero-normative, such as same-sex parents in the household.