Assalamoualaikum
I'm participating in the Eid Party of the mosque at my place and i have to make a play for children regarding mobile phones. My question is: is it good or bad to give a mobile phone to children under 12? What are the implications of mobile phone regarding its usage by muslim children?
Jazakallah for replying.
Assalamoualaikum

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Before answering your question, we would like first of all to draw your attention to the fact that it is not permissible for a woman to uncover herself in front of adult or adolescent males. Also, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that the mosque should be protected from anything that would violate its sanctity and veneration.

In any case, it is in general permissible to give a mobile phone to a child who reached the age of distinction if it is not feared that this would cause harm to him/her, like if the child is known for his/her recklessness and that he/she is not sound, in which case, it is feared that this will corrupt him/her and the like.

Some specialists mentioned that the bad effects of the use of mobile phone are more dangerous in case of the adolescents and children more than they are in case of the adult people. They represented this with the effect of electromagnetic power on the brain and the nervous system. They said that the children are more vulnerable to it due to their brain being still in the process of development and that the skull is not yet fully formed; it is still thin in comparison to the skulls of the adults.

In addition to this, some studies stated that the temperament of the child and his ability to concentrate may be affected due to the use of the mobile phone, let alone the medical consequences. For example, the children may use the Internet without any control, and by doing so, they might visit sites that are not suitable for their age. Moreover, the children may be subjected to fear by the SMS messages by other children; this may indeed frighten them or harm them emotionally.