Cell Phone Etiquette

Top 3 Cell Phone Etiquette Tips for Adults

• People come first! Cell phone etiquette will never be that hard to master if you remember that the people in front of you are simply just more important than whatever notification you receive on your phone! If you are talking with someone in person and your cell phone rings, or a text pings, don’t immediately look away from the person you’re speaking with to answer it! If you do, you are showing that the person who’s calling/texting is more important than the person you’re with. It’s very rude and people will be offended.

• In restaurants put the phone on vibrate and keep it off the table. The table is not the place to put your phone while eating in a restaurant. Put it away, place it on vibrate so it doesn’t ring and irritate other diners, and then only talk on the phone away from the table.

• Be aware of others. We hopefully remember not to talk on the cell phone when we are at the movies, in a library, in a place of worship, or in a meeting, but it is also offensive to talk on the phone when others are sitting next to you and can’t avoid having to hear your whole conversation. So, next time you are taking on your cell phone while in a bus, in a doctor’s waiting room, in the airport lounge, or other similar places, remember to talk softly to avoid bothering others, keep your conversation short, and be aware of the language you use in case there are kids nearby.

Top 3 Cell Phone Etiquette Tips for Kids

• Make house rules that no one is allowed to use their cell phone at the dinner table. This includes not leaving the table during a meal to answer the phone.

• Use it for good not evil. Kids should not make calls before 9:00 am or after 9:00 pm. They should not use it to say anything mean to or about anyone else. Using a cell phone and texting (not even talking about the internet and social media) is a privilege that can be taken away if they misuse the phone by hurting anyone’s feelings. If kids do have a smartphone, then they need to learn about internet safety, and learn the importance of not sending any pictures or information to others that they wouldn’t want the world to see.

• The cell phone goes away during homework and family time. If your child is always “plugged in”, they cannot concentrate on anything or anyone else.