Celebrities

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Responses to Candace Cameron’s strict stance on social media and cell phones

Our
June/July cover story on Candace Cameron Bure was picked up by
People.com and touched off a firestorm from its online readers.  Here’s
what they had to say about Candace’s strict stance on social media and
cell phones:

  

Personally,
I think it is a good idea for kids over a certain age to have cells in
case they get in trouble somewhere and don’t have a pay phone available.
– Bertie on July 4th, 2010

Good
for her. Natasha will learn that her TRUE friends like her whether or
not she has a cell phone….and she will have so much more fun with
friends who like her for who she is and not the latest fad.

– Mina on July 4th, 2010

Right
on Candace!! As a 2nd grade teacher…I really don’t see a need for a
student to have a cell phone. If they do have them (yes a few lil 7-8 yr
olds have them) they are to keep that phone turned off and in their
backpacks until after school. (Really, I can’t judge a parents personal
choice to spend money on that.) The whole “for an emergency” claim is
just an excuse to cave into peer pressure! My classroom has a crazy
state of the art telephone. Teens, well I can see why they’d have one. I
think I would’ve like one back in high school but geez, I think I’d be
so distracted! Cell phones are like when we all wanted a certain pair of
L.A. Hightops back in the day, our own phone line in our bedrooms when
we were young, or something. We have phones in the classroom and WE ALL
survived without cell phones when we were young! And, well, us teachers
have cell phones that we will use if need be in any emergency!

– Janet on July 4th, 2010

There
really is nothing wrong with not allowing her to have a cell phone or
FB page. She’s only 11 years old. I do believe cell phones are good for
kids who go out w/ friends. It’s a fast easy way for them to keep in
touch with you and for you to have easy access to them. But I do believe
in monitoring the use of the phone. I dont see why kids need FB pages
when they’re in school and pretty much can connect w/ their peers on a
daily basis. FB was created mostly for people to get back in touch with
people they haven’t seen or heard from. It’s a SOCIAL network. I know
people who communicate with their kids via FB while their kids are in
their bedrooms!! Pretty sad that we’ve tuned in so much to technology to
communicate that we’re forgetting how to communicate face to face!!
Keep it up Candace. You seem like a wonderful devoted mother!

– JMO on July 4th, 2010

Bertie,
up until the past 10 years kids and adults had to live without cell
phones. I agree with once a kid hits a certain age they should have one
especially once they begin going out with their friends without an adult
present and especially before they get a car. However, I think it is
nice to see a mom for a change saying no to a child and sticking with
her guns. My kids are too young to have cellphones (age 4 and 6) but I
remember my friend who has older children eventually gave in because
everyone had one. I guess around age 13 when indepence takes over is
when a kid needs a phone. Everyone has their own personal criteria to
when a phone is necessary but props to Candance for standing up for her
beliefs and not giving in!

– Lisa on July 4th, 2010

We
didn’t have cellphones growing up and the 8(4 sisters & 3 bros) and
of us survived. Our parents managed raise kids without having a cell or
email.

– jlove_taylor on July 4th, 2010

Sometimes
being too over-protective can back fire and make the kids resentful and
rebel. I understand though no cell phones and facebook ect right now.
Her children aren’t even teenagers yet.

– Stephanie on July 4th, 2010

i
think she is an excellent mother! every article that she does, comes
off that she truly cares for her children and their well being. bertie-
in another article it mentions that they do have an extra cell phone in
their house and if there is ever a time that it is needed, they will use
it!!!

– shirabee on July 4th, 2010

Love
her!! Her parenting style is very much the same as mine. My oldest girl
is 10 and she I have talked to her about sex already. I wanted to be
the first to explain things to her. She also knows not to talk about it
with ANYONE else at school, because thats their mom or dads job. Mine
aren’t allowed to wear revealing clothing, oh and they are not allowed
to put up the duece sign in photos or make that stupid pucker face…LOL


There is nothing wrong with protecting your child…its your job!
– Courtney on July 4th, 2010

i
agree its a good idea to try to protect our kids from electronic
devices. when my 20 year old daughter was in middle school i had the
parental locks on the internet limiting her time on it and what she
could do. i didnt want her to have a cell phone either, but she had to
call me everyday and let me know if she was staying after school to work
on homework and get help from her teacher and the office at her school
starting charging them $.25 for every call back then and started having a
fit with the line down the hall for kids to use the phone everyday. so i
had to cave in a get her a cell phone. i actually liked her having one
because i could always call her and check up on her and know where she
was and that she was ok. she loved her phone….but didnt like that i
could now call her all the time to ask her what she was doing! lol

– ss on July 4th, 2010

I’m
completely with her on FB, Twitter, and cell phones. Now, it’s one
thing if your kids are in after school activities on the cell phone
front. At a certain age, so be it, I see reason, but 11…eh.

– harley on July 4th, 2010

Love
it!! So nice to hear from a parent that sets boundaries and guidelines.
As a public school teacher, I see first hand the damage done to
children exposed to R-rated movies at a young age. It’s disturbing to
watch children act out scenes from the latest R-rated movie on the
playground….When I ask the parents about it, they just tell me “Oh, I
didn’t think they would really understand it. I really wanted to see the
movie and thought it would Ok to take them…..” Um, yeah. Right.
Excellent idea not to give her a cell phone. I do think kids can have
emergency cell phones (limited minutes, no texting, no photos, etc.) but
sadly, most kids at my school have no restrictions on their phones.
They have access to ANYTHING on the Internet through their phone (I
know–they tell me about the “naked people” they’ve seen). Better to be a
parent and protect our kids than try to be their “friend” and be sorry
later….

– Elisabeth on July 4th, 2010

Being overly protective guarantees a future overly rebellious teenager.
– Maria on July 4th, 2010

I applaud Candace! Instead of trying to be a “cool mom” she is a responsible parent. A lot of people could learn from her.
– Madi on July 4th, 2010

Personally,
I would get a cell phone. They don’t have it on them all the time, but
if they are going out with friends they can take that cell phone with
them. All the kids can share it, and only use it when they are going out
without family or another trusted adult.

– Allie on July 4th, 2010

wow,
she sounds a bit over the top. i can understand wanting to protect your
kids but i don’t know… i am still a firm believer in showing your kids
that you trust them and teaching them how to respect that trust. you
know, a kind of innocent until proven guilty idea rather than the other
way round. i always think it’s sad that parents have very little faith
in their own kids and their own parenting in fact, they don’t trust
their kids to be able to LEARN to do the right thing. instead they opt
for an all or nothing approach and ban or forbid things, when everyone
knows that forbidden fruit tastes sweeter. my five kids are very well
behaved and it’s mainly because we DO have clear ideas of discipline and
how we want them to behave but they are all backed up with reasons and
we are willing to trust our kids to make the right decision and if not,
to help them find the right decision.i just think it’s a healthier
relationship to have with your child. my parents never explicitly told
me i wasn’t allowed to drink (excessively), smoke, do drugs, break the
law, harm other people, be violent etc they just instilled morals in me
and tried to TEACH me right from wrong. and guess what? neither my
brother or i did any of those horrible things. to this day i try to
reason things through in my head based on what is the RIGHT thing to do,
rather than on the logic that something was forbidden therefore it is
bad….

– JM on July 4th, 2010

Everyone
says it is a good idea for kids to have a cell phone in case they get
into trouble, but really, most of us didn’t have them as children and we
all managed to get by! Good on Candace.

– Seraphina on July 4th, 2010

i
think that Candace is being a really good mom i didn’t want my children
have sell phones but i found it come quite in handy when you need to no
where ur children are.

– Sexy mommom on July 4th, 2010

In
that interview she also said that the family has an extra cell phone
that they’ll give to the kids when they are going somewhere without
their parents or someone Candace and Val might put in charge. Which I
think is a great idea, as opposed to actually giving them their own cell
phone. I always see kids who can’t be older than 12 texting away, or
talking about what text some friend sent them. A good family friend just
got her 10 year old daughter an iPhone… if the phone was actually just
for safety/emergency purposes, I don’t think they’d have bought her such
an expensive or high-tech phone.
Candace
always looks great and she has a beautiful family! I have to say I’ve
always admired how dedicated she is to just letting her kids be kids and
enjoy childhood, instead of treating them like mini-adults.

– alice jane on July 4th, 2010

instead of forbid the kids she should teach them use with limits…
– lila on July 4th, 2010

I
agree with her parenting style 100%. She is treating her children like
children,not like mini adults,which a lot of parents do.

– Angi on July 4th, 2010

Kudos
to Cameron for actually using parenting skills. I didn’t have kids to
let them run my home. I have taught my kids the basics including
treating people with respect, respecting their elders and using their
manners. My 16 yr old shares a cellphone with me and uses it if she is
out. My other 2 younger children know that they can’t have one until
their older and more responsible.I think too many parents either don’t
have the time or the drive that it takes to properly raise kids. Give
them whatever they want, whenever they want it. These same parents are
also the ones that wonder what went wrong later in life when they
realize that their kids are spoiled, disrespectful and self absorbed.

– NLMomma on July 4th, 2010

I’m
with Candace on both the computer and cellphone. Computers are good for
when you need to look stuff up (Google or Wikpedia) but other then
that, why do teens needs to use the computer? Cell phones, when kids are
old enough to pay for the usage themselves. Too many teens have phones
and rack up the bill, leaving their parents to pay for it.
Besides, Natasha’s friends have cell phones, she can use one of theirs if it’s an emergency.
– robinepowell on July 4th, 2010

Good
for Candace. At the age of 11, where are your children going
unsupervised. I made it through school without a cell phone. Cannot let
the inmates run the prison.

– J-Lin on July 4th, 2010

I
think it’s refreshing to hear about a parent actually more concerned
with parenting than trends or self-convenience. Good for her. I didn’t
have a cell phone until college and didn’t even know what the internet
was until my junior year of high school. I honestly think it would make a
huge difference if more parents were a little more open and honest
about sex.

– Rebecca on July 4th, 2010

I
get where she’s coming from, but on the other hand – if there’d have
been cell phones in the 80s and my parents would have demanded I keep it
on at all times, I wouldn’t have had all the fun I had! If I’d have
been forced to have a cell (which have tracking capabilities) and thus
tell my mom and dad the truth about where I was (lest dad show up to
drag me home, which he did once or twice anyway) – well, I wouldn’t have
a bunch of fun memories, but I probably wouldn’t have been in some of
the… interesting places I sometimes found myself.

– Erin on July 4th, 2010

I
didn’t have a cell phone until I went off to college. Kids don’t need
to be calling their friends 24/7. However, they do make cell phones with
parental controls that only allow the child to call specific numbers,
as set by the parents. If you need your child to have a phone, then this
is the kind they should be getting.

– Stef on July 4th, 2010

Candace is stunning in this photo! She seems to get more beautiful as the years go by.
– jenny on July 4th, 2010

It’s
true we didn’t have cells growing up and we managed just fine, but we
also had a ton of pay phones around if something happened, they’ve taken
most of those out now so my daughter will get one with limited calling
capabilities once she turns 14 or 15 and starts hanging out with friends
outside the home, like the mall or movies. I think Candace sounds like a
great Mom, too many kids are zoned into their phones or computers and
it drives me nuts!!

– jessicad on July 4th, 2010

I
admire Candace for sticking to her principles and trying to keep her
children sheltered as long as she can. It is really sad that we live in a
world now where children grow up way TOO fast and dont get to enjoy
just being a child. There will be plenty of time to give them cell
phones and internet, etc!!

– vicki on July 4th, 2010

I’ve been kind of creeped out by her parenting style ever since I read that she’s an advocate of Baby Wise.
– cecily on July 5th, 2010

I
didn’t get my first cell phone until I was 21. I am now 32. Personally,
I don’t see the need for kids to have a cell at such a young age. One
of my cousins has had one since she was 10. Candace is being very
responsible by not allowing her daughter to have a FB page or a cell
phone.

– Vanessa on July 5th, 2010

I
love Candace, her values and morals and her parenting style. The only
people I’ve encountered who have had an issue with her, dislike her or
feel she is “creepy” are those who won’t come right out and say that her
Christianity is what they have the problem with. She doesn’t just talk
the talk, she walks the walk and people are going to be persecuted for
sticking to their religious beliefs, Candace included…especially if they
are Christians.

– Mom2ThreeGram2Two on July 5th, 2010

I
agree with every thing she is saying but in the back of my mind that
mummy voice is singing ‘wait till shes a real teenager’ lol i have the
same views, mind you my children are 20 months and just turned 3 so i
have a while to go yet but the thoughts of mobiles and laptops and
facebook accounts is enough to tur this mama grey! I hope and i truly do
i am strong enough to say no to these things for the right reasons i.e
safety/too expensive /not needed rather than because i want to keep them
‘young’ in my eyes for longer. at the same time though i really hope i
can trust my kids t do the right thing …but then i suppose we all want
that too

– hayley on July 5th, 2010

“cannot let the inmates run the prison” oh. my. god.
– kai on July 5th, 2010

She’s
spot on! And no I dont believe for one second that being a protective
parent guarantees a rebellious teenager. It’s about time some parents
start to take back control and raise nice respectable people. When I go
out and about with my kids, all I see are disrespectful bratty kids, who
seem to be the ones in charge. I think we now live in a world of lazy
parents, people want kids but they dont want to have to actually raise
them.

– JessicaC on July 5th, 2010

I
agree to some point, my duaghter had a cell phone at 11, being a single
mom, she would be home after school alone until I got off work. I can
honestly say the only people she called, me, both sets of grandparents
and her dad. She let all of us know that she was there, in the house
safe and sound. As far as internet, I didn’t have to worry about that,
it was something that she wasn’t interested in. Give her Spongebob
Squarepants and she was set, until I got home for homework then dinner.
Just my 2 cents….

– attitude on July 5th, 2010

I
don’t even have a cell phone now and I am 32! My kids will not have
cell phones of their own. We will have a family cell phone to use in
emergencies (no texting). We also will have a computer in the family
room. They will not have their own facebook page, etc. My oldest
daughter’s friend (7 yr old) has 3 cell phones and a laptop computer
that is better than her mother’s. Kids are so spoiled these days!! What
happened to working for what you have? Cars, cell phones, computers, etc
are just given to kids!!

– Heather on July 5th, 2010

With
all the new studies coming out about kids’ health and overuse of cell
phones, Candace may be on to something here. Furthermore, if she does,
in fact, have an extra the kids take when away from their parents, I
think that’s sufficient to provide an emergency back up at those times.
As far as FB and Twitter… C’mon, what does an 11 year old need with
Twitter? Or FB, for that matter? They are in school most of the day,
seeing the same people whom they’ve “befriended” online. During the
summer, I’m sure these kids are involved in a bunch of activities –
hockey, soccer, gymnastics, what have you – again, with the people whom
they’ve “befriended” online. They have a home phone to use to call
friends and neighbors… So what’s the point of either of those things
RIGHT NOW? Given how Candace describes the sex conversation with her
kids, I’m sure she’ll have similar discussions about internet use with
them as well and will guide them through their use of FB (still wouldn’t
let ‘em on Twitter tho). I don’t think it’s a case of “distrust” but a
case of why let them get a taste of something that’s so useless and
time-consuming at the ages of *11*, *10* and *8*? I can’t imagine that
they’ll be kept offline for the duration of their time at home and most
likely they’ll get a set of rules and times they can use the technology
for fun rather than school work or research.

– Jen DC on July 5th, 2010

I
agree with her an eleven year olds life should be structured so that
there is no need for a cell phone. I got my first cell phone at 14 when I
began to travel home unsupervised after participating in
extracurricular activities at school. When I was a junior in h.s I got
addicted to the Internet and it consumed a lot of my time. Even with
restrictions on the computer. So from my experience I can definitely see
the benfits of what she’s doing as a parent.

– Electra on July 5th, 2010

I
still think the picture on Candace’s own twitter page is really weird. I
went there and looked at her page because I was interested to see what
she was saying and was I was like, huh? It’s just a strange outfit and
pose for her to be adopting with her kid in the picture. Her daughter
seems to be looking at her like “mom what are you doing, are you nuts?”
Just a little off.

– Rose on July 5th, 2010

I
had posted earlier, but I wanted to add to whoever said giving a cell
phone to a child for emergencies is an excuse. No its not…My 9,7 and 6
year old daughters walk home from school everyday. My oldest has a
prepaid phone that costs $15 a month to use if someone gets hurt or
something happens. It’s a great thing to have. Now, my daughter is not
allowed to call her friends on it or have her friends call her. It is
strickly an emergency phone. For the record, my husband and I share 1
prepaid phone…whoever is in the car driving gets it in case of car
trouble. That and AAA has been a wonderful for us..LOL

– Courtney on July 5th, 2010

Considering
that my aunt recently handed her entire Facebook page over to my
8-year-old cousin for her to use at all hours of the day and night (I’ve
caught her on there at 11:30 pm before), get into public fights via her
wall and statuses with her equally immature cousins on her other side
of the family, and not put her in any sort of camp or lessons for the
summer, I find Candace’s nurturing of her obviously extremely happy
children more refreshing than ever. I think she does a wonderful job of
being honest, realistic, and willing to compromise with her kids (such
as allowing them to watch her new show without the more mature dialogue
and giving them a cell for emergencies only) while still setting clear
boundaries that show she cares about them and their well-beeing. I love
reading about this family, and Candace seriously gets more gorgeous the
older she gets. Major kudos to her.

– Lauren on July 5th, 2010

my
cousin’s 9-year old daughter has a cellphone, as does her brother, and
it really is for emergencies. both kids have type 1 juvenile diabetes,
and after the daughter fell and broke her leg at recess, she immediately
got a cellphone. not only could she call her mom, but the teacher (who
knows about her condition and cellphone) could call my cousin
immediately.

– leslie gorga on July 5th, 2010

just out of curiosity, and TOTALLY unrelated to this article, is Candace Cameron Bure a devout Christian like her brother?
– leslie gorga on July 5th, 2010

Maria, that’s insane. My mom was protective over me and I’m not rebellious in the least! Up
until the time my oldest sister graduated high school (when she was a
senior, my other sister was a junior, and I was a freshman), I didn’t
have a cell phone. I either borrowed her phone because we were usually
after school at the same time, or borrowed a friend’s. I had no need for
it till then. Then, when she went to college, I got her phone, and she
got a new one, and it was still a year after that before I got texting.
(The other sister was way too irresponsible, and that’s why I got a
phone before her.) As long as parents stick to their beliefs and don’t
cave the second the kid starts begging, kids will make do. Seeing
7-year-olds walking around in miniskirts texting just freaks me out, to
be honest.

– Mallory on July 5th, 2010

Everyone
is saying “oh we didn’t have cell phones when we were young and we were
fine”, but you people DO realize they’re beginning to remove MOST pay
phones due to cell phone use? Pretty soon, there won’t be any. When my
daughter is a teenager and has friends and after school activities I’ll
get her a cell phone. When my daughter is younger, she can make phone
calls from her friends’ parents house…assuming they even have a home
phone at that time!

– Robyn on July 5th, 2010

who is this girl??
– Kay on July 5th, 2010

Way
to go Candace on limiting what your child does and does not have at age
11. I also have an 11 year old daughter. She constantly asks me about
getting a facebook account and a cell phone. We inform our child that
facebook is an absolute not, that it is mostly for adult use and when we
feel that she is mature enough and responsible enough, then she will
get one which will be a very long, long time for now. As far as cell
phones go, we grew up without them and we told our daughter that when
she gets a job at 16 and can pay for it herself, then she may get one.
What did we do without them as kids? She will get by and if she needs to
call us when with her friends…..she can use theirs!!!! We really don’t
care what everyone else has, we do things age appropriately with our
children and are definitely preparing them for the future when as adults
they see that it isn’t always possible to have what you want, only what
you can afford!

– MominMacomb on July 5th, 2010

I
was wary about getting my kids cell phones but with 5 kids & all
their activities they really do come in handy. To be able to get a call
when soccer practice gets rained out or dance rehearsal runs over saves
SO much time & gas for our family. I also like that my 13 DD can
keep it in her pocket & it is a tracking device…best thing until we
can put a chip in them! Teaching limits is key & most phone cos will
also let you limit texting & calls to certain numbers.

– KSmomX5 on July 5th, 2010

My
parents were never over-protective. They set limits, my sister and I
knew what they were. We never NEEDED to rebel. Hope everything works out
for Candace and family in the end and that her kids stay the path under
the watchful eye of an over-protective mother.

– B.J. on July 5th, 2010

On
my daughter’s cheerleading team’s she was/is the only one that didn’t
have a cell phone (ages 4 and up, yes there are truly 4 year olds here
that have cell phone – ridiculous but true) …. She’s about to be 10 and
we have discussed getting her one but with limits, it’s still not
decided yet but it’s certainly NOT because everyone else has one ….. I
believe in protecting your children but at the same time you have to
trust that you have done your job as a parent and raised them right.I
remember when I was her age I was wanting my own phone line in my room
and a beeper, which neither was ever handed to me I had to work to get
my own beeper at the age of 15 and never got my own phone line. So I
understand wanting something because everyone else has it or because
it’s cool to have it but unless you need it your not going to be getting
it. Period end of story.I love Candace! I always have …. I think she is
a terrific mother (from what we as fans have seen and hear) and she has
a beautiful family. I love seeing and hearing about this family

– Bancie1031 on July 5th, 2010

“There
really is nothing wrong with not allowing her to have a cell phone or
FB page. She’s only 11 years old.” 11 year olds don’t need to be on
Facebook. I miss the days when Facebook required a university email to
register and there weren’t underage children on there.

– Megan on July 5th, 2010

please delete my previous comment. I misread what the poster meant and didn’t see the word “not” originally. Sorry about that
– Megan on July 5th, 2010

You know, there are some days I wish *I* didn’t have a cell phone…
– Elizabeth on July 5th, 2010

Leslie, yes she is a born again Christian.
– Melanie on July 5th, 2010

My
daughter wanted a cell phone because her friends all had them so I told
her to use her friends’ cell phones and leave me alone. I mean she’s
either at school (where she can’t call), at home, with her friends who
have phones or at an activity with an adult who will invariably have a
phone. Basically she doesn’t need one but she WANTS one because it’s
cool like the Internet and wearing slut clothes, etc. Also, Maria, my
parents were trusting and taught me right without telling me what to do
and let me make my own mistakes AND I turned out like a whore. No parent
is perfect but let’s be honest people like my parents like the idea of
kids more than actually raising kids. T

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