Most people think of their cell phone strictly in the context of communications, entertainment, or convenience. And while it’s absolutely true that those features have driven the meteoric growth in phone use, they are also not the only benefits of a cell phone–or even the most important.
Now that phones are so ubiquitous, they have become a sort of de facto security device, providing all kinds of techniques for protecting ourselves and our kids. With such an important role to play in our lives, our phones have made protection for our iPhone Xs as essential for safety as a lockbox for deeds and important documents. Think about some of the ways that phones provide these important functions for us.
Protecting Our Kids
Many parents still hesitate to give phones to their kids, with the idea that they might be contacted by people who shouldn’t contact them, or that they might get involved in illegal activities. Those elements are certainly in play, but technology has now reached a point where our kids’ phones can protect them more consistently than we can. There are many apps available to keep up with where our kids are and what communications they are involved in.
While some parents may feel these apps represent an unfair intrusion into their kids’ lives, they are as much a deterrent as they are an enforcement. Kids won’t do what they shouldn’t do when they know their parents will find out.
Handling Crisis
Dialing 911 isn’t the only way your phone can look out for your safety. Thanks to the development of features like Safety Check, Facebook’s check-in system, we can now take steps to let all our contacts know that we are safe when hurricanes, terrorist attacks, or other dangerous events take place.
During these events, voice lines can be damaged or get overloaded, making it impossible for loved ones to reach us. If we can get through to one, there may be dozens of others who are still unaware of our status. With Safety Check and tools like it, as long as we can get just a moment’s coverage on WiFi or data, we can transmit that “safe” message and ease everyone’s worries.
Protecting Our HealthÂ
Not every threat is as immediate as a kidnapping or a storm surge. Sometimes we can endanger ourselves over a period of years with bad health habits. One of the most important things we have to do to address our health is to be consistent, and that’s where many of us fall short on diet, exercise, and attention to chronic conditions.
Fortunately, there are many apps available to help with those things. There are pedometer apps, dieting apps, tools for tracking medication schedules, and all sorts of other options for staying as vigilant with our health as we are with our text messages and social media accounts. These health apps track data over time, send notifications to remind us to do certain things, and much more.
Our phones can provide us with music, games, funny cat videos, and everything in between. In the middle of all that productivity, though, we sometimes miss the important functions it can provide that could save our lives or the lives of people we love. It’s essential that we protect these lifesaving devices with the same vigilance that gets us to lock our doors and wear our seat belts because our phones can sometimes be the only link between us and safety.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
