SPEAKER 1 AFFIRMATIVE

Good afternoon the honorable adjudicator, ms. Chairman, ms. Time keeper, ladies, and
gentlemen. I am…. as the first speaker of the affirmative team. We have a very good motion
today. The motion today is every child should have a mobile phone.

Mobile phones were first invented in 1973 and have been available for anyone to buy since 1983.
But it was not until the 1990s that most people began owning mobiles. Today there are six billion
mobile phone subscriptions. Even in many parts of Africa a majority of people have one. In the
United Kingdom more than 70% of children aged five to sixteen own a mobile phone. In the
United States 83% of middle schoolers have a mobile phone and the age at which children first
get a mobile is going down.

Mobile phones are safe for children to use – we should ignore scare stories in the media.
The lates

Mobile phones are safe for children to use – we should ignore scare stories in the media. The
latest research says that mobile phones do not damage brain cells. Even those earlier studies that
suggested there might be a problem thought that people would have to use a cell phone for hours
a day for there to be an effect. It is true that there is no 100% proof mobile phones are safe to
use, but that is true of any scientific study.

Mobile phones keep children safer, as it is easier for parents to stay in touch with their
children

Mobile phones keep children safer, as it is easier for parents to stay in touch with their children.
Through calls and texts, parents can know where their child is and be reassured that he or she is
safe. And in an emergency, young people can summon help quickly.Yes, some children carrying
phones have been robbed, but thieves are always after something new. Phones now are both
much more widespread and security coded, so there is little point in stealing them. If security is
your concern, ban the latest personal MP3 and DVD players instead. Traffic accidents should be
blamed on bad safety education rather than phones.

That’s all about my argument, I return back the time to moderator

SPEAKER 1 NEGATIVE

Good afternoon the honorable adjudicator, ms. Chairman, ms. Time keeper, ladies, and
gentlemen. I am…. as the first speaker of the negative team.

There are possible long-term health risks from using mobile phones. Some research suggests that
the radio waves from mobile phones may harm people’s brains. Because children’s brains are
still developing, any possible damage to them is even more worrying than for adults. It is true
there is no total scientific proof about this, but it is better to play safe than take risks – the
precautionary principle. Until science can prove mobile phones are completely safe for young
people to use, they should not be allowed to have them.

Mobile phones make children less safe. Firstly they are carrying an expensive fashion item that
makes them a target for criminals. Millions of people are robbed of cell phones every year,
sometimes with violence. Secondly, many children spend so much time talking on the phone or
texting that they are less aware of what is going on around them. Each year young people get run
over crossing the street because their attention was on their phone conversation, not the traffic.

There are possible safety concerns

When mobile phones first came out there was a lot of worry about the possible effect on
children’s health. We now know there is little risk. But the advice from health experts is still that
children should avoid too much use of mobiles. Experts still worry that the use of mobiles could
be linked with behavioural problems in children, this can mean problems such as being
disruptive or having difficulty sleeping.

That’s all about my argument, I return back the time to moderator

SPEAKER 2 AFFIRMATIVE

Good afternoon the honorable adjudicator, ms. Chairman, ms. Time keeper, ladies, and
gentlemen. I am…. as the second speaker of the affirmative team.

No research has shown health risks. The advice is only because we do not yet know the long
term results. As studies continue for longer this final worry will also be ended. Mobile phones
mean we are never out of contact with our friends, parents, guardians, or if necessary our school.
They provide a way we can quickly contact someone if we are in trouble or are lost. Mobiles are
most clearly helpful if caught in a large scale disaster such as a flood or earthquake as we can tell
rescuers where we are. But they are also helpful for every day security. With a mobile phone
parents know where we are and can be quickly contacted if we feel unsafe somewhere.

Children will always pressure their parents to have the latest thing; phones are only one
example of

Children will always pressure their parents to have the latest thing; phones are only one example
of this. Parents can always say “no” or set limits on what they can spend. With modern payment
plans children can be given a set amount of credit for calls and texts. Learning to work within
financial limits is an important part of growing up. In any case, many young people have part-
time jobs so they are spending their own money, not their parents.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is now a normal part of modern life,
used by everyone

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is now a normal part of modern life, used by
everyone from toddlers to pensioners. So children need to grow up making use of technology
such as mobile phones if they are to take their place in society. Such use fits them for the modern
workplace with its need for tech-savvy employees with communication skills and the ability to
work flexibly. In any case, children often have better phone manners than adults – they are less
likely to shout into the phone, more likely to text discreetly, and more aware of text and phone
etiquette.

That’s all about my argument, I return back the time to moderator

SPEAKER 2 NEGATIVE

Good afternoon the honorable adjudicator, ms. Chairman, ms. Time keeper, ladies, and
gentlemen. I am…. as the second speaker of the negative team.

Mobile phones are too expensive for children. Even if basic models are cheap to buy, calls are
expensive and charges soon mount up. Many young people run up big bills their parents have to
pay. A few rich families might be able to afford this, but for many parents the hours their kids
spend on their cell phones are an uncontrolled expense they cannot cope with. Others are under
peer pressure to get the newest, most stylish phone with all the latest gadgets. Banning children
from carrying cell phones would take away these problems from ordinary financially-stretched
families.

Mobile phones are a distraction from the real world, preventing children from interacting with
those around them. Constant talking, texting, and games playing take the place of proper
socialising. Young people grow up without good manners, unable to relate to those around them
in a normal way. They also become fat and lazy, as phone use crowds out healthy activity such
as sport or playground games.

Mobile phones distracting

Mobile phones can easily distract us. They can be a particular problem in schools where they
discourage us and those around us from working. Using a mobile phone while doing a piece of
work will reduce your concentration making it more likely you will make mistakes. Mobile
phones, like video games, are also a distraction from doing other things. We don’t just use
phones for communication but also for games. Most young people spend well over an hour on
their mobiles. As a result there is much less time for other activities.

That’s all about my argument, I return back the time to moderator

SPEAKER 3 AFFIRMATIVE

Good afternoon the honorable adjudicator, ms. Chairman, ms. Time keeper, ladies, and
gentlemen. I am…. as the third speaker of the affirmative team.

Mobiles are not always a distraction. Research has shown that when allowed the use of mobile
phones in school children do get better results. This is because it can increase motivation to
work. For example, phones can be used to set reminders to do homework.

Mobile phones are now a valuable part of student life. Because parents feel their children
are safe

Mobile phones are now a valuable part of student life. Because parents feel their children are
safer carrying a phone, they are more likely to allow them to travel to school on their own rather
then driving them. This promotes greater independence for the children, while taking traffic off
the roads which is environmentally-friendly. Like many other things (girls! boys! the view out of
the window!) mobiles can be distracting in class but this doesn’t mean they should be banned.
Many schools allow phones to be carried providing they are turned off in lesson.

Anything can be abused, including pencils and paper. New technology always carries some
risks but

Anything can be abused, including pencils and paper. New technology always carries some risks
but we should not be rushed into panic measures. Children got hold of pornography, gambled
and bullied each other long before mobile phones were invented. These problems won’t go away
if we ban phone use – they can only be dealt with through good parenting and moral education.
In the meantime, parents can get phones which block inappropriate content, and ensure their
children do not have credit cards to pay for it.

That’s all about my argument, I return back the time to moderator

SPEAKER 3 NEGATIVE

Good afternoon the honorable adjudicator, ms. Chairman, ms. Time keeper, ladies, and
gentlemen. I am…. as the third speaker of the negative team.

Mobile phones are inappropriate in schools. They take students’ attention away from their
lessons and undermine discipline. Rules about having them turned off in lessons are impossible
to enforce – students just put them in silent mode and secretly text or play games in the back of
the class. There have been many cases of students using mobiles to cheat in tests, and some of
students recording embarrassing footage of their teachers to post on the internet. Schools are for
learning and anything which gets in the way of that should be banned.

Mobile phones are open to abuse, offering activities which are very inappropriate for children.
The ability of modern phones to display graphics has led to the rise of mobile pornography,
gambling and even cyber-bullying. Most parents restrict their children’s television viewing and
computer use, but it is much harder for them to monitor mobile phone use. Given this, it is best
that children are not allowed to own them.

We should not be encouraging interest in material things

Mobile phones are a part of a desire to keep up with fashion and friends. We all want the biggest
and the best. Mobile phone companies know this and regularly bring out flashy new models that
are immediately the one everyone must have. The more children have mobiles the more are
caught up in this fashion. Our compulsion to want new things all the time is not good for us.
Mobile phones, as with many other electronics, are damaging to the environment. Since we buy
them and often dispose of the phone only a couple of years later they pile up in gigantic rubbish
dumps. Mobile phones are clearly a luxury not something that everyone should have, and we
certainly should not keep buying new ones.

That’s all about my argument, I return back the time to moderator