Cheap SIM cards = a potential rise in text bullying?

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Cheap SIM cards = a potential rise in text bullying?

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#247326 16-Aug-2009 19:40

As everyone points out, there is a second unique number attached to the phone. Changing SIM cards does not make you unfindable.

This information is traceable.

It is also easy to block devices from the network - they already do this for phones that are stolen.

So, if kids are expecting to be able to switch sim cards and remain anonymous, they're in for a surprise.

As for requiring ID for purchase of a phone, why should they? You don't need to provide photo id to put a letter in the mail.

---
http://blog.jason.pollock.ca

slippers

193 posts

Master Geek

#247448 17-Aug-2009 07:32

Its not 2 Degrees's place to impose a text-bullying tax on users.

PaulBags

809 posts

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#247485 17-Aug-2009 09:15

Who said anything about a tax? Similar abusive txts from different numbers can be investigated to see if they're from the same IMEI number, then lock out the handset.

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#247493 17-Aug-2009 09:50

manta:
freitasm: I am with Niel. Disregard SMS and teach your kids that likfe can be mean sometimes. And to stand for themselves. And always talk to parents. They are supposed to be their best friends.

You can't disregard SMS any more than you can disregard the weather. Sadly, the kids who are bullied already know that life can be mean and they don't know how to stand up for themselves because they are usually different to the 'norm'. This is often because the parents are not doing their job of rearing their kids and socialising them - the parents are often the cause (directly or indirectly) of their kids being bullied.

Exactly my point. The parents are not doing their job. Parents are supposed to teach, direct and be friends. Often they are not. That's where problems start.

Ragnor

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#247499 17-Aug-2009 09:59

What next free oxygen causes increase in txt bullying?

Correlation is not the same thing as causation!

manta

249 posts

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#247807 17-Aug-2009 18:06

Freitsam: because the parents are not doing their job is not a good enough reason to tell the kids who are being bullied "that likfe can be mean sometimes. And to stand for themselves", that will not solve their problems.

What the weaker kids need is someone who empathises with them and can help them.

NZ has one of the highest suicide rates amongst its young in the world; we need to ask why.

tardtasticx

3075 posts

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#247814 17-Aug-2009 18:20

freitasm:
manta:
freitasm: I am with Niel. Disregard SMS and teach your kids that likfe can be mean sometimes. And to stand for themselves. And always talk to parents. They are supposed to be their best friends.

You can't disregard SMS any more than you can disregard the weather. Sadly, the kids who are bullied already know that life can be mean and they don't know how to stand up for themselves because they are usually different to the 'norm'. This is often because the parents are not doing their job of rearing their kids and socialising them - the parents are often the cause (directly or indirectly) of their kids being bullied.

Exactly my point. The parents are not doing their job. Parents are supposed to teach, direct and be friends. Often they are not. That's where problems start.

But it is sooooo easy now for parents to not know, I brought 144 condoms online a few weeks ago with my debit card, my parents dont know, gave majority of them away to mates, and their parents dont know. Also brought 2 2degrees sim cards, they dont know i have one yet. Now if you are warried its the parents fault... its not, the parents have no idea and they cant do anything untill they do, a child can trust their parents and give them the most respect they can, but they just wont tell them certain things for what ever reason they have. I do agree though about the parents teaching kids good morals and respect and the concequences of this kind of stuff, I was lucky to be tought this but lots of kids dont and get themselves in alot of trouble.

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manta

249 posts

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#247881 17-Aug-2009 19:59

Agree with what you say tardtasticx, your parents won't and shouldn't know everything but if they've done a good job of getting you to where you are now you will respect them - and be open and honest with them - and they should respect you, and your privacy.

I don't know how old you or your mates are but if they can't buy condoms for themselves then perhaps they shouldn't be doing the sort of thing they need them for, if not for their sakes then perhaps for their girlfriends' sakes, buying a condom in 2009 is surely no big deal? Why do you have to do this for them?

As for the SIM card, no reason for your parents to know about that; presumably if they're happy for you to have a debit card that you can use online they presumably trust you to use it sensibly. As long as you don't abuse their trust all is good. If you abuse their trust or take advantage of it in a way that you know they would not be happy with, well that's not so good.

tardtasticx

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#247886 17-Aug-2009 20:14

manta, the condom thing, was used as an example of how easy it is for me to get stuff like this (and i did really buy them, but only as a joke and my friends paid me back for their share also, lol), because its been long knowen that condoms are way worse to buy than a sim card, but if i can buy them in large amounts, then a sim card should be no prob and neither should a cheap phone, making bullying and missuse really easy to acheive, and like you said, my parents do trust me and i wouldnt betray that trust, but alot of kids my age (15) would, and alot dont have a conscience hence no regret betraying that trust and using it to their advantage to hurt others, in this case via txt bullying. And before someone asks why my parents let me get the card, I convinced them it would save money from petrol so I didnt have to drive to the mall every time I wanted an iTunes card, xbox live gold, MS points etc... and I wouldnt lie to them and use it for malicious stuff like porn as most of you prob thought by now. this is starting to head off track though, but like i said, alot of kids betray their parents trust and make it so much easier to do this kind of stuff (txt bullying). And like someone said earlier, they should make it compolsery to register the SIM online, phone or in store now, because its not just the txt bullying, the prepaid sims can be used to organise serious crimes and what not, so that would slow down the use of this system to bully and do criminal acts.

tomisbetterthanu

83 posts

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#247890 17-Aug-2009 20:23

I don't see what the fuss is with txt bullying. Neither my friends or I have ever had a problem with it, and if it did start I'd just ignore it.

Fossie

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#247978 18-Aug-2009 03:56

tomisbetterthanu: I don't see what the fuss is with txt bullying. Neither my friends or I have ever had a problem with it, and if it did start I'd just ignore it.

Egocentric much?

What sort of sad individual would go out and buy multiple sim cards just to text bully someone. But still, there is too much anonymity and not enough repercussions. Teach the 'bully' that it's just as bad to digitally bully someone as it bully in person, and teach the victum a good way to cope.

tardtasticx

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#248264 18-Aug-2009 17:31

Fossie:
tomisbetterthanu: I don't see what the fuss is with txt bullying. Neither my friends or I have ever had a problem with it, and if it did start I'd just ignore it.

Egocentric much?

What sort of sad individual would go out and buy multiple sim cards just to text bully someone. But still, there is too much anonymity and not enough repercussions. Teach the 'bully' that it's just as bad to digitally bully someone as it bully in person, and teach the victum a good way to cope.

There are deffenetly quite a few people out there who I know would buy a cheap SIM just to do that, its because they are soooo easy to get and throw away when the deed is done, they dont really care, you would be kind of smart to atleast get a new sim if you are going to do something like this, other wise you are just dumb to do it off your usual everyday one. And also today, I found a telecom XT sim on the path whilst walkign home from school, what do i do? I dont want to put it in my phone incase telecom blocks it or something, just a side note anyways, someone pm me plz on what to do

bjhoogs

183 posts

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#248317 18-Aug-2009 20:02

Cheap sim cards = a potentail rise in text bullying
Expensive sim cards = a potential barrier to switching networks

I don't believe that it is 2 degrees' responsibility to price sim cards in such a way as to minimise text bullying. Text bullying occured with $30 sim cards, so should telecom and vodafone be charging $500 per sim card to make them inaccessable to bullies?

tardtasticx: I found a telecom XT sim on the path whilst walkign home from school, what do i do? I dont want to put it in my phone incase telecom blocks it or something, just a side note anyways, someone pm me plz on what to do

I think if you need guidance you should discuss this and what your options are with your parents, geekzone is not here to raise you.

j/k

Return it to it's owner, which according to the sim is Telecom.

tardtasticx

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#248344 18-Aug-2009 20:52

bjhoogs: Cheap sim cards = a potentail rise in text bullying
Expensive sim cards = a potential barrier to switching networks

I don't believe that it is 2 degrees' responsibility to price sim cards in such a way as to minimise text bullying. Text bullying occured with $30 sim cards, so should telecom and vodafone be charging $500 per sim card to make them inaccessable to bullies?

tardtasticx: I found a telecom XT sim on the path whilst walkign home from school, what do i do? I dont want to put it in my phone incase telecom blocks it or something, just a side note anyways, someone pm me plz on what to do

I think if you need guidance you should discuss this and what your options are with your parents, geekzone is not here to raise you. j/k

Return it to it's owner, which according to the sim is Telecom.

aight, ill stop by a store in weekend, I did put it in my phone too to test if it worked and it did supprisingly even though the grass was wet most of the day, and had the little voicemail icon in the top, so someone must be missing this, I think maybe they lost the phone and someone threw out the sim, poor sod, I'd freak if I lost mine

. anyways continue with txt bullying topic, there are alot of things supporting this and alot doing the opposite, so its kind of hard to determin,

tomisbetterthanu

83 posts

Master Geek

#248392 18-Aug-2009 22:15

I'm not sure about other places, but in Christchurch schools most people in primary schools (that's about when txt bullying happens isn't it? I'm not sure :P)And every girl at high school I know are on the telecom CDMA network in which case if there's txt bullying now on 2degrees there is alot worse coming.
Unless it is stopped :)

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