On Christmas Day, 13-year-old Gregory Hofmann got something he craved — an iPhone 5. The next day, he got the contract. Not the one that got him his phone’s data plan — mom and dad are footing that bill — but a pact that tells him how he can and cannot use the phone.
Janell Burley Hofmann honored her son’s “maturity and growth” with his first iPhone, but it came with strings attached. Eighteen strings, to be exact, in a written code of conduct.
The contract strictly lists 18 rules on how her son must properly utilize the iPhone. Also, the mother stated that she will confiscate the iPhone if he fails to comply with her rules.
Photo: Bloomberg
照片：彭博社
Among the rules, ”Do not text, e-mail, or say anything through this device you would not say in person” and “Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad.’ Not ever.”
Hofmann posted the code of conduct on her blog, and it soon went viral.
“Oh my God. My first reaction was, why? Why did she really have to do this?” Greg Hofmann told Good Morning America.
“What I wanted to do and show him was how you could be a responsible user of technology without abusing it, without becoming addicted,” Janell Hofmann said.
(Liberty Times)
耶誕節那天，十三歲的克雷葛里．霍夫曼獲得他渴望的東西：一支iPhone 5手機。次日，他拿到合約，不是讓他手機上網的資費方案合約—這部份費用由他爸媽買單，而是一份告訴他用這支手機能做什麼、不能做什麼的約定。
珍妮．柏里．霍夫曼送給兒子他人生第一支iPhone，以獎勵他的「成熟與成長」，但是這份禮物有附帶條件。精確地說，是十八個條件，寫在一份使用守則中。
這份合約明白列出她兒子須如何適當使用這支手機的種種規定，而且，這位媽媽還說，若他違反這些規定，她就會沒收這支iPhone。
這些規定包括：「不要透過這支手機傳送簡訊、電子郵件或者任何你當著人面不會說的話」，以及「若來電顯示爸或媽，不要不接，絕對不要。」
霍夫曼把這份使用守則貼到她的部落格上，立刻在網路上瘋傳。
「我的天啊。我的第一個反應是，為什麼？她一定要這樣嗎？」克雷格向「早安美國」節目說。
珍妮．霍夫曼說，「我是要告訴他，怎樣當個負責任的科技使用者而不濫用、上癮」。
（自由時報／翻譯：管淑平）
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