Credit Cards And Teens
Looking at the rising debt with teen spenders makes us want to take a look at accurate statistics to really see what’s going on here. Statistics show that, teen debt is almost as high as adult debt and looks almost identical. Teen credit card spending records indicate that they have a pretty stellar balance on their credit cards. We wonder why since most teens have limited income means to pay the balances off in full.
These teen credit card debt statistics give a strong and alarming picture of how teens understand the use of credit; and the irresponsible habits they are forming with regards to credit. As such, it is imperative that we learn how to better educate teens in the proper use of credit cards, and help lower the number of teens carrying large balances on their credit cards.
How Should We Achieve The Lowering Of Teen Credit Card Debt?
Before handing teens a credit card, parents should think about whether their teen child has finance managerial skills. Obviously, teens who are trained about saving, have good spending habits and refrain from impulse buying, are better financial managers than those who are not. These lessons will stay with them through their teens and even their adult life. If the child did not get enough training, the parent should start tutoring the child about credit cards and the dangers of a poor credit rating and credit score before handing them a credit card, not after. Unfortunately in today’s world, parents are not guaranteed that training their teenagers will stop them from acquiring bad credit card habits. Monitoring needs to be put in place too, at least until their teens good credit usage patterns have been established, and trust has been built in this area.
Teens must understand the real value of money. They should understand how much money costs in terms of person-hours and labor to receive it, and its appropriate use. They need to have extensive monetary and financial knowledge. A parent can for instance, ask their teenage child to maintain records on his pocket money expenditures. Alternatively, they can enroll them in money management courses at appropriate age levels.
Next, open a bank account for the teenage child and teach him the basic aspects of managing the account. Let them learn about getting into debt and what bad debt is. If you are satisfied with the way they manage their bank account, debit cards could be a next step for them. They are much easier to handle than credit cards.
Once your teens prove they are at ease working at handling the bank transactions thru debit cards, the parent could consider getting their teen a pre-paid credit card. This type of card limits the amount of debt that they can accrue within a specific time. For example, the card could have a limit of $300, or an amount that the parent knows the teenager needs during a particular period of time. With the limit credit cards, you can teach the teens how to use their credit cards appropriately without undo worry.
Finally, parents should realize that ensuring that teens learn the best financial practices is a continuous systematic process. If a process is followed, we can reduce and start eliminating the bad credit statistics that have surfaced in teen credit related reports. Teenagers should always be encouraged to learn more about responsible money management. It is only by proper planning and education that they can refrain from acquiring bad credit ratings and credit scores.
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