Know Your Phone: Vital parenting information from Eyewitness News

The cell phone has grown into a must-have accessory for teenagers. Calling and texting, they can keep up with school gossip and weekend plans. A recent Disney Mobile survey found almost 100% of the kids they talked to used their cell to get in touch with mom or dad, every day. This is one gadget many parents have opted for, for it's convenient safety factor. So know what you're buying before you sign a contract. Look for low or no cost plans for the whole family.

Paul Owens, nTelos Wireless
A popular thing is to have is mobile to mobile. Kids, parents, anyone with the same company phone number will allow them to contact each other at no extra cost.

Check out free minutes and set goals when they can use their minutes, saving up for unlimited times. And ask if customer service will give you alerts if text messaging gets out of control.

Paul Owens, nTelos
If you have a teen who is really fast with their hands you have to get unlimited text messaging. Which most companies offer for a fairly cheap price.

Your generation gap may be showing when you see the abbreviations and symbols your teen is using to text message.

Paul Owens, nTelos
You can go on line and find out all the different short cuts and at Ntelos we have a guide.

You'll need any guide you can find as you decipher this new lingo. Many web sites offer acronym lists. So you can keep tabs on what's happening when you hear those personalized ring-tones sound off.

Also the "cool" factor is a big factor sales associates work on for families. Teens want the coolest, newest phones. So check before you buy. Your teenager may already have a style picked out, which will save you time when you hit the stores.