How do smartphones affect childhood? When should I give my kid(s) their own smartphone?
Page: Smartphones
Experts recommend no smartphones until at least age 14-16
Tech executives don’t let their own kids have smartphones and social media- because they know the truth: how dangerous and harmful they are.
Join a growing group of Fort Bend parents (and 155,000 parents nationwide) when you sign the free pledge at www.WaitUntil8th.org to delay smartphones til after 8th grade.
Smartphone Advice from Officer Gomez
"No, Smartphones Are NOT for Safety!
After years in law enforcement, I’ve heard every reason parents give for handing a smartphone to a 10-year-old.
The most common one?
“My child needs it for safety.”
Let’s be honest.
For the tiny chance your child might need to call you after school, you’re also giving them access to:
• Thousands of local predators
• Unlimited pornography
• Sextortion criminals
• Human traffickers
• Drug dealers
• Scammers
• Cyberbullies
• Explicit content algorithms designed to keep them scrolling
That’s not increasing safety.
That’s opening the front door to dangers most parents never see coming.
As a police officer, I rarely deal with children who were harmed because they didn’t have a smartphone.
I regularly deal with children who were harmed because they did.
If your child is home alone after school and needs a way to contact you, there are far safer options than handing them a device with unrestricted access to the internet.
Consider:
• Alexa Calling
• A hardwired home phone
• Gabb Wireless
• Bark Phone
• Gizmo Watch
• Wisephone
• Troomi
• Garmin Bounce
• Cosmo Watch
• Xplora Watch
• Pinwheel Phone
• Light Phone
• Or even… no phone at all
A smartphone is not a safety device.
It’s a portal to the entire internet.
If you want to give your child a smartphone before age 13, that’s your decision as a parent. But let’s stop pretending it’s because of safety.
The safety argument doesn’t survive contact with reality.
Happy Parenting,
But my kid already has a smartphone. What can I do?
It’s never too late to turn things around.
How to make smartphones safer:
Keep phones (and screens period) out of bedrooms - Every expert agrees on this
Remove the internet browser - You can do this in parental controls
Pause and remove social media
Disable your child’s App Store access to avoid problematic apps
Consider switching to a
smartwatch or basic phone
Delaying smartphones is easier when done in a group! Spread the word at your school or among your friends
Start the conversation with a friend or two
Use this email as a template, and send it to other parents -- or you can ask your school principal to email it to all parents in your entire school
https://www.familyitguy.com/assets/downloads/wait-until-8th-letter-template.html
If you'd like help spreading the word about delaying smartphones at your school, reach out to waituntil8thHTX@gmail.com
Further Reading
Books:
The Digital Delusion, by Jared Cooney Horvath
The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World, by Jean Twenge
The Tech Exit, by Clare Morell
Books for Kids/Teens:
The Amazing Generation, by Jonathan Haidt & Catherine Price
Substacks/Blogs: