Smartphone Too Soon

Parents, at what age should be put a smartphone in the hands of our kids? I get asked this question all the time. Typically, parents who hold out on smartphones for their kids begin to feel great pressure to cave. Most times, the pressure comes from their own kids, who beg and plead, saying that they’re the last kid their age on the face of the earth to get a smartphone. But the good news is that I’m now encountering more and more parents who are wisely evaluating how smartphones change young lives. Many are opting to hold out on giving their kids a phone. In a recent article in the Atlantic, one of these moms, Sarah Weeldryer, shared these words: “I believe that a smartphone too accessible, given too early, and in the wrong hands is at best an addictive distraction and at worst a handheld siphon draining away children’s youth one beep, one swipe, and one notification at a time.” That’s good advice. Parents, exercise digital wisdom. Don’t give your kids too much technology too soon.