89. Is Your Child Ready for a Phone? How and When to Know

<p><strong>Are they old enough? What about the psychological effects? Should I limit their internet access? Should I check their messages? Just because they have a phone should they have social media?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you have asked yourself or asked your spouse any of these questions, you probably have a kid in the house who reallyyy wants their own cell phone. Or maybe, you have young ones in the house but HOW and WHEN to bring screens into the picture could already be keeping you up at night.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It doesn’t matter where you are in your parenting journey, the screens/phone conversations are a big decision and it will probably look different for each family. We will be the first to say we are not professionals on this topic and you may have a different perspective on phones and young adults.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, we wanted to invite you in on the conversation we have been having in the Smith home and how we are personally navigating our oldest son getting his first iPhone. One thing we can all agree on is that the screens themselves are not the enemy. How your kids use the screen and how they interact with the internet is where it can get sticky.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode of the Family Brand Podcast, we want to share how we made the decision to let our 15-year-old get his own phone, how we are reaffirming his identity and teaching him how to avoid the “comparison game” online, how and what we are putting time-limits on apps and more.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What would you add to the conversation? We always want to hear your thoughts and how you are creating your own Family Brand. Reach out to us via the links below! While you are checking out those links, don’t miss the other</span> <strong>Phone and Phone Safety Resources</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">we have provided for this episode. Scroll down to see more!</span></p> <p><br /> <br /