Parents commonly struggle over the decision to give their child a smartphone, and for good reason. With a phone comes wide access to the internet, social media, apps, games, and communication with friends. For the first time, your child will have these capabilities in their pocket, without you watching over and taking the screen away if it goes awry. It’s easy for kids to get into unhealthy screen time patterns once they have more access and less supervision. That’s why it’s so important to have a plan to ensure your child learns to be safe and responsible with their phone and a set of criteria for deciding if your child is ready
Are YOU ready for your child to have a phone?
Remember, once your child gets used to the freedom and opportunities that come with their own device, it is very hard to dial it back. For this reason, it’s important to set up a screen time plan effectively from the start.
Is your child ready for a smartphone?
Once you are clear about your rules, step back, and assess if your child is ready for a smartphone. When I ask parents how they will decide when to give their child a smartphone, I hear a wide range of answers: “When they are 13”, “When they get an A in math”, “I’ll wait as long as I can!”. I get it. Parents are confused and are taking their best guess at how to set this up. They have been missing a clear way to assess if their child is ready for a device because no one has defined what a child needs to be able to do in order to manage their device responsibly and safely.
Below is a set of key questions that will help you determine whether your child is ready for a phone based on their readiness to manage their device in a healthy way:
Getting a smartphone is a big responsibility - you want to make sure you and your child are prepared for this big step. If you need some extra help setting this up effectively and/or teaching your child the skills needed for healthy and responsible screen time, we invite you to learn more about our program. We got you covered!
Sign up for our newsletter to get healthy screen time insights and tips from clinical psychologist, Dr. Demi Rhine.
About Beyond Limits Academy
Beyond Limits is a simple step-by-step online program that teaches parents how to prepare their children for a lifetime of safe and healthy technology use. Going beyond just screen time limits, our skills-based approach provides a clear roadmap that reduces conflict and sets children up to manage their own tech use independently and responsibly. In an increasingly digital world, preparing our children to use technology wisely is no longer an option . . . it's a necessity.
End the constant screen time battles. Join the movement here.
Get first dibs when our new preteen course launches this Spring. We'll email you as soon as it's open for registration. Let's solve screen time!