The Better Behavior Show with Dr. Nicole Beurkens

Episode 182 Q&A: What Are The Pros And Cons to Consider When Buying Your Child Their First Smartphone?

Dec 20, 2021

27:25

This weeks question is from Priscilla,

“I have two daughters, ages 9 and 12, and both are begging to get an iPhone for Christmas this year. My husband and I have somewhat different opinions on this. I'm less comfortable with it than he is. I know there are lots of concerns with kids having their own phones, and honestly, it just feels like one more major thing that's going to be left for me to manage. I'm wondering your opinion on smartphones for kids and when is the right age to get them.”

In this episode, I will address age-appropriate smartphones. At some point, all parents will have to deal with deciding when it is appropriate to buy a smartphone for their child. Although there are no hard and fast rules for when it is appropriate, there are many things to consider. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of smartphones, criteria, and questions to help you decide when your child may be developmentally ready to handle the responsibilities of a phone, and once that is decided, how to set expectations, boundaries, and monitoring of the devices.

You can submit a question by emailing us at support@drbeurkens.com with the subject line "Podcast Question."

Episode Timestamps:

Episode Intro … 00:00:30

Listener’s Question … 00:00:48

Benefits of Smartphones for Kids … 00:02:27

Negative Sides of Smartphones for Kids … 00:04:25

Age Appropriate Time for a Smartphone … 00:08:05

Checklist for Assessing Readiness of Your Child … 00:09:55

Developing Guidelines for Smartphone Usage … 00:19:50

Nighttime Rules for Phone Usage … 00:20:07

Being Open with Monitoring Apps and Expectations … 00:22:38

Better Behavior in a Digital World Workshop & Episode Wrap up… 00:24:57