I recommend reading this article My teenaged son still doesn’t have a smartphone. Here’s why. by Katherine Martinko in the Globe and Mail.
Martinko is a Canadian writer and author of Childhood Unplugged: Practical Advice to Get Kids Off Screens and Find Balance. When the author’s oldest son started Grade 10 in September, he would likely be the only kid in his high school without a smartphone.
The author has many reasons that her 3 sons are familiar with. The rules Martinko follows are recommended by US psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge. Twenge is a sought-after speaker on marketing across generations in the workplace, youth mental health and teens.
Dr. Twenge’s rules are outlined in her book 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World. Martinko’s sons know their mother is committed to following Twenge’s rules for her own teenage daughters.
Other parents express shock or horror, sometimes mixed with a twinge of envy.
Twenge’s two main pieces of advice to concerned parents:
1. No phones in the bedroom overnight
2. Delay phone ownership for as long as possible. Her own three teenage daughters cannot have smartphones until they have a driver’s license. Even then, they are not allowed any social media.
