A collection of resources for parents and caregivers about how to delay our kids' exposure to smartphones and social media — and why it is essential for us to do so
Catherine, this presentation (the YouTube watch and this written rundown) is one of the most insightful, comprehensive, and thoughtful presentations of info on this I've seen all year and I've been researching this a lot since spring 2023. THANK YOU!!!!! I've sent it to anyone who might listen/watch.
Thank you SO much, Denise -- that really means a lot. If you've come across any additional resources in your own research that you've found helpful, please let me know and I'll add them to the list!
Hi Catherine, I am so grateful for all of these resources and the time and energy you've poured into it. I am currently working with a small but growing group of parents to turn our small school district phone free and we're wanting to engage the community in the conversation to increase buy in and support, so your presentation could be the perfect addition to engage folks in the conversation! We've just begun engaging with YONDR and they seem to provide ample resources as well. Thank you for all you are doing to create a more sane and safe world!
Thank you so much for this, Maeanna -- and for the work you're doing! Feel free to share any of these resources (including the video) as widely as you'd like!
Thank you, Catherine! I have been a fan of yours since "How to Break Up with Your Phone." Among other things, I am currently part of a group working with our school district to educate and provide resources for families in an effort to reverse the trend towards younger kids getting smartphones/social media. I am also trying to bring together parents from my daughter's grade (6th) and feel a real sense of urgency right now. I am also hopeful and feel we are on the verge of a "course correction" as you put it. These resources are SO HELPFUL! I would like to screen your presentation for a group of parents. Thank you for making all of this available! We just hosted our 5th annual Westborough Unplugs screen-free week and there is so clearly a need for this work and support of parents so they don't feel alone. Between you, Jonathan Haidt, Jean Twenge, Dr. Murthy and others, we can make this happen!
Thanks, Kelley! Please feel free to share any and all of my resources (and the presentation) with as many people as you'd like! And thank YOU for the work that you're doing to protect our kids!
Catherine-This is such an important issue and your analysis of it is, of course, spot on. I hope this blog is the skeleton of your next book! This treatment deserves a WIDE audience; it can help alot of folks.
Brilliant post! One smartphone alternative that is not being discussed is the landline phone! We have one that my daughters use for calling relatives - it takes a sim but looks like an old school landline. Better than a brick phone that children will still use for texting because it teaches real life communication skills, something severely lacking in Gen z https://amzn.eu/d/9wcqG0I
Thank you immensely for this post, compilation of resources, and most importantly for the talk you gave at school.
The YouTube video is a treasure, and I'm going to find a time to watch this with my wife and daughter all together (even as we have already set major limits on her devices).
The pandemic really opened the floodgates for kids by necessity in terms of remote schooling, remote socialization, etc. It broadened and accelerated the social media/screen time crisis. Putting that back in the box has been difficult if not impossible.
I commend you on your bravery confronting this, both in the larger context of your work, and the smaller local context of your daughter's community (and therefore a major part of your own community). I would gladly have signed your pledge if our daughters were in the same class!
By way of confession, we just got our 13 yo daughter her first cell phone, but have it locked down to texting, calling, camera, and a little safari. She was the last girl in her class to have a phone. Plusses include her being more accepted into the tribe of girls now, and coordination with us regarding pick ups and transportation. Downsides include live texting thread dramas which have already corroded time spent with friends and led to some tears. Some of these text threads show the emotional immaturity of our kids and lead to meanness, miscommunication, and mayhem! Texting on the iPad was less intense and real time. Not sure we did the right thing overall, but hoping it gives her some more independence to walk around the city without her father worrying as much.
Again, thank you! Will be crossposting this to my readers very soon!!!
Destiny led me to this post. I found your Power of Fun book at my in-laws home and read it. Next to a Podcast interview, then to your podcast audio presentation and finally to joining the fun squad.
I've shared the presentation with two administrators at my children's school as well as our Cub Scout parents who are always eager to keep our kids outside and off their screens.
Be the change you want to see in the world, and in this case resist the changes happening. Instead be the force of joy and fun alternatives to *anti*social media (citing Jo Koy Live from Brooklyn comedy special).
Thank you Catherine for this worthwhile presentation. It's spreading.
Neil, thank you so much for this comment and for your support -- it means so much, and I'm absolutely thrilled to hear that you've shared the presentation. I'm feeling truly optimistic that things are changing, and the more of us there are taking action, the faster that change will come!
That sounds like an excellent guide! To further support parents and caregivers in navigating the complexities of kids using smartphones and social media, I highly recommend incorporating critical thinking worksheets https://wunderkiddy.com/category/critical-thinking into the mix. These worksheets can help children develop the skills to analyze and question the information they encounter online, fostering safer and more informed interactions with digital content. It's a great way to empower kids to make better decisions and understand the implications of their online activities.
Catherine, this is an amazing resource and I loved your presentation. There's a group of us across the nation working on bringing the Smartphone Free Childhood movement then went viral in the UK to the United States. Stay tuned!!!
With thanks to Ryan McCormick for flagging this, what a HUGE public service you have done here. I have bookmarked this post for future reference and to share with others. I also just finished watching the video presentation. It was STUPENDOUS. Thank you for your hard and good work, which will benefit us all.
Wonderful article. I would also add the Lightphone https://www.thelightphone.com/ to your resource list of smartphone alternatives. It is designed for adults who don't want to feel addicted to their phones, and it's an effective alternative for youth as well.
What an excellent and comprehensive presentation! I am presenting something in my MA town this evening on this topic but almost want to scrap mine and just group watch yours instead- well done!!
Catherine, this presentation (the YouTube watch and this written rundown) is one of the most insightful, comprehensive, and thoughtful presentations of info on this I've seen all year and I've been researching this a lot since spring 2023. THANK YOU!!!!! I've sent it to anyone who might listen/watch.
Thank you SO much, Denise -- that really means a lot. If you've come across any additional resources in your own research that you've found helpful, please let me know and I'll add them to the list!
Hi Catherine, I am so grateful for all of these resources and the time and energy you've poured into it. I am currently working with a small but growing group of parents to turn our small school district phone free and we're wanting to engage the community in the conversation to increase buy in and support, so your presentation could be the perfect addition to engage folks in the conversation! We've just begun engaging with YONDR and they seem to provide ample resources as well. Thank you for all you are doing to create a more sane and safe world!
Thank you so much for this, Maeanna -- and for the work you're doing! Feel free to share any of these resources (including the video) as widely as you'd like!
Thank you, Catherine! I have been a fan of yours since "How to Break Up with Your Phone." Among other things, I am currently part of a group working with our school district to educate and provide resources for families in an effort to reverse the trend towards younger kids getting smartphones/social media. I am also trying to bring together parents from my daughter's grade (6th) and feel a real sense of urgency right now. I am also hopeful and feel we are on the verge of a "course correction" as you put it. These resources are SO HELPFUL! I would like to screen your presentation for a group of parents. Thank you for making all of this available! We just hosted our 5th annual Westborough Unplugs screen-free week and there is so clearly a need for this work and support of parents so they don't feel alone. Between you, Jonathan Haidt, Jean Twenge, Dr. Murthy and others, we can make this happen!
Thanks, Kelley! Please feel free to share any and all of my resources (and the presentation) with as many people as you'd like! And thank YOU for the work that you're doing to protect our kids!
This is great information!
Catherine-This is such an important issue and your analysis of it is, of course, spot on. I hope this blog is the skeleton of your next book! This treatment deserves a WIDE audience; it can help alot of folks.
Brilliant post! One smartphone alternative that is not being discussed is the landline phone! We have one that my daughters use for calling relatives - it takes a sim but looks like an old school landline. Better than a brick phone that children will still use for texting because it teaches real life communication skills, something severely lacking in Gen z https://amzn.eu/d/9wcqG0I
Thank you immensely for this post, compilation of resources, and most importantly for the talk you gave at school.
The YouTube video is a treasure, and I'm going to find a time to watch this with my wife and daughter all together (even as we have already set major limits on her devices).
The pandemic really opened the floodgates for kids by necessity in terms of remote schooling, remote socialization, etc. It broadened and accelerated the social media/screen time crisis. Putting that back in the box has been difficult if not impossible.
I commend you on your bravery confronting this, both in the larger context of your work, and the smaller local context of your daughter's community (and therefore a major part of your own community). I would gladly have signed your pledge if our daughters were in the same class!
By way of confession, we just got our 13 yo daughter her first cell phone, but have it locked down to texting, calling, camera, and a little safari. She was the last girl in her class to have a phone. Plusses include her being more accepted into the tribe of girls now, and coordination with us regarding pick ups and transportation. Downsides include live texting thread dramas which have already corroded time spent with friends and led to some tears. Some of these text threads show the emotional immaturity of our kids and lead to meanness, miscommunication, and mayhem! Texting on the iPad was less intense and real time. Not sure we did the right thing overall, but hoping it gives her some more independence to walk around the city without her father worrying as much.
Again, thank you! Will be crossposting this to my readers very soon!!!
Excellent talk, thank you so much for sharing! I am passing on to other parents as well.
THANK YOU! This is so helpful, so generous, so involved. I will be sharing this with so many others.
Thank you, Hannah! Please do!
Destiny led me to this post. I found your Power of Fun book at my in-laws home and read it. Next to a Podcast interview, then to your podcast audio presentation and finally to joining the fun squad.
I've shared the presentation with two administrators at my children's school as well as our Cub Scout parents who are always eager to keep our kids outside and off their screens.
Be the change you want to see in the world, and in this case resist the changes happening. Instead be the force of joy and fun alternatives to *anti*social media (citing Jo Koy Live from Brooklyn comedy special).
Thank you Catherine for this worthwhile presentation. It's spreading.
Neil
Neil, thank you so much for this comment and for your support -- it means so much, and I'm absolutely thrilled to hear that you've shared the presentation. I'm feeling truly optimistic that things are changing, and the more of us there are taking action, the faster that change will come!
That sounds like an excellent guide! To further support parents and caregivers in navigating the complexities of kids using smartphones and social media, I highly recommend incorporating critical thinking worksheets https://wunderkiddy.com/category/critical-thinking into the mix. These worksheets can help children develop the skills to analyze and question the information they encounter online, fostering safer and more informed interactions with digital content. It's a great way to empower kids to make better decisions and understand the implications of their online activities.
Catherine, this is an amazing resource and I loved your presentation. There's a group of us across the nation working on bringing the Smartphone Free Childhood movement then went viral in the UK to the United States. Stay tuned!!!
That's great news! Keep me posted!!
Thanks so much for this.
With thanks to Ryan McCormick for flagging this, what a HUGE public service you have done here. I have bookmarked this post for future reference and to share with others. I also just finished watching the video presentation. It was STUPENDOUS. Thank you for your hard and good work, which will benefit us all.
Susan, your comment just brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.
Wonderful article. I would also add the Lightphone https://www.thelightphone.com/ to your resource list of smartphone alternatives. It is designed for adults who don't want to feel addicted to their phones, and it's an effective alternative for youth as well.
What an excellent and comprehensive presentation! I am presenting something in my MA town this evening on this topic but almost want to scrap mine and just group watch yours instead- well done!!