Reply to Raising your kids screen-free (or minimal screens) -- experience from parents with older kids?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The issue of socializing aside, what evidence do those of you who give your 12-year-olds smartphones have for advantaging them “when they get to college” over kids who get smartphones at 14, or 16?

I started giving my kid an allowance at 4, but in retrospect, she wasn’t developmentally able to start to learn how to manage her money until she was more like 6– but even 8 or 10 probably would have been more than fine. I believe in the power of allowance to help her understand money, but there is going to be zero difference between her and someone who didn’t get an allowance until 8 or something. There probably IS a difference between a kid who got an allowance before 10 and one who never had any of her own money to manage, or who got an allowance only by 14 or 16. But the point is— while I agree a kid should get some experience with a smartphone or whatever before 18, there is no evidence that It advantages them to get one at 11 vs 15 or whatever. More isn’t always better, and we do have evidence to suggest that younger kids suffer some DISadvantages when using smartphones, which are gamified, designed to be addictive, portals to a very wide world, etc.[/quote]

That many more years of use under strict parental controls.  Can I cite a study?  Of course not, doubt anyone has financed a study to look into the question you are describing.  But as a parent, I prefer to have more years of use while I am guiding and influencing my child - and frankly my influence is stronger for a preteen than a rebellious, more secretive teen.  My preteen still wants to hear my opinion on why I refrain from social media, why I don't post pictures on Instagram when I travel, why I take the phone at 8 pm.  A teen won't have that time of guiding relationship with a parent, and even if you do have that, you're talking about learning smartphone use in just a couple of years before they are adults and out of your home.  That's not good enough for me, but you do you.  All parents have different philosophies.[/quote]

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