My kids do not have phones. I own the phones.

I remind them: I own the phone. It is my name on the service contract, and I pay my bills for MY phone.

I let them use the phone, but with the condition: I check my phone whenever I want, they follow my rules (for my phone), and I take my phone back if they break the rules.

And NO TIK TOK!!!

They can test with friends. Under my supervision, they can view YouTube (though there is bad stuff there too, of course).

I've also heard of parents who disable the camera and name the phone "Smith family phone" or what have you.

Anonymous wrote:I’m a phone hold out. He has friends that he can text on my phone.

He told me today that Tik Tok is stupid and he supports a ban.

I also unplug the wifi every morning and don't reconnect it until mid afternoon. However I imagine that would work less well with cell service.

My 12 year old hates the policy but he’s sees me abiding by it too. And that’s just how it’s going to be. No use arguing as it’s not up for debate.

When we eventually do get another iPhone, is there a way to disable the web browser?

I don't think you can permanently disable it on the phone, since everything else on the phone goes over the same systems, but you can delete the specific icon/app, and then set it up so they have to get your permission to add anything.

You don't influence them. You make the rules.

I’m a phone hold out. He has friends that he can text on my phone.

He told me today that Tik Tok is stupid and he supports a ban.

I also unplug the wifi every morning and don't reconnect it until mid afternoon. However I imagine that would work less well with cell service.

My 12 year old hates the policy but he’s sees me abiding by it too. And that’s just how it’s going to be. No use arguing as it’s not up for debate.

When we eventually do get another iPhone, is there a way to disable the web browser?

Learn from my mistake BTW on the whole limiting screen time on apps. They work around that my logging on using the browser. So they can have a tik tok account and you’d have no idea. Teachers had to school me on this.

LOL you can not "convince" them of anything.

You can limit on your own as a parent.

Set timers

Limit hours

All devices in kitchen never in a bedroom

Disconect the device if they do dumb shit.

I set rules and managed time on it with Screen Time.

For my elementary aged DD, absolutely no social media. For my HS aged DS, social media with transparency of the accounts and platforms he's on and with time limits for specific ones, like TikTok.

Anonymous wrote:-as much as possible. I feel like I lost already. Thank goodness for Catholic schools which in my area, enforces no phones and extremely limited computer time.
I feel like showing them every nasty, negative article including murder connected stories linked to social media.

Catholic school LOL

You can not be this dumb.

My kid wanted to create a reddit account and I told him no, that place is a cesspool. A couple of days later, he came home from school and told me a friend had tried to join in a conversation on reddit and "You're right, Mom, reddit is a cesspool."

I'm sorry about his friend being the recipient of verbal abuse from strangers, but he listens to my middle-aged mom takes on stuff.

My teen and tween had practically unlimited access to the internet during the lockdown and do not have social media accounts. My 17 year old son watches intellectual history/naval warfare Youtube channels when he's upbeat and shouty Minecrafters when he's tired. My 12 year old daughter watches old sorts of craft videos, from rehabilitating plush toys to fantasy elven iron-forging. They both like a myth and literature channel as well. I can check their history, so I know.

Not all teens gravitate towards TikTok, Insta, porn and graphic murder, OP. Know your teen.

When we bought my son his first phone, we set it up so any new apps have to be approved by us. We told him no social media and also deleted the internet browser. Somewhat surprisingly, he has not pushed back.

I bought the phone and she had to agree to no social media in order to take possession of it. She knows if she misuses it, I take the phone back.

Anonymous wrote:-as much as possible. I feel like I lost already. Thank goodness for Catholic schools which in my area, enforces no phones and extremely limited computer time.
I feel like showing them every nasty, negative article including murder connected stories linked to social media.

How old are they?

-as much as possible. I feel like I lost already. Thank goodness for Catholic schools which in my area, enforces no phones and extremely limited computer time.
I feel like showing them every nasty, negative article including murder connected stories linked to social media.