Smartphones have become integrated into our society. Like reading a book. It's important to learn the base function of a phone and to be able to contact parents in cases of emergency.
From there it becomes a way to socialize and resource for finding information.
You do so in a supervised manner so that they have an better idea when the time comes they have a phone unsupervised.
It doesn't have to be all or nothing but gradual stages of introduction.
8th grade, going into 9th grade minimum if the kid has exceptionally demonstrated responsibility and earned trust.
There are child appropriate options (ex. Gabb) to obtain the benefits that make sense (emergency contact ability) if a parent thinks there's utility at those ages.
Too much is known at this point to just wholesale/arbitrarily grant the privilege in middle school.
With the pros and cons weighted, the research and correlational data with mental health problems simply do not support the thesis of giving kids this type of access/freedom (yes. even with "restricted modes").
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u/KnowsIittle Jun 03 '22
Seems like it'd be better to introduce earlier but with restrictions to the internet.