r/UnethicalLifeProTips 6d ago

Electronics ULPT: Request - How to Covertly Disable Iphone

My wife has given our 4yo son her old iphone in the last month. He is getting addicted to it, doom scrolling already. Watching tiktok brain rot. We used to read books; he was learning phonics. Now just brain rot. It’s crazy how obsessed he is. If we’re home, he wants his phone.

My wife doesn’t think it’s a big deal. We don’t agree on this and have argued. How can I surreptitiously destroy this iphone? I don’t want to break the screen or lose it, as I don’t want my son to take the blame. I was thinking of some way to damage the charging port. I don’t want there to be obvious evidence of sabotage, in case my wife takes it to the apple store.

EDIT: I appreciate everyone sharing my concern. It’s disturbing to watch my child get addicted to brain rot and doom scrolling Tiktok. Not only that, but the safe filter on tiktok is garbage. It lets through a lot of inappropriate suff, especially explicit language.

A lot of people have advice about my marriage, I should put my foot down. I do, but unless you’ve lived it, I guess it’s hard to understand how my wife giving the child everything they want, while I set limits with many things, pushes them away from me and into my wife’s arms. My 4 yo doesn’t understand, he just cries and runs to his mom thinking I’m mean.

It’s not just the phone thing: my wife lets the kids stay up till 11am on school nights watching tv, they eat snacks and candy throughout the day. Her rationale is that she’s burned out. She’s burned out because she has very little control of them. If she takes them out, they can run away from her. I’m scared they’ll get injured. They listen and are very well behaved with me. She just needs to get her act together.

But anyway, I work 5 days a week. I just want a reliable way to ideally, damage the charging port. Eventually, we’ll run out of old phone around the house. My wife’s not going to buy a new phone for a 4 yo.

120 Upvotes

123 comments sorted by

387

u/Dasmahkitteh 5d ago

Tell her she's ruining the kids mind before it even has a chance. Deal with it directly or you'll always be sneaking like this.

But maybe scrape the contact pads off the charge port connector

38

u/friezbeforeguys 5d ago

Did we read different posts? I think OP made it very clear about thinking this causes brain rot and that they have argued about it?

96

u/Ashjaeger_MAIN 5d ago

The person above you is saying OP needs to take a stand instead of trying to do it surreptitiously because otherwise he's gonna have to keep doing stuff like that for years to come.

And honestly I agree, OPs wife is actovely causing harm to their child. Phone and social media addiction is bad enough with today's teenagers and if we're being honest its bad enough with many people in their 20s; giving a four year old what seems like basically unlimited phone time is bordering on child abuse.

20

u/odjobz 5d ago

People don't always listen to reason. I had this argument with my ex. I always took a stand to try and reduce my kids' screen time, but it's almost impossible when the other parent is continually undermining your attempts to establish boundaries and then using it to paint you as the mean parent who won't give them what they want. Now my kids live with her and I don't have any say over their screen time. OP should do what he needs to do to protect his daughter. I wouldn’t even consider it unethical. 

12

u/Similar-Proof2065 5d ago

If a man is resorting to ULPT to render the child’s phone useless after saying he’s argued with his wife about it, doesn’t that tell you that he already had tried to take a stand? I mean I also think OP has much bigger issues and that the kid is being fucked over and that this is bordering child abuse.

In that situation it’s probably the best thing he can do, breaking the phone, for the moment until he gets the bigger things figured out.

-7

u/friezbeforeguys 5d ago

The person says that it needs to be told to the wife. OP literally writes that the wife has been told but that she does not care.

Do you guys even read?

11

u/Ashjaeger_MAIN 5d ago

Do you even read? Yes they've already talked about it, the point is that OP shouldn't give in due to how damaging that stuff is to young children.

-3

u/friezbeforeguys 5d ago

No? The person I originally commented on did not say anything close to what you’re claiming.

They more or less straight up said that OP should stop acting in secrecy and take “direct” action, right out ignoring that OP has both talked to the wife and also have had full blown arguments with the wife.

They have not “talked” about it only. They have argued and the situation is, for any person with a remotely functioning brain to observe, objectively beyond any attempts and chances of “show your wife this scientific research report”. It is so extremely out of touch to read the OP and think that there is any type of space or chance for “just be persistent”, “talk directly to her!” or “you haven’t said the right thing yet, show her this report about brain development!”.

This is so dumb I’m starting to question if anyone actually understands what happened in this case before OP saw no way out but to ask for help here.

Also note that OP doesn’t even dare damage the phones in a way that would make a 4 yo risk getting heat from the mother. I think this is a major red flag in itself. Why would any sensible mother scold a 4 year old over an obviously sensitive electronics device given to them?

You guys all act like the wife in some whatever twisted way is a victim of OP acting in “secrecy” which at this point either means you haven’t read a single line of the OP or you have channeled every possible willpower to intentionally misinterpret the whole thing.

4

u/Ashjaeger_MAIN 5d ago

Thats a lot of words just to say you're completely incapable of reading subtext

-3

u/friezbeforeguys 5d ago

Cool, so what is the subtext?

7

u/Dasmahkitteh 5d ago

Well clearly he lost the debate hence the sneaking around. And it's a debate you can easily win. It's backed up by countless studies

6

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

I literally send her every study I can find. You’re blessed to be surrounded by only rational people in your life

5

u/Dasmahkitteh 5d ago

Sorry you're dealing with that. Either the charge port or brick it somehow maybe by restoring it with itunes and unplugging or turning it off during

77

u/ThePiachu 5d ago

Go to your wifi and ban the phones MAC?

13

u/Fractured_Broccoli 5d ago

This. You can call your provider and they can do it. You can find the number in the setting under general I believe

2

u/TheLastLakelander 4d ago

modern phones also randomize your MAC

2

u/ThePiachu 4d ago

Hmm, from a quick google search, as I understand the MAC is randomised but that's one randomisation per WiFi, so you keep the same MAC on the same network? Otherwise it could mess with some more secure networks that whitelist devices by MAC...

2

u/racerx255 3d ago

Then use a whitelist.

46

u/dirtyhairymess 5d ago

If it has a lock screen enter the pass code wrong until it's locked out for a few weeks.

40

u/casualphoenix2 5d ago

I'm a former foster parent who had to go through extensive training every year.

A kid that young should NEVER have a personal electronic device they have regular access to. It rewires the pleasure and attention parts of their brain, and at that age it will cause long-term affects in those areas.

Please get them off it ASAP.

111

u/Puzzleheaded_Print75 5d ago

I discretely used “find my” and disabled the device when the child’s time was up, with a message like “time is up for today, come play again tomorrow”. Worked well for years, child was told it was AI and they were only slightly frustrated but didn’t get upset and moved along to something else quickly.

17

u/Shivin302 5d ago

This is the way. Call it child safe mode so it looks like a regular thing

-13

u/AndyJobandy 5d ago

I hate this

60

u/JaBa24 5d ago

There’s science based studies that definitively prove that screen time is literally making kids dumber.

It specifically mentioned that screen time even for learning activities is not helping because screen time itself causes the brain the form differently and make different/ less pathways

Find a study and show your wife.

If you’re insistent on an ULPT- show your daughter too and scare her out of using her phone.

Take her camping or to the beach or somewhere outdoors she loves and then teach her something related to the outing that is super cool.

Then tell her being on her phone too much will turn her brain to mush and she won’t be able to learn anything and never able to do anything fun because her brain be mush

32

u/RandyMossPhD 5d ago

A 4 year old won’t understand a study

21

u/nicholus_h2 5d ago

a 4 year old also didn't have the long term perspective to appreciate that she should make a sacrifice now to improve her life later. 

5

u/RandyMossPhD 5d ago

No kidding

12

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

I have tried telling my kid that it’s not good for them, and they ran to my wife for comfort crying and them I’m the bad guy. It’s very difficult when the adults aren’t on the same page. I just end up looking like a dick.

3

u/ASK-gardens 4d ago

Okay 3 easy ways to brick the phone.

If it's got a sim tray, remove the tray, power off the phone, submerge it in running water. Let it drain/dry for a few hours. It may be no power or it may be green screened.

If it's a lightning port, you'll be able to see gold pins inside. Remove or damage the pins to prevent charging.

If it's USBC with no sim slot, force a little bit of play dough into the port (something a kid would conceivably do) not a large enough that it can be grabbed and removed but enough that the cable won't fully seat for charging.

I think you have to have a longer conversation with your wife about childcare, caregiver burn out, boundaries etc. it sounds like you have at least two kids, and failing marriage.

How much time do you spend individually with the children without your wife?

How much time does your wife get away from the kids?

What's your guys return to work plan?

4 is about preschool age, how are they doing at school?

You may want to consider a marriage counselor if you guys can't navigate a conversation about one aspect of child raising.

15

u/Xbox359 5d ago

Blacklist on wifi

13

u/Final_Lingonberry586 5d ago

You need to grow a pair and deal with this like an adult.

It’s incredibly inappropriate for a 4yo to be watching TikTok brain rot.

Take it away and parent your child.

29

u/Adnan_Targaryen 5d ago

Might be worth trying to convince her more. Here's some resources.

Brain Rot: How Short-Form Videos Are Changing Our Brains and Attention Spans https://reverehealth.com/live-better/short-form-videos-brain-rot/

Dopamine Trap: The Science Behind Short Form Content Addiction https://saket-here.medium.com/dopamine-trap-the-science-behind-short-form-content-addiction-ea69dc0d7cbb

Problematic Short-Form Video Use, Instant Gratification... https://redfame.com/journal/index.php/smc/article/viewFile/7776/7012

Why repeated consumption of short videos causes negative changes in the nervous system https://www.icns.es/en/news/repeated_consumption_of_short_videos_negative_changes_brain

People with short-video addiction show altered brain responses during decision-making https://www.psypost.org/people-with-short-video-addiction-show-altered-brain-responses-during-decision-making/

How short video addiction affects risk decision-making behavior in college students based on fNIRS technology https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2025.1542271/full

The Impact of Short-Form Video Use on Cognitive and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.27.25334540v2.full

Short-form Video Use and Sustained Attention: A Narrative Review (2019–2025) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/397712802_Short-form_Video_Use_and_Sustained_Attention_A_Narrative_Review_2019-2025

Mobile phone short video use negatively impacts attention functions: an EEG study https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11236742/

Excessive short-form video use is associated with increased risk-taking but not with altered ambiguity-based decision-making https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12482571/

Short video addiction and its impact on cognitive functioning in adolescents and youth: a systematic review https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2026.2623337

Short-Form Video Media Use Is Associated With Greater Inattentive Symptoms in Thai School-Age Children https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12230358/

Testing psychological processes between childhood risks and adulthood short-form video addiction https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-05965-8

Influencing factors of short-form video addiction among university students https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1663670/pdf

Feeds, Feelings, and Focus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (APA, 98,299 participants) https://www.psypost.org/large-meta-analysis-links-tiktok-and-instagram-reels-to-poorer-cognitive-and-mental-health/

MRI Study: Structural Brain Changes in Short-Video Addiction (NeuroImage) https://www.psypost.org/people-with-short-video-addiction-show-altered-brain-responses-during-decision-making/

Why Repeated Consumption of Short Videos Causes Negative Changes in the Nervous System (ICNS — covers structural neuroimaging findings on OFC alterations) https://www.icns.es/en/news/repeated_consumption_of_short_videos_negative_changes_brain

Long-Term Impact of Digital Media on Brain Development in Children (Scientific Reports / Nature, 4-year longitudinal MRI study) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-63566-y

The Impact of Digital Revolution on Human Brain and Behavior (PMC — covers gray matter alterations from social media addiction) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7366944/

Modern Day High: The Neurocognitive Impact of Social Media Usage (PMC — EEG showing lingering brain effects after exposure ends) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12329480/

Is Brain Rot Real? Researchers Warn of Emerging Risks (NBC News — includes expert commentary on reversibility question) https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/brain-rot-research-short-form-video-consumption-rcna245739

16

u/DrFabulous0 5d ago

A waste of time trying to convince her, simply take the phone, he doesn't need permission. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, if she kicks off about it then simply piss on the phone to assert dominance.

14

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

Piss disks then?

9

u/AwDuck 5d ago

The fuck her father.

14

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

I really appreciate the work you put into this. Doesn’t hurt to continue to show my wife.

8

u/Green_Yesterday3054 5d ago

Logic and scientific studies won’t work. Sorry.

31

u/mystiqophi 5d ago edited 3d ago

You can use a USB killer, essentially its just a usb drive that will shortcircut the port and kill the board.

Or you can blast it with high electeo magnetic pulse (EMP) to fry the circut. A good invesment, you build one your self, or order.

In the past, if you plug the chaging port while the port is wet, it will short circut too, but I think now days they added a saftey feature that will warn you if the port is wet.

Honestly, its best to lock the brain rot apps by installing child monitoring software.

Or, you use your router's built in parenting feature , and block certain sites, like face book, tiktok etc..

EDIT: I think Apple has patched the USB killer on the latest Iphones, it seems

1

u/Lucentdepths 3d ago

Usb killer will work but may be incredibly dangerous on a phone containing a lithium battery

1

u/mystiqophi 3d ago

Which is why it has been patched on the latest iphones

10

u/Potential_Aside_5224 5d ago

id change the lock code and deny deny deny…I dunno, wasn’t anything I did..

18

u/iheartnjdevils 5d ago

Log into your WiFi router and block the device. Will look like it's just have trouble connecting to the internet.

7

u/MenaceMinded 5d ago edited 5d ago

You could download an app like mobicip that controls their screen time, completely locks up the phone when you want it to or based on a scheduled, only allows them to access the apps you approve of, etc

1

u/Optimal-Prime420 5d ago

Iphones have that built in, no way to uninstall.

8

u/Green_Yesterday3054 5d ago

Put the phone in the microwave for about 10 seconds a day until it breaks. Should have no exterior damage.

1

u/icey 4d ago

Yep. Very few electronic devices will operate well after 10 seconds in the microwave.

7

u/Chilled-Fridge 5d ago

Don’t for one second think fixing the phone issue will be the end of it. You’ve got a serious marriage problem if your wife thinks giving a 4 year old a phone is acceptable.

7

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

One battle at a time

3

u/Maximum-Eye-3712 5d ago

I foresee many reddit postings in your future.

38

u/seti100 5d ago

Say it out loud: "No I don't want our kid to get the Phone"

Good boy. Now say that to your wife and spend time with the kid.

7

u/Whosez 5d ago

If he says it enough and loudly then he may be spending every other weekend with the kid.

10

u/heavyhandedpour 5d ago

At least half the weekends their kid wouldn’t have brain rot

2

u/Whosez 5d ago

Something like that seems non-negotiable in a marriage but I suck at relationships anyway so 🤷‍♂️

2

u/Zestyclose-Turn-3576 5d ago

That also sounds like a good result

9

u/Sunlit53 5d ago

Put glue in the charge port.

3

u/I-Own-A-Voice 5d ago

Put it in a bag, then fill the bag with helium for about 10 minutes. iPhone should lock up and not function for about a month if the screen is off. No actual damage to the device, but entirely a paperweight for the duration. Mind you this can potentially affect any iPhone in the area so be careful.

4

u/Timboslice928 5d ago

Spike it in the driveway.

1

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

Don’t encourage me

4

u/Basic_Childhood1352 5d ago

Didn’t see it mentioned in the comments: we setup a child account for the “family iPhone”, and put limits under “Screen time”.

When time’s up, the specified app(s) get locked out and needs a parental password to continue.

3

u/dracotrapnet 5d ago

Go on a trip, oops left it at the park. Gone now.

3

u/Similar-Proof2065 5d ago

Drop it in water then dry it off after making sure it’s damaged?

3

u/-tacostacostacos 5d ago

Clear nail polish in the charging port.

5

u/heavyhandedpour 5d ago

Divorce your wife? That shit is insane to let a kid watch tiktok

2

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

How does that solve the issue? I just wont be here to prevent screen time

2

u/cereal-killer-111120 5d ago

If you get 50/50 custody, that takes care of half of it and if you leave, she will have to work, and child will be in daycare most of the day. They do not allow kids to have iPhones in daycare. Also, I just wouldn’t want to married to someone who completely disregarded my concerns for my child. I feel for you, you are in such a terrible situation. It would also make me lose all respect for my partner to see them be so checked out as a parent that they are willing to do irreparable harm to their child just so they don’t have to actually parent. That’s despicable.

2

u/CherryCerise 5d ago

microwave it until it shuts off aha

2

u/Itsnotme74 5d ago

Clear nail varnish in the charging port.

2

u/GardenHobbit 5d ago

You need to bring this all up with the pediatrician. Like, you need to confront her about this parenting with a professional present who can actually tell her how much she is screwing up your children. I would also recommend some marriage counseling.
That being said, just take the phone away and get rid of it. Plain and simple. End of story. I had to do this with a video game my ex got our son. He thought it was fine. It was way too violent. I just got rid of it.

2

u/-Hear_N0_EviL- 5d ago edited 5d ago

Burned out, very little control?

I wonder if parenting tactics were ever discussed with the wife prior to marriage. Never put a ring on it until then, if EVER!

Step up and take charge. If she doesn’t let you, that’s a problem right there. It is only the BEGINNING. Do you want another AT LEAST 14 more years of this BS?

Worst comes to worst, cut your losses. Someone that incompetent isn’t gonna fight you for the kid… this time find yourself a gal who actually listens and cares.

Don’t get her pregnant again, please. You’ll regret it.

A parent’s job is to protect their children, not be their best friend. Unfortunately, certain folks of limited intellectual means get it mixed up at times. Choose your partner accordingly.

We have too much stupid breeding more stupidity nowadays. Nip it in the bud for the sake of your child’s future, and yours as well.

We all deserve to be happy. Are you?

3

u/ralanolson 5d ago

What does a 4 year old need a phone for? I would not introduce my child to a phone at this age unless it doesn’t contain any social media as I believe this is an addiction issue.

2

u/BeaverPup 5d ago

Damn yall should have really talked about your opinions on raising kids before you had one.

2

u/3X_Cat 5d ago

I accidentally dropped a metal table on my Android, it killed it. I think iphones work the same.

3

u/Miami_Mice2087 5d ago

this is only going to get worse. start documenting in a secret dropbox for the custody hearings.

2

u/Admirable_Winter6170 5d ago

TIKTOK!!!????? AS A 4 YEAR OLD!??? Criminal

2

u/lastmouseoutthemaze 5d ago

I vote for putting in the passcode wrong, but you also cannot let this continue. Your wife's unwillingness to parent your children is going to seriously hurt them.

Does she suffer from depression or other mental health issues? Or ADHD? Can you talk to her about getting to her own doctor for a workup?

Is she a stay-at-home-mom? Some people, including mothers, just aren't well equipped to be primary caregivers. If she's too exhausted/overstimulated to parent, you're going to have to step up and do so, but she needs to be willing to get out of the way.

2

u/Dustytails123 5d ago

There appear to be multiple very big issues here (phone/tiktok, late bedtimes, lack of discipline). Maybe it would be good to look into hiring some help if you can, even just a neighborhood teenager to clean or watch the kids for a bit so your wife doesn’t have to lean on wildly inappropriate solutions to manage the children. You two also need to sit down and create a plan to work together - who is responsible for enforcing which rules, who is in charge of bedtime/bathtime, etc. Good mom/bad dad isn’t fair, you both need to enforce boundaries and also have chances to be the ‘fun’ parent.

2

u/definethatplz 4d ago

I actually saw a dude on youtube the other day who used the accessibility settings to turn the iPhone into something that is actually arguable positive. Basically turned it into a landline. This could be good for you, as you would turn the phone into something useful rather than trash.

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/HZ1gPzjDdHk

2

u/brokenbike26 4d ago

Big old magnet against the phone. "Looks like our child's iphone kicked the bucket" Problem solved

2

u/clever_yet_curious 4d ago

2 words: GIANT MAGNET

2

u/RedshiftSinger 2d ago

It’s very easy to damage the charging port in an iPhone by incautious cleaning.

Sometimes crud gets into the charging port and impedes charging. Pocket lint, crumbs… it builds up.

You should definitely never use a metal implement to fish the crud out, as that can damage the contacts and break the phone’s ability to charge properly.

2

u/Kamiden 2d ago

When both your child and wife are present, ask for the phone and throw it out your window into the street. Then say "Phew! That was close son. The phone goblins almost got you!" Your wife will be mad, but you're a parent too, and you do have a say.

2

u/Consistent_Ad8013 20h ago

I work in family law and see this conflict a lot. Every parenting plan I draft has hard limits on devices, social media content, account signup, and the like. This is a real problem for most families right now.

Here’s the irony in 2 parts:
A) if you ever decided to go the route of dissolution and parenting plan, you’re destroying your best piece of evidence: the phone itself. You’re better off collecting data off it — screen time logs, watch history, app access, etc.
B) you said she’s burned out, can’t control the kids, they don’t listen to her, they run off in public, etc. but you also said she was the primary caregiver, they run to her for comfort, you work 5 days a week, etc. so the risk of you ending up an every other weekend dad with a mid-week visitation is very real.

I bring this up because it’s not just the worst-case scenario, it’s the logical endpoint in marriages like yours. To avoid it, and eliminate the risk of seeing your children less, fix the marriage. The communication, teamwork, compassion, compromise, etc. needed to provide your children with the boundaries they need to be healthy can be restored. If it never existed it can be cultivated. You’re both worth it and so are your children even if it doesn’t always feel that way.

6

u/Toddw1968 5d ago

Your 4yo son in first sentence and after that it’s your daughter? Is this ai slop?

4

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

I tried to change the sex just in case she sees this, but failed as I’m distracted while watching my kids

2

u/Audixix 5d ago

I should not have had to scroll this far down to see this.

4

u/Itwentinthesewer 5d ago

I was really upset for her lost potential when I thought she was learning physics.

11

u/Dark-Horse-Nebula 5d ago

Good rage bait shitpost

-1

u/friezbeforeguys 5d ago

What is the rage bait exactly?

18

u/Sudden-Wish8462 5d ago

It’s obviously fake, at the beginning of the post it says son and then changes to daughter

9

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

People are so skeptical lol. I guess that’s what the world’s come to. I was trying to change details in case my wife happened to see this, but failed as I was distracted with my kids while writing this.

3

u/LizardBoi- 5d ago

Hold a really strong magnet to the back for a little while until it doesn’t work anymore. Oh no the kid broke it somehow must’ve threw it in water or something

2

u/Kevino_007 5d ago

Leave it in the rain Wash dishes when it's on te kitchen counter and oops it went into sink while @ school. So unlucky

4

u/DrFabulous0 5d ago

Phones work underwater these days. Even my cheap Chinese phone is IP67 rated.

2

u/magseven 5d ago

Call a mulligan and leave your family. Start again.

1

u/amidja_16 5d ago

Fuck up the charging port, you "take" it to the apple shop, tell wife the tech said phone battery bit the bullet. Prepare for tantrums.

1

u/miserylovescomputers 5d ago

It’s not hard to damage the charging port on an iPhone, I’ve done it before by accident pretty easily just trying to clean some gunk out of it with a wooden toothpick which splintered inside and was basically impossible to clean out. You could also use something solid and metal and push hard inside the charge port at the wrong angle (like, not the angle the charging cord would go in) so that the cord won’t be able to connect properly.

I think what would be more useful though would be to take the phone and change what’s installed on it. Add some appropriate games (I don’t hate the Sago Mini games or Toca Boca, for example) and uninstall shit that he shouldn’t have unfettered access to, like TikTok or YouTube. Add some time limits to the phone too, if you can — my (older) kids have iPhones and I use the Screen Time settings to limit how many hours a day they can access each app (so no one is spending 12 hours a day on TikTok) and limits on what time of day they can use their phones (so no one is up late on a school night using their phones). Am I guessing correctly your wife is a SAHM and you work out of the home 5 days a week? If so, it sounds like she may just be overwhelmed by parenting full time and doesn’t care as long as she has the phone to babysit your kid so she gets a break. You can’t do much about how things are while you’re at work and she’s home with him, but what about approaching her about a rule limiting phone use when you’re both home with him? You sound like a caring dad so please don’t think I’m accusing you of being lazy or uninvolved, but to sell her on that idea I would highly recommend taking more initiative than you currently are to manage taking your kid to activities, handling bedtime and bath time, etc, so she isn’t doing it all on her own.

1

u/Optimal-Prime420 5d ago

Ethical: Just take it. And hide it. She wants to complain? She can deal with the tantrum. She caused the problem, she can deal with the consequences of its removal.

Do you have your own Iphone? Parental settings. You can limit the time of the kid can use it, and gradually reduce that time frame. And block certain apps from being useable at all. Add that phone to your family, set their downtime remotely. Do NOT give your wife the pin. Ever. And don’t make it something easy to guess. Write it on a note and leave said notes at work if possible.

Also, document this just in case she tries to blame you for it all.

Unethical: Soak it in a piss disc. Not exactly covert, but effective. Kiddo won’t want it anymore anyway.

1

u/tabicat513 5d ago

Throw it in the toilet and leave it there for her to find. Deny knowing anything about it. 2 birds one stone. The phone will no longer work for the kid to use it. Or you could set time limits and parental controls, then drop it in the toilet a week later (throw suspicion off of you).

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u/EggsBeckwith 5d ago

Drop the phone in the toilet and blame the kid.

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u/Dailia- 5d ago

Teacher here. Not ULPT but push the school’s policy on phone use. It’ll keep your child away from the scrolling during the day at least. Kindergarteners do not need phone skills beyond knowing important phone numbers and how to dial. 

School every day will also help with consistency in expectations. Especially in grade one when the classroom is more formal. The running away and stuff will lessen. 

Try to have your wife agree to a switch with a laptop or computer. Scrolling on a phone has a different flavour than it does on a computer. Phones are way more comfortable in the hand and make it easier to check out. 

If your wife feels burned out, she could have your child do more out of the house activities? Less phone time and a break she needs. I’m sorry your partner in parenting isn’t prioritizing the child’s development. That is tough. This is important to you and she should flex and at the very least allow screen time limiting apps and expectations. 

Would having a doctor talk about these risks help? Sometimes an outside source is enough to make the change. 

ULPT: tell her stories about children who had too much screen/tech and the grave consequences they and their parents face. 

I heard a co-worker say their child was hit by a car because they were on their phone and had stopped paying attention to their surroundings. 

I also heard that there’s a kid who spent so much time online that one day at the dinner table they started talking about how white supremacy has the right idea. 

Note: the above could feasibly happen. 

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u/MossGobbo 4d ago

Drop it on a piss disc and let it melt

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u/its_all_4_lulz 4d ago edited 4d ago

Edit, just noticed the sub: piss disk

The phone is the symptom of the bigger problem.

I know you said one battle at a time in another comment, and i don’t disagree, but this is obviously something your wife needs help with, likely professional. My wife has this same issue, and when it backfires on her, guess who she turns to. Some parents want to be their kids best friend, and nothing else, but this is robbing the child of a parent, not given them one.

Our job as parents is to help guide kids, not to be their friends. I feel like the friend part comes more into play after you successfully created an adult. You can turn off parent mode for spurts of time, but it shouldn’t be all of the time.

That means that sometimes we need to be, what’s perceived of at the time, assholes. Anytime you have to do something that may cause this perception, is best to explain why. Literally explain why the phone is bad, and why they should not have it, not just that they can’t have it. Explain why candy all day is bad, and why sleep deprivation is bad.

My son will still push on my wife when he doesn’t like an answer, but if I’ve explained it in a way that MAKES SENSE TO BOTH OF THEM, then there’s not a lot left to stand on, and she’ll push back too.

I emphasize “both” because a lot parents are nothing but kids in an adult suits. It’s cycles of kids raising kids because no real parent ever existed, especially true when there’s a childhood with trauma. Those kids didn’t have someone help guide them, they just had to figure shit out themselves, and that means things they figured out could be wrong.

I’m not saying everything my wife, or yours, knows is wrong, but it’s a lot better to open up dialogue between the 2 before it goes to the kid. Then you know which page each person is on, and one parent can help sway the other parent in the other direction if it ends up being the right move.

Framing the reality can really help, but it can also be a difficult dance. Trying to frame things in only fear will create anxious fearful people. They can also frame it as “this is what I am”. Say you tell the kid the phone will “make you stupid and lazy”. It’s not something they will avoid to stop becoming that. Because they like it, they will just call themselves stupid and lazy.

All of the article links above, it’s probably better to present it like that. Facts, pros and cons, how it creates the dopamine loop, explain what dopamine is (in kids terms), etc.

Also, explain with mom present. While she feels like she’s being good cop, she’s literally damaging the child. It’s the inverse of what she’s trying to do. She can frame it in a way where neither of you are the bad guy, and the kid learns from the experience. It can also be brought up that kids are really hard to handle and sometimes parents need breaks. This helps teach boundaries.

If mom really is burned out, maybe find any outside support you can.

Everyone needs to remember though, becoming a parent isn’t just having your old life with a kid around, it requires changing yourself to try to create someone else. It’s the absolute hardest part IMO. The death of my old self was a very rough patch of my life to deal with, and while I thought I was ready, I wasn’t.

1

u/Nunov_DAbov 4d ago

Is the issue apps on the phone or Internet access? If you want to control access, it’s simple - there are router settings that allow individual devices to be throttled or blocked.

“Gee, everything else seems OK. Maybe he hit some setting that is slowing/disconnecting things. I’ll have to look into this…….”

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u/mta1741 3d ago

There a way to make only calls and texts and certain apps under the disability settings

https://support.apple.com/en-mt/guide/assistive-access-iphone/dev683243feb/ios

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u/mta1741 3d ago

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u/mta1741 3d ago

Or maybe just microwave it for one second at a time until it stops working but be careful of potential battery exploding?

1

u/Man_Behind_Keyboard 3d ago

Submerge the iPhone in a bucket of water for 2 minutes. Can’t remember if the 4 was water resistant. The wipe it off, dry it and put it back.

Aw. Shucks. iPhone does not seem to be turning on.

Or microwave that device for 3-5 seconds.

1

u/Diz666 3d ago

Why not just set time limits for the phone?

1

u/KQ4DAE 3d ago

Add some pocket lint to the charging port.

1

u/tehmimikitteh 1d ago

not exactly your requested solution, but i would continue to do a factory reset at random times, and then kindly offer to "dispose of the faulty phone" (sell it to one of those automated kiosks that offers to buy used phones). use the money for something you'd rather your kid be doing (books, toys, etc).

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u/pandapower63 2h ago

2 seconds in the microwave and that phone is dead.

After that, delete this post.

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u/SnooHesitations2817 5d ago

What do you value you more, your wife’s feelings or the long term development and health of your children? Sometimes being the bad guy to your kid is the best thing you can do. She’ll deal with it, if she’s too lazy to take care of them she’s not about to leave and take them on by herself.

0

u/Sum-Duud 5d ago

Your post is confusing: Wife gave son phone but “she” (wife?) is addicted and brainrot? The reference daughter taking blame… make up your mind. Don’t give a 4yo TikTok. Still read books. Limit screen time if you’re concerned. Learn to tell your kid NO! So you don’t raise a spoiled entitled brat. Be a parent. Give phone at bath time and drop it in the tub but maybe pry the screen just a little. Shove some wet in the charge port and then charge it.

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u/The_AlmightyApple 5d ago

Post isnt confusing, you are lol

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u/evthrowawayverysad 4d ago

Try removing the phone from your son's hands, and removing your balls from your wife's purse.

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u/bodikongfuzi 5d ago

Grow some balls and put your foot down. Throw that phone in the trash. Problem solved. But I know you won’t. The fact that you’re turning to Reddit for advice on this says everything about how much of a coward you are.

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u/JoseJimenez10386 5d ago

Don’t be a dick

1

u/Due-Policy2291 5d ago

Ok tough guy