It’s a big moment in the Cook household: we’re getting ready to give our 12-year-old son his first smartphone.
In preparation for his new tech gadget, we need to lay down some ground rules.
After putting together some initial instructions, I got some great advice I tweet. GeekWire’s head of sales and marketing, Holly Grambihler, also offered a strong addition: “Parents reserve the right to use the Find My Friend app/phone if deemed necessary — useful at Disneyland and whenever they’ve misplaced their phones Theirs!”
GeekWire reporter Charlotte Schubert noted a rule for her 15-year-old daughter: don’t call when talking to friends or family.
Others shared warnings.
“These are great ideas. This will fail,” GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser said in our Slack channel. “But good luck.” Kurt also noted his post from 2018: Put Down Your Gadgets and Be a Kid While You Can: Advice for 5th Graders and All of Us.
We could use some extra guidance from those who have been here before. What rules are we missing? What works for other parents? What is the proper daily use of time?
As the new iPhone 14 hits store shelves today, I’m sure we’re not alone on this journey.
Feel free to reply to my tweet with any ideas and good luck!
