April 19, 2017
Teens and Phones

Hi Dr. Laura!

I'm in 100% agreement with you regarding technology and cell phones. To my kid's dismay, they don't have cell phones, hand held devices, or any home gaming systems. Sadly, we are the only people I know who have taken this stance. Literally, ALL of their classmates have cell phones.

I just listened to a call from February when you were talking to a mom about taking away her kids' cell phones. You kept saying, "Don't you see, she is sick", referring to her daughter's obsession with her phone. I have a couple resources/tools you may want to mention to callers in the future.

• There are these watches now that are actually phones in which it allows the user to program 3 contacts. There is no internet on the watches, just phone capability. So, when I drop my kids at a sports practice, they can wear the watch to contact me if there is a problem. It's a very minimal additional charge on your cellular plan like $10-$20/month. This may be a good alternative for some of your listeners who are worried about contacting their kids. 

• Our school showed a documentary film called "Screenagers" recently. It's about the negative impact technology has on children. While it's not a perfect film, it does clearly illustrate the destructive nature all of this technology is having on children. Perhaps you want to watch it and it might be a recommendation for callers in the future. Maybe a recommendation of this movie may reinforce your words. 

Thanks for your hard work!

A loyal listener,

Cindy
 



Posted by Staff at 10:57 AM