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The Best Advice I Got About My Child’s Smartphone Addiction
Great tips from readers
A year ago, I wrote a story called My daughter was a creative genius, and then we bought her an iPhone. It went viral— 219k views — with hundreds of people commenting.
Some readers called me an idiot for the way I’d handled things; others made me laugh. Some shared experiences so painful I cried. Most readers were thoughtful and kind, offering lessons learned the hard way.
A lot of readers, including fellow parents, grandparents, twenty-somethings and many kids, gave advice. Interestingly, some of the most valuable advice came from young people who explained the strategies used by their own parents and said why some worked and others backfired.
Here summarized is some of the most helpful advice:
- Take time to understand your child’s world
I got a surprising number of replies from twenty-somethings and teenagers — all displaying wisdom far beyond their years. They absolutely agreed that iPhones, online games and social media are addictive, and that limits should be set. But they also said I should reconcile myself to the fact that as kids get older, their interests change. I shouldn’t write off these interests just because they’re digital.
