Overview

• A researcher-parent contends that vague age advice and digital-literacy talks have not protected kids as smartphone and social-media use intensifies.
• One central rule is to keep all devices out of bedrooms overnight, citing data that six in ten 11- to 17-year-olds check phones between midnight and 5 a.m. at least weekly.
• Studies noted that 11- to 14-year-olds slept about half an hour less on nights when they used devices in bed before falling asleep.
• The recommended first phone is a basic model such as Pinwheel, Gabb, or Troomi that permits calls, texts, and photos but blocks web browsers, social media, and AI companions.
• For kids who already have smartphones, the guidance calls for swapping to basic phones at 15 and under or applying strong parental controls for 16 and older, even if that requires physically taking the device.