No smartphones before high school

By delaying smartphone ownership, we can give our kids a more balanced childhood that allows them to develop the social, emotional, and cognitive skills necessary for healthy adolescence and adulthood. 

Flip phones or basic phones can provide necessary communication without the distractions and potential harms associated with smartphones.

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Adolescents and smartphones

  • Brain Development

    Haidt emphasizes that the adolescent brain is still undergoing significant development, particularly in areas related to emotional regulation, impulse control, and decision-making.

    Introducing smartphones at a younger age can disrupt this development, making teens more vulnerable to addiction, distraction, and negative social comparison.

  • Social and Emotional Development

    Haidt argues that real-world interactions are crucial for developing social and emotional skills.

    Early smartphone use can displace face-to-face interactions, hindering the development of empathy, communication, and conflict resolution skills.

  • Mental Health

    Studies have linked early smartphone use to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and sleep problems in adolescents. 


    Delaying smartphone ownership can protect children from these potential negative impacts on their mental well-being.

  • Academic Performance

    Smartphones can be a major source of distraction for students, leading to decreased focus and academic performance. 


    By waiting until high school, Haidt suggests that students can establish better study habits and time management skills before being exposed to the constant distractions of smartphones.

  • Digital Literacy

    Haidt proposes that delaying smartphone ownership until high school allows parents and educators to teach children digital literacy skills in a more structured and age-appropriate way. 


    This can help teens develop a healthier relationship with technology and make more informed choices about their online behavior.

Smartphone Alternatives for Kids

How can my child stay connected while avoiding the potential danger and brainrot of a smartphone? We’ve heard this question often. “It will be many years before I want to give my child a smartphone, but she wants to be able to plan her own hangouts like I did when I was a kid,” says Havens mom and Piedmont Unplugged co-founder Melissa Partovi. 

Old-fashioned flipphones work for some kids and are available from mobile service providers for a modest monthly fee. But some newer options likewise let your child contact friends and family with fewer pitfalls than a smartphone:

“The Landline for Kids” - Tin Cans 

  • Tin Cans let even young kids make calls on an internet-enabled landline. Version 1.0 plugs into an ethernet port; a forthcoming model is wifi-enabled. 

  • Calling other Tin Cans is free; a plan that lets kids interact with other pre-approved numbers is $9.99/month.

  • Why we like it: Kids can chat like it’s 1989…and that’s it. 

  • Some Piedmont families already plan to implement Tin Can clusters: “I ordered three–one for my kids, two for their best friends,” says Brooke Wall, mom of two Beach students. “Several other families in my son’s grade have ordered them, too.”

  • www.tincan.kids. 

  • Join the Piedmont Unplugged mailing list and receive a discount code with our next newsletter.

The Dumb Smartphone - Gabb 4

  • The Gabb 4 is a locked-down Android phone without internet, social media, or games. 

  • Kids can call and text pre-approved numbers. There is a camera, plus optional Maps, Weather, and music-streaming. For parents, there is GPS tracking and a portal to approve contacts.

  • Why we like it: Has the looks and some of the fun features of a smartphone with fewer downsides. “My fifth-grader has a Gabb 4. It can be a little wonky but she loves being able to talk with her friends and to tell me where she is heading after school.” --Amanda.  

  • Around $150; plans range from $25-35 per month.

  • Gabb now offers a locked-down smartwatch as well.

  • www.gabb.com.

Slimmed-Down Smartphones

  • The Gabb 4 Pro, Pinwheel, Troomi, and Bark allow calling and texts with some internet access. These may be suitable for young teens because they allow parents to control the choice of apps–for example, to exclude social media like Snap and TikTok. 

  • Most have parent portals enabling time limits on apps and bedtime shutoff. 

  • Why we like them: These are transitional products for older kids who want to use a few choice apps–but they offer fewer potential loopholes where kids can circumvent restrictions than regular smartphones.

Can I Lock Down an iPhone?

  • Parents can implement controls on an iPhone, such as time limits and restricting App Store downloads, by creating a “Family Sharing” phone group and following the instructions on Apple’s website.

  • Unfortunately, kidproofing a fully functional product means removing features rather than adding only what you want, which makes it easy to miss loopholes kids can learn about and exploit. 

  • Apple Watches face similar issues. And Android phones may be even more difficult to fully lock down than iPhones.

In sum: Better than an unfettered smartphone, but less protective than some alternatives.

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