Dr. D., I finally was able to listen to this wonderful interview with April A. Some thing I really agreed with was not using a “fear-based response” to explain why children need a phone. I hear this more and more. Personally, both of my children had phones at ten years old for two different reasons, but definitely not because I was afraid if something happened to them.

I agree with making sure your social media interaction matches your intention, and I’d also add personality. My online personality is the same as my offline personality. I’m not sure if this is good or not lol, especially considering how much I post. But, I’m pretty aware that I’m an over the top person in real life, and social media is just an extension of that.

That (Harvard?) study is funny to me. People really are into themselves, huh?

Parallel play…that’s what I was trying to get at with one of my post. Are we really wanting our babies, toddlers, and children to be on a device, or are we just wanting to be on our devices (or to eat in peace)? I really suspect it’s the latter. It’s like leave me alone, so I can do this important thing (e.g., post to FB or eat dinner).

I totally agree with detoxing and I also turn my phone of every night (once my kid is home), something that I’ve found not many people do. So many people are afraid they’ll miss some important phone call (e.g., death, sickness) if their phone is off…again, I’d probably add to the fear-based category. I also have turned off my notifications and that has made a HUGE difference. I check my phone when I feel like it, like on a break, as opposed to just because the little red dot or sound showed up.

Whew! This was a lot. Thanks for this conversation!