Ready, Set, Smartphone: A Guide for Families

How should families determine whether a child is “ready” for a smartphone? What do parents and caregivers need to know before introducing this powerful technology to their child, and how can they best teach, guide, and monitor its use?

Children and Screens’ inaugural Fall 2023 #AskTheExperts webinar “Ready, Set, Smartphone: A Guide for Families” was held on August 23 at 12pm via Zoom. A panel of media experts, child safety advocates, parenting coaches, and communications researchers provided best practices and strategies for evaluating child readiness,  integrating smartphone screen time into family life, and preparing children to safely engage with the new supercomputer in their pocket, as well as discussed specific considerations for smartphone use by neurodivergent youth and youth with disabilities.