Should Social Media be Banned? Thoughts on Screens and Phones…

This is one of the BIGGEST fights in my house and probably yours, too: social media, screens, and phones. 

If you have ever wanted to throw your children’s devices right out the window (and who among us has not?!), this episode is for you!

There are so many questions surrounding phones, screens, and social media. And now, Florida has proposed legislation to BAN social media for children under 16! 

So, let’s talk about that ban… how we know it’s time for our kids to have a phone…the dangers….and helpful and hopeful advice on navigating this space. 

I’ve invited my friend, Brooke Shannon, and founder of Wait Until 8th, a movement to prevent children from getting a smart phone until 8th grade to the conversation. We’ll discuss safe guardrails and that proposed ban in Florida with your wildly different perspectives on it and how it would work. 

Plus, the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent health advisory about the effects of social media on the mental health of teens…has it become a health issue? 

Please share this with other parents….as we’re all in this together. 

Life Happens. Let’s Talk About It! 

Listen in to learn more :

(00:00 - 00:44) Protecting Children on Social Media

(05:40 - 06:49) Community Support for Delaying Social Media

(09:05 - 10:19) Florida's Proposed Social Media Ban

(13:10 - 13:57) Limiting Social Media in Schools

(19:57 - 21:08) Parental Rights and Social Media Controls

(23:16 - 24:09) Smartphone Logistics and Family Considerations

(29:40 - 31:11) Limiting Phone Access for Child Safety

In this episode, we delve into the proposed social media ban in Florida, the US Surgeon General’s health advisory about social media, and helpful and hopeful tips for navigating screens, phones, and social media. 

RESOURCES: 

SMART PHONE ALTERNATIVES (Gabb Wireless, Bark, etc)

https://www.waituntil8th.org/devices

Good digital training guides to get your child ready

https://www.waituntil8th.org/digital-training

Read more on WAIT Until 8TH 

https://www.waituntil8th.org/

OK TO DELAY –another movement

https://www.oktodelay.org/

FAIRPLAY FOR KIDS https://fairplayforkids.org/

https://fairplayforkids.org/

TEEN SAFE https://teensafe.net/ (With TeenSafe, you can now easily monitor your kids' mobile phones. The phone tracker app lets you see their real-time location and know how they use their cell phones e.g. messaging, calls, apps etc.)

https://teensafe.net/

LIFE 360 https://www.life360.com/ 

Zigazoo—largest social network for kids under 16     https://zigazoo.com/ 

Also, here’s the story I did on Wait Until 8th eons ago at Good Morning America

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH9m8uGw9rE

Why the Tampa Bay Times is sponsoring Florida’s proposed ban

https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2024/02/09/heres-why-we-sponsored-florida-bill-ban-most-social-media-kids-under-16/

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