CHOP Pediatrician Tips on Smart Phone Use: An Essential Back-To-School Guide

As smartphones become an inevitable part of kids’ and teens’ lives, parents face tough decisions about when and how to introduce the powerful technology. As kids head back to school, Katie K. Lockwood, MD, a primary care pediatrician with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) can offer critical insights to help families and caregivers navigate this challenging landscape.

Lockwood shares key factors for families to consider before granting children smartphone access:

• If the phone is for safety – start with other options (such as a watch or a flip phone).
  
  
• Consider a child’s maturity and whether screen time could do more harm than good.
  
  
• Determine whether caregivers can actively enforce rules and monitor activities.

When kids already have phone access, Lockwood recommends strategies to establish boundaries, develop healthy digital habits and protect kids from cyberbullies and predators:

• Regulate screen time for passive activities like games/scrolling but remaining flexible. with creative and educational uses or when talking with close friends/family members.
  
  
• Create family rules and stick to them, such as no phones at dinner, during family movies and in the classroom (Lockwood encourages adults to set examples).
  
  
• Establish phones as a privilege and make sure kids know consequences for violating rules will be enforced.

• Charge phones in a common area at night so they don’t impact sleep and kids learn to self-soothe.
  
  
• Limit social media until they’re 16 and use parental controls to establish oversight.
  
  
• Pay attention to your child’s activities and moods. Keeping an open-door policy for conversations can make a difference.

In a world where digital wellness is increasingly vital, Lockwood can equip parents and caregivers with tools needed to help empower children while keeping them safe.