Getting a cell phone has become a right of passage for teenagers in America.
I remember the days we dreamed of our first car, but now it seems more common to dream of your first cell iPhone before you ever dream of getting behind the wheel.
With that said, my son is now at that age and preparing himself for the world of texting, social media, and who knows what else. That means we also need to set some guidelines around using that phone.
So now, my son is writing his own rules with no input so far from me.
I will keep the consequences between G- Force and his dad, but any thoughts on something he didn’t cover? What rules would you add to the list? Anything else I should be watching out for?
Here are some of my favorite insights/comments from Facebook:
Share your tips in the comments below!
Some days I can’t believe how much I am learning from a 13 year man-boy
With love and respect,
-don.
Don O'Neill
When Don is not behind a microphone, you might find him helping clients shop for properties to buy, invest, or sell. As an active investor, Don seeks out properties for long term investments. Schedule Your Sit Don with Ron today!
14 thoughts on “My Teenage Son’s “Rules for a Phone””
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As someone mentioned, use of snapchat and tiktok to message should be avoided. While it is the go to for many kids this age, not getting sucked into the ‘peer pressure’ is important. Messages should be used via the message app on iPhone or on Android. Even YouTube has messaging. Such a tough age to have a phone but since he is open to making rules perhaps revisit them every 6 months or every year might be key as well. I made it through 4 kids my 2 older kids (33 and 29)were at the start of the cell phone age. In fact, I was just talking to my daughter (29) about this last night. Good luck.
This is great feedback! Thanks, Cindy!
Still miss you guys every afternoon. KIRO has sure gone down the tubes and it started when they let you guys go. So glad to know that you came out ahead of the game. Just not so good for your regular listeners.
Thanks, Merrily! If you ever get an urge to listen to the Ron and Don Show again, check out our podcast here: https://ronanddon.com/radio/
We post 4 new episodes a week, so plenty of content to make up for lost time!
Be very cautious with handing your phone to others for inputting thier number.
Great advice, thanks Marj!
You have brilliant followers and there is nothing I can add. Love and blessings to your wonderful family. Thank you for sharing – you should write a book for entertainment families.
Thanks, Aubrey! I can always use all the help I can get!
Of course you should be able to check it any time and maybe you both should sign up so your phone shows you your screen time for the week. I feel like you should be very specific about looking at the phone, like Saturday mornings, I double check your phone because if you don’t do it for several weeks or months and then something suspicious happens and you have to look, then you will be the bad guy and you don’t trust him, yada yada. I LOVE the idea of him making his own rules.. self awareness, baby!
The most important thing is that he doesn’t look at it when you have guests, even adults, and especially at meals and restaurants, no matter if his friends do it or not. He needs to see how adults interact, even though with you being his dad, that’s a given, haha. Make eye contact!
Love this, Clara! Seeing adults interact isn’t even something that came to mind when thinking about these “rules” for him. Eye contact is key!
G-Force has made a great list! I agree with Julie Clark on Facebook that it’s important to clarify where the phone lives during the nighttime hours, and what are the specific hours of usage. There’s always one quick response to a friend that needs to be sent right at bedtime–funny how that works!
Thanks, Mark! Super glad I posted up asking for advice. The insights you guys are sharing is invaluable!
When my teenage grandkids visit at my house, the phones go with me into my bedroom at night.
Phones are also turned off during mealtimes….including mine.
I like others, miss your broadcasts,. I do listen to your podcasts. and enjoy what is happening in your lives.
Hey Kim, that is a pretty interesting approach. I hadn’t thought about limiting use overnight. Thank you for the feedback and thanks for listening!