Should Your Child Get a Smartwatch Before a Smartphone?

Most parents don't hand over that first smartphone because they're excited about TikTok, YouTube, and group chats. They do it because their child needs a way to call home.That simple need has turned into one of the hardest decisions in modern parenting.Jennifer Jolly talks with Russell York, founder and CEO of Cosmo, about what should come before a child's first smartphone. Cosmo makes kids' smartwatches — including the JrTrack 5 — that let kids call, text, and share location with approved contacts, without social media, YouTube, or an open browser. Cosmo calls the dread parents feel around all of this "techxiety," and York says he's got it too.Jennifer's tested nearly every kids' watch out there, and she puts the JrTrack 5 through its paces — including the billing fine print Cosmo doesn't advertise. She also pushes York on Apple's parental controls, Big Tech's incentives, school phone bans, and the class divide in family screen time.York's strongest point might be the simplest one: kids have always needed a way to reach home. They had payphones, quarters, collect calls, and a friend's kitchen phone. The payphone disappeared. The smartphone replaced it. Parents are now trying to rebuild the missing step in between.In this episode:• What "techxiety" is — and why the CEO who named it has it too• Why Meta's $375 million verdict didn't change a thing• Is Apple's biggest-ever parental controls update real, or PR?• The Screen Time passcode loophole every kid figures out• What the JrTrack 5 gets right — and the billing catch to know before you buy• Safety or surveillance? Tracking your kid and the trust question• "Natural light vs. processed light" — the class divide nobody talks aboutBest quote: "We have always connected kids. And it's always been something that society understood was a right that everybody had — to call for help, to connect with your parents." — Russell YorkFull story, links and product details: Techish.comQuestions or guest ideas: [email protected] to Techish with Jennifer Jolly for straight answers about the technology showing up in your life, your home, and your family.