When Should My Kid Get a Phone? A Therapist's Guide to Social Media, Screen Time, and Teen Mental Health

If you are trying to decide when to give your child a phone - listen to this first! In this powerful episode of Screen Less Play More, host Cynthia Dvorak talks with Tessa Stuckey; therapist, author, and Look Up nonprofit founder about the growing mental health crisis facing kids and teens in the digital age. Tessa shares what shocked her as a counselor: more and more children, even as young as elementary school, were jumping straight to thoughts of self-harm or suicide after ordinary life stressors. Her research led her to uncover how screen overuse, instant gratification, social media comparison, lack of face-to-face connection, dopamine chasing, and online attention-seeking culture are reshaping childhood. More information at ScreenLessPlayMore.com This conversation is packed with practical parenting strategies to help kids build resilience offline: how to allow boredom without handing over an iPad how to teach coping skills that actually work why kids need more independence and real-world confidence how to delay phones and social media why many experts now recommend waiting until age 16 to buy your child a smart phone how to talk to kids about suicide, online predators, and digital safety why life is truly better offline If you are raising a tween, teen, adolescent, or even younger kids, this episode will help you create healthier tech boundaries and protect your child's mental health in today's always-online world. 🔍 In This Episode, We Discuss screen time and kids mental health how to delay smartphones no social media before 16 healthy coping skills for kids dopamine and screen addiction risky online apps like TikTok, Snapchat, and Roblox how to help kids self-regulate family technology boundaries why boredom builds resilience helping kids build confidence offline 📚 Guest Resource Tessa's book: For the Sake of Our Youth: A Therapist's Perspective on Raising Your Family in Today's Culture 🌿 Key Takeaway The goal is not to fear technology. It's to help kids develop the coping skills, confidence, connection, and self-worth offline first so they are emotionally ready for the digital world later. What's the best parenting podcast? You found it! Screen Less Play More! Join us as we discuss kids, phones, mental health, how to delay social media, how to prevent screen addiction, how to prevent suicide, and how to build real life resilience! This episode was previously called:  Tech Is Fueling Youth Suicide, 6 steps to keep your kids safe | Therapist Tessa Stuckey| Screen Less Play More Episode 5 Thanks for listening to the best podcast for parents! We truly appreciate it! screenless playmore