I am someone who would probably not own a smart phone if it wasn't such a pain to not have one.
I can see with the kids in my extended family how even by 12, not having a smart phone is going to damage your social life. It was awkward enough for me at that age with rotary phones. I couldn't do that to my kid if I had one.
We have put ourselves in a really bad spot. Even if a parent wants to do what is best for the kid, I have no idea what that is. To pretend there is some simple and obvious answer here is completely divorced from reality.
I am someone who would probably not own a smart phone if it wasn't such a pain to not have one.
I can see with the kids in my extended family how even by 12, not having a smart phone is going to damage your social life. It was awkward enough for me at that age with rotary phones. I couldn't do that to my kid if I had one.
We have put ourselves in a really bad spot. Even if a parent wants to do what is best for the kid, I have no idea what that is. To pretend there is some simple and obvious answer here is completely divorced from reality.