Parenting and family stuff

What I would say to the parents of Gen Alpha is: don’t let your children open accounts on social media platforms when they are still in early puberty. Delay their entry until at least 16. Prioritize their in-person interactions, and encourage them to discover who they are from real-world experiences, not manipulative algorithms.

All kids need the same things from their parents:

• To know they’re acceptable exactly as they are


• To know that no matter what, their parents will be there to help them, take care of them, protect them, give them food and shelter, and emotional/physical love


• To be delighted in

Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. — C. S. Lewis, “On Stories” https://t.co/wGA8Ixcmye

Let’s be open to letting go of cultural myths. We know that the benefits of teenage smartphones do not outweigh the risks and harms. There are thousands of reasons for buying a phone for your child, but there is only one reason to skip it: your child’s health and well-being. And that reason matters more than all the others.

Let me be clear: there is no way to make social media safe for children by just making the content less toxic. It’s the phone-based childhood that is harming them, regardless of what they watch . Kids need to be freed from the grip of smartphones and social media, especially through early puberty. This is why two of the four norms I propose for

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