When to get kids their first cell phone brings up all kinds of questions: How do you know when your child is ready? How to talk to kids about safety? How to help kids develop a healthy relationship with their phone? Social Media? Phone etiquette? (The list goes on!) In today’s episode, Sarah welcomes back her friend Dr. Catherine Pearlman to talk about kids and technology–specifically the learning that happens when kids start to navigate their own personal devices, like phones.

Dr. Catherine Pearlman is a social worker who has been helping kids and families navigate all kinds of challenges for the past 25 years. She recently published First Phone: A Child’s Guide to Digital Responsibility, Safety & Etiquette, written for kids 8-14. Today Catherine helps us navigate the new and murky waters of personal devices for our kids and answers some of your burning questions about first phones. Plus, stick around for a short conversation Sarah had with her own 9- and 12 year-olds about what THEY think about this topic!

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• You can order a copy of Catherine’s book First Phone: A Child’s Guide To Digital Responsibility, Safety & Etiquette (This is an affiliate link.)
• Catherine first appeared on The Mom Hour in Voices 16
• Catherine’s website and coaching practice is The Family Coach
• You can find Catherine @TheFamilyCoach on Twitter, @TheFamilyCoach on Facebook, and on instagram at both @catherinepearlman and @thefamilycoachsays
• Catherine’s book Ignore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction (This is an affiliate link.)
• Catherine was kind enough to provide us with her sample phone contract from her book (Thanks, Catherine!)