Time To Ditch The Smartphone Contract

Building strong digital citizens does not begin with a smartphone contract

- Melanie Hempe

You gave your child his first smartphone and want to ensure a safe, positive phone experience. Why not have him sign a smartphone contract, right? Seems like a smart idea. After trying this popular tool, many parents have discovered that the family smartphone contract is not worth the paper it is printed on. Building good digital citizens does not begin with a smartphone contract. Here are seven specific reasons why:

1. You are dealing with a child’s brain.

Contracts are not for kids. The frontal cortex, the executive control judgment center in the human brain, is not fully developed until approximately age 25. Your child may indeed be very smart, but intelligence has nothing to do with maturity. His lack of maturity shows as he pleads with you and chips away at your leadership through overreaction, exaggeration, comparison and guilt.

2. You can’t trust them, and that’s OK.