
Is My Child Ready for a Smartphone? With Adam Pletter, PsyD
From Screen Deep by Children and Screens
November 19, 2025 · 49 min · Season 1 · Episode 23
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges parents face in deciding when to give their child a smartphone, featuring insights from psychologist Dr. Adam Pletter.
A child’s first smartphone is a modern "rite of passage" and today's parents face a challenging decision – when is the right time? Peer pressure and fear of missing out loom heavily, yet there are significant risks to introducing a smart device before a child is ready. On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry talks with psychologist and creator of iParent101, Dr. Adam Pletter, about developmental readiness and practical steps for safely introducing a “pocket-sized computer” that allows...
People in this episode
Host: Kris Perry
Guest: Adam Pletter
Topics covered
- smartphones
- child development
- parenting decisions
- peer pressure
- digital readiness
Keywords
- smartphone
- children
- parenting
- developmental readiness
- peer pressure
- digital devices
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: iParent101
More episodes of Screen Deep
- How Toxic Food Marketing Affects Child Health with Kelly Brownell, PhD · May 27, 2026 · 44 min
- What Matters for Young Children's Healthy Digital Media Use and Learning? With Rachel Barr, PhD · May 6, 2026 · 44 min
- Making Social Media Safer: How Lawsuits Are Changing the Game with Matt Bergman · April 15, 2026 · 42 min
- Measuring How Screens Change Young Brains with Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, PhD · March 25, 2026 · 48 min
- Does Age of Smartphone Ownership Affect Child Health? With Ran Barzilay, MD, PhD · March 4, 2026 · 52 min
- The Costs of Youth Attachment to AI Companions with Pilyoung Kim, PhD · February 11, 2026 · 53 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Screen Deep podcast page.