DEEP DIVE: Catherine Pearlman on Kids and Phones

About this episode

The episode features Dr. Catherine Pearlman discussing the implications of kids having phones and how to manage screen time responsibly.

This month, our "Deep Dive" is into some of our past episodes about screen time: the effects it has on our kids, how tech companies engineer their devices to be as addictive as possible, and how we can allow our kids to enjoy screens with supportive limits. The dreaded question "When should my kid get a phone?" is one we're asked often. These days "whether" is not part of the equation, and the ages at which our kids' peers are getting phones seems younger than ever. Dr. Catherine Pearlman, author of the new book ⁠First Phone: A Child's Guide To Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette⁠, is the founder of ⁠The Family Coach⁠ and a licensed clinical social worker who has been working with children and families for more than 25 years. First Phone– a book written not for parents, but for our kids– puts the risks and rewards of a phone in perspective for our children, and helps them consider what parameters they themselves might want to put on their phones and how they can use them wisely. In this episode, Catherine, Amy and Margaret discuss: What we often don't think about when we hand our kids their first phones [12:55] When kids should get their own social media accounts…

People in this episode

Hosts: Amy Wilson, Margaret Ables

Guest: Catherine Pearlman

Topics covered

• screen time
• digital responsibility
• kids and phones
• social media
• digital consent

Keywords

• screen time
• kids
• phones
• digital consent
• social media
• parenting
• technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Family Coach

Books & works: First Phone: A Child's Guide To Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette

More episodes of What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms

• Can We Make Youth Sports Fun Again? · September 9, 2026 · 42 min
• DEEP DIVE: When Kids Fight You on Everything · September 7, 2026 · 42 min
• BEST OF: How to Make the Back-to-School Transition a Little Easier · September 4, 2026 · 40 min
• Overfunctioning · September 2, 2026 · 42 min
• DEEP DIVE: Jennifer Wallace on Achievement Pressure · August 31, 2026 · 33 min
• Fresh Take: Dr. Stuart Slavin on The Pressures Causing Depression, Anxiety, and Burnout in Our Kids · August 28, 2026 · 39 min