JH96: Being SMART about Cell Phones with Leah Nieman

Teens and cell phones are a touchy subject in many circles. We want our kids to be safe, and in this tech-savvy world there are a lot of dangers out there. That is why I was so ready to connect with Leah Neiman about all things teens, social media and cell phones.

Thank you to Book Shark for sponsoring the Joyfully Homeschooling Podcast.

As you may know, podcasting takes a lot of time. I typically mass record 3 months’ worth of episodes in one month. This gives time for editing, show notes to be written, and for me to record introductions beforehand and solo episodes. Therefore, this episode will of course not address the current COVID19 pandemic. It may also reference homeschool conventions or other events that are now closed. I apologize in advance, however, the content and advice given in the episode is something we can all learn from regardless of the time it was recorded.

Leah Nieman is known as the technology guru, and I am so excited to bring her on to talk about teens and cell phones. I’ll be honest, I always planned on waiting until my kids were older to give them cell phones, but both ended up with one around 12 due to the fact that they spent so much time away from us for youth group, sports, and other activities. So, I caved.

Now, we have had some issues off and on since, as I am sure you can imagine. So, I was ready to learn from Leah about all things teens and cell phones.

Leah is a wife and mom of 2 homeschool graduates. She’s a popular speaker who encourages parents to walk with their kids through the world of social media and technology so we raise a generation of digitally responsible young adults. You can find her eBooks Connected: Apps All Parents Should Know, Quick Guide to Parental Controls for Kindle, and Connected: A Parent’s Guide to Snapchat, as well as tips on technology and social media at leahnieman.com.

Here is a small snippet into our conversation on teens and cell phones:

Let’s start with age, about what age would you recommend a cell phone for a child, and are there phones out there that aren’t “smart”
Now, let’s move on to social media, what social media apps are all the rage for teens, and which ones are the safest, and those that are not so safe?
What do you do when you see your child breaking rules that you put in place? How do you know when to lessen the rules and when to rein them?
What do you do when you see a child who is obviously becoming addicted to their phone?

I hope you learn more about teens, cell phones, and safe technology after this episode. Be sure to check out the resources in the show notes to connect with Leah!

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I’m not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions for iTunes and Stitcher users. Resources mentioned in this episode:

Teens and cell phones are a touchy subject in many circles. We want our kids to be safe, and in this tech-savvy world there are a lot of dangers out there. That is why I was so ready to connect with Leah Neiman about all things teens, social media and cell phones.

Here is a small snippet into our conversation on teens and cell phones:

Disclosure: