The Smartphone Solution: When and how to give your child a phone

by Martha Deiros Collado

The Essential Self-Help Guide to Your Children Thriving in a Digital Age from Clinical Psychologist and Bestselling Author Dr Martha Deiros Collado

‘The book us parents urgently need’ Dr Julie Smith

The smartphone it’s on every parent’s mind. When should I let my child have a phone? What are the risks and how can I protect them? How can I encourage and nurture healthy digital habits? In The Smartphone Solution, highly respected child-and-family clinical psychologist Dr Martha Deiros Collado provides the answers so you

determine the right age to give your child a phone answer the questions they may have and turn these conversations into moments that build connection distinguish the real risks and benefits of smartphones from the misinformation teach yourself and older siblings to model healthy phone habits navigate online safety, digital footprints, consent and family tech boundaries sign the Family Phone Pledge and build a supportive community with like-minded parents. Written with Dr Martha’s characteristic warmth and empathy, The Smartphone Solution will provide the information and tools you need to support your child and allow them to thrive in the modern digital world.

Audible Audio

Published August 28, 2025

Reviews

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly I wanted to say the only reason I marked it 3.5 ⭐️ is because I’m not a parent and do not work with kids, so a good chunk wasn’t relavent 2 me. If you are a parent it would be an easy 4 or 5⭐️. It was simply the relevance 4 me personally. It was however very well written and in my opinion this book should be mandatory for anyone with children.

I knew it would contain stuff I did not agree with, the mentioned studies that claim no evidence to phones and time spent impacting MH, and kids having smartphones at 13. I stand firm, no one should have smart tech until at least 18. Meta Studies, saying no evidence social media contributes to suicidal ideation or MH is ridiculous.

Things I agree with, parents should not allow kids phones in bedrooms or unsupervised, photos of kids should not be shared online, would you hand out photos of your child in the street to strangers? Trust me as someone who managed child sex offenders for work, the internet is no place for photos of your children especially on unlocked accounts. I have seen what offenders do with the most innocent of images taken from internet. Recent report shows 90% of images taken by predators r of fully clothed kids from social media then used to make sexually explicit images.
Really interesting about type of content males v females will end up seeing online. NSPCC reports 82% rise in online grooming of kids in last 5 yrs, 73% involving Snapchat.

The above r some of the things I felt were important 2 share from the book. This guide would be invaluable to parents. I would urge anyone with a child to read it. Very interesting, thought provoking, informative and relevant! The author clearly researched and worked hard on this book! I am grateful to have had the chance to read it 🩵