5 Things I Learned From 5 Days in a 5th Grade Group Chat

And Why I Remain Convinced 11-Year-Olds Should Not Have Smartphones

I set my phone aside for 30 minutes to focus on another task. When I returned, I had 247 messages waiting for me.

What happened? I had joined a 5th grade group chat.

Not long ago, my daughter burst into the door after school and wailed: “Mom, how am I supposed to text my friends if I don’t have a phone!?” She had a point: even with a landline telephone and her own number, kids just don’t call each other anymore. They text.

I wanted her to have access to her friends…

Read the rest of this story on Emily’s website (linked here)!

Emily Cherkin, M.A.Ed., is a tech-intentional parent, educator, speaker, writer, and founder of The Screentime Consultant, LLC, and her work has been featured in local and national news, including in The New York Times and on The Today Show and Good Morning, America.