My 13 year old has been using a cell phone for 6 months. We want him to have a phone so we can reach him but he never remembers to bring it with him when he is out. At home, he uses it to play video games instead of doing homework. How do I help him control his phone instead of his phone controlling him?

Coach Jon's answer

Your answer is in the first line of your question:  he has only been using a phone for 6 months. In this era of powerful phones, Kids, adults, neurodiverse, and neurotypical folks all have challenges controlling their tech use rather than letting it control them. It may take your child 2-3 years to learn to use their phone for good not time wasting. But you definitely can help them. 

Building habits takes time and energy but learning to always put a phone in a pocket or purse before leaving the house is a habit worth building. As far as not letting his phone distract your child, both Android and iPhone have timers where you can permit a time limit on apps that you and your child choose together. The idea here is to make limits on tech use a joint project between you and your son (or your son’s coach and your son) so over time he learns to take responsibility for this himself.