What is the best phone for kids?
It’s the question parents everywhere are asking—and today, we’re finally going to answer it.

In this episode, Melanie is joined by special guest and fellow mom, Hayley, who recently went on the journey of deciding what kind of phone her son should have. When Hayley casually mentioned that she uses a flip phone, Melanie knew she needed to get her on the show to unpack the whole story—and the bigger dilemma every parent is facing in today’s digital world.

Together, they walk through The Grand Smartphone Experiment—how we all went from simple flip phones to handing miniature supercomputers to 12-year-olds, and why the cultural pendulum is finally swinging back toward sanity.

Melanie and Hayley revisit the flip-phone era, the arrival of the smartphone, the “let’s give these to our kids” panic years, the rise of “safe phones,” and the slow slide back into danger as kid-phones become more like adult smartphones.

Most importantly, they answer the real question:

What do kids actually need—developmentally, emotionally, and socially—when it comes to tech?

This conversation offers parents clarity, confidence, courage, and a fresh perspective on what independence really looks like. You’ll learn:

• Why kids never needed smartphones in the first place
• How “safe phones” slowly became unsafe
• The hidden developmental costs of giving kids smartphones
• Why the simplest tool—a basic, boring flip phone—is often the smartest choice
• The surprising benefits kids gain by NOT having what everyone else has
• Why phones should be tools, not toys
• And why giving kids less tech builds more grit, leadership, and real independence

If you’ve ever felt unsure, pressured, or alone in your phone decision, this episode will leave you empowered. The narrow road is rarely the easy road—but it’s always the right one.

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ScreenStrong Tech Recommendations

• Canopy—Device Filter (use code STRONG for discount)

Production Team:

• Host: Melanie Hempe
• Producer & Audio Editor: Olivia Kernekin