Episode 260: When Should I Give My Kid a Cell Phone? Plus, ‘Bonhoeffer’

LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 260

Christmas is coming. Just flip on a football game or walk through a grocery store and you’ll see plenty of evidence of that. And that means that many a parent is asking themselves a critical and often vexing question: Should I get my child a phone for Christmas?

For many a teen—and let’s be honest, a preteen, too—a phone might be the biggest thing on their Christmas wish list. Getting a phone can feel almost like a rite of passage these days. And for kids who have friends who already have phones themselves, it can feel like an absolute social necessity.

But is it?

Kennedy Unthank, Jonathan McKee and I talk about the pros and cons of giving and getting phones. We offer some strong thoughts on when you should start considering a phone, as well as some pragmatic guidelines on keeping phone usage in check.

And, as we look forward to a busy movie week next week, we talk about one you might not have heard about as much as Wicked or Gladiator II—but maybe you should’ve. It’s called Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin. And it’s based on, of course, the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who embraced pacifism but came to believe that something needed to be done about Adolf Hitler.

Kennedy saw the movie, and he’ll give us a sneak peek of the film before we even post our official review.

So please join us, won’t you? And then join in the conversation. Thinking about getting your child a phone? When did you get your own phone—and do you think it was too soon or too late? Do you plan on seeing Bonhoeffer?

Let us know below in the comments section. Chime in on Facebook and Instagram. Go to The Plugged In Show homepage and leave us a voice message. Or write us an email at [email protected].

And be sure to listen next week when we talk Wicked and the wonderful world of musicals.

The post Episode 260: When Should I Give My Kid a Cell Phone? Plus, ‘Bonhoeffer’ appeared first on Plugged In.