Aussie Mum's SHOCKING Trick to Keep Her 12-Year-Old OFF Smartphones – Experts Say It's a Game Changer!

Mum-of-three Bella from New South Wales is in a predicament that echoes the concerns of many parents today: how to introduce her children to communication technology without overwhelming them. As her eldest child approaches the age when she might start asking for a phone, Bella has decided to hold off on that moment for a little longer. While her nine-year-old isn’t clamoring for the latest smartphone, Bella recalls her own childhood experiences in the '90s, reminiscing about the nostalgia of chatting with friends on a home landline.

In a recent interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, Bella expressed her desire to revive that piece of technology for her kids, ages nine, five, and two. "I'm trying to navigate raising these kids and their desires for being social and having a social life," she said, "but then also not wanting to expose them too intensely to screens or the world of the internet or social media."

With a vision to create a safe environment for her children to communicate, Bella plans to place a corded landline in a public area of the home, such as the kitchen or living room. This way, she can keep an eye on their conversations and avoid the temptation of sneaking off into their rooms. "A public place, to me, just feels like a safe way to solve the problem," she explained. Bella emphasizes that this approach isn’t about monitoring her children but rather about introducing them to communication in a gradual and controlled manner.

She wants her children to be social, to make friends, but believes that they don’t necessarily need a screen to do that. "I want to do it in a safe way and then slowly work up to social media," she noted. Bella views calling friends as an "important" life lesson, especially in an age where texting has become the preferred method of communication for many young people. She plans to wait until her daughter genuinely wants to use the phone to talk to friends before setting it up, aiming for a collaborative experience with her children.

This approach resonates with other parents in Australia, many of whom have expressed support for Bella's idea. They shared their experiences of introducing landlines into their households as a way to help their children develop critical communication skills. One parent shared, "We got a house phone when my daughter was 5 so we could teach her how to call 000 in an emergency." Another chimed in, "If we all do this, we can make it cool again." However, some parents remain skeptical, questioning whether children accustomed to texting would take to a home phone.

As screen time continues to be a hot topic among parents in the United States, Bella's idea raises an interesting question: could landlines make a comeback? With the proliferation of smartphones costing less than $100 and providing instant access to the internet and various apps, the relevance of landlines has diminished over the years. According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the percentage of Australians using only a mobile phone without a landline jumped from 29% in 2015 to 63% in 2020.

Young people are the biggest contributors to this shift; for example, 82% of Australians aged 25 to 34 use their smartphones for calls, in stark contrast to just 27% of those over 75. While some parents may feel nostalgic about landlines, the reality is that mobile technology has reshaped communication habits.

Bella's cautious approach comes at a time when Australian lawmakers are also taking steps to limit social media access for younger users. New regulations set to take effect on December 10 will prevent children under 16 from accessing platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) and Snapchat without proper age verification. This change aims to foster real-world connections and resilience in young Australians, as stated by Communications Minister Anika Wells.

“The purpose of this law is clear – this is about creating cultural change so that young Australians have three more years to build real world connections and online resilience,” Wells explained. As such, parents are being encouraged to talk to their children about these upcoming changes and prepare them for a world where online interactions may be more limited.

In a landscape where both technology and parenting philosophies are rapidly evolving, Bella's decision to revive the landline could be viewed as a nostalgic yet practical approach to help her children navigate the complexities of modern communication. Whether this practice will catch on remains to be seen, but it certainly opens up an important dialogue among parents about the balance between technology and traditional forms of communication.