Connect with Kathy Van Benthuysen
→Email: kathy@converlation.com
→LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-van-benthuysen/
→Digital Prep Academy: Search “Digital Prep Academy” on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, and YouTube

What this episode is about
→Why kids feel like every mistake can go viral now
→How to prep kids before the phone and before social media shows up
→The Phone Readiness Challenge and the 4 pillars it measures

Who this helps
→Parents who feel behind and pressured because “everyone else has a phone”
→Educators and coaches who want practical tools for healthier tech habits

Key takeaways
→Once a phone is handed over, it’s hard to take it back.
→Parents need a path that builds buy in, not constant enforcement.
→Readiness beats age, “I’m 13” is not a plan.
→Responsibility matters because phones amplify existing habits.
→Emotional maturity matters because “left out” and “told no” are daily triggers online.
→Tech awareness matters because platforms are engineered to keep kids scrolling.
→Character matters because most of the real decisions happen when no one is watching.
→Parental controls can create a never ending policing job for parents.
→Kids respond differently to coaching from someone who is not their parent.
→Repetition wins, you have to keep saying the message until it finally lands.

Quotables
→“Do it messy, do it afraid. Just do it.”
→“Your eyeballs are the price of it.”
→“Kids want and need boundaries.”
→“If you give your kid a phone, they will find hours of time to be on the phone.”
→“Keep your kids away from tech as long as possible.”

Practical tools and frameworks
→Run a Phone Readiness Challenge with the child and the parent taking the same quiz.
→Use the 4 pillars: responsibility, emotional maturity, tech awareness, character.
→Make the phone the “carrot,” complete the prep first, then earn the device.
→Build a “go out to eat bag” so boredom doesn’t become an iPad habit.
→Have the “why” conversations early, before the pressure moments happen at friends’ houses.

Books mentioned
→The Bible
→Giftology by John Ruhlin
→Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Hosted by Jordan Ring
→I’m Jordan, ghostwriter, book coach, author, and developmental editor.
→Have you ever thought about writing a book.
→Contact me at jordan@jmring.com
→Connect with me at jmring.com