"Admit the mistake and take back the phone Many parents feel locked in once they've given a young child a smartphone, assuming it's too late to reverse course. Twenge pushes back: "You're the parent. You pay that bill. You absolutely can" reclaim the device. Her recommended script for a child 13 or under is to hand them a basic phone and say, "I made a mistake, and that's on me" — then offer the choice of a basic phone or nothing at all. She notes that most children choose the basic phone, and that a volcanic reaction to losing the smartphone is itself a diagnostic signal: "If the reaction is that extreme, it does happen, but it will go away — it will extinguish." Source: Jean Twenge, The Happiness Lab, Social Media and Teen Mental Health"