Actors Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega have a decidedly old-school answer to their children’s future smartphone requests: wait until adulthood.
“They will not have a smartphone before they turn 18,” the couple said in a recent episode of their “LEXLOS” podcast.
Their alternative already includes a little nostalgia: a CD player and CDs for their children’s music. For two parents whose work involves online content, choosing something that cannot send a child wandering through an endless catalog is a deliberate trade-off.
The PenaVegas discussed the convenience of their own smartphones, too. They have considered switching to simpler phones and keeping a separate iPhone for social media, but work messages and requests make that arrangement harder to pull off.
That tension will sound familiar to parents who need their phones for work while trying to keep those same devices from taking over family life. The couple’s conversation acknowledges both sides: a tool can make an adult’s job easier without belonging in a child’s pocket.
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For parents who want to skip the smartphone but also stay in touch with their teens, the husband-wife duo suggested getting a flip phone.
That distinction matters. Being able to call home and carrying a portable doorway to apps, online feeds and unrestricted browsing are different decisions, even when both devices fit in the same backpack.
The American Academy of Pediatrics makes a similar distinction in its guidance on a child’s first phone. It encourages families to consider a flip phone or a watch that allows communication and to weigh a child’s responsibility, impulse control and need for help making decisions.
The guidance does not prescribe the PenaVegas’ age-18 rule for every family. Instead, it asks parents to look at the child in front of them, talk through expectations and keep checking in about digital life.
Music brings the issue home for the PenaVegas. In the episode, they describe concerns about children browsing playlists and encountering artwork they do not want them to see, even when adults have tried to limit explicit songs.
For families who do use Spotify, the service’s instructions explain that its explicit-content setting blocks playback of releases carrying an explicit tag. Spotify says those labels depend on information from rights-holders and provides a way to report content that lacks the correct tag.
That describes a particular playback control, not a substitute for parents deciding what their children can browse. Checking settings together and choosing music ahead of time gives families a more concrete starting point than assuming one switch settles every concern.
The AAP’s Family Media Plan guidance also puts adults in the picture. It recommends rules for every family member, screen-free spaces and time for activities such as reading, outdoor play and family games.
The PenaVegas have chosen a firm boundary for their household, along with a simpler way for their children to enjoy music. Other families may set a different timetable, but the conversation gives parents a useful question to take home: what does my child need this device to do, and what else comes with it?
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