I gave my kid their first device (ft. Sarah Gardner & Titania Jordan)

<p>What happens when two parents who have spent years saying “not yet” to devices finally decide their kids are ready?</p><p><br /></p><p>In this conversation, Nicki Petrossi and Sarah Gardner share their very personal experiences giving their oldest children a first device — <a href="https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/5214646/2204011/17000" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">the Bark Watch</a> — and why they chose a tool designed for communication without opening the door to social media, browsers, games, or endless scrolling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joined by Bark Technologies’ Titania Jordan, they talk honestly about what parents are really trying to solve when they give a child a device: staying connected, managing anxiety around pickups and activities, traveling apart, and giving kids a little more independence — without handing them a smartphone.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the conversation goes much deeper. They explore whether constant access to parents can actually get in the way of building resilience, when a watch should become a phone, why delaying smartphones is becoming more normalized, and the uncomfortable reality that even adults struggle to resist addictive technology.</p><p><br /></p><p>They also discuss Apple, addictive design, the need for regulation, and what a healthier relationship with technology could look like for both kids <strong>and parents</strong>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most importantly, the three moms share the advice they would give before handing a child their first device — including one message every child should hear: <strong>If something goes wrong online, come talk to me. I won't be mad.</strong></p><p><br /></p><p>Because the goal isn't to keep our kids away from technology forever. It's to give them the <strong>least amount of technology necessary to solve the problem at hand.‍</strong></p><p><br /></p><p>‍<a href="https://info.bark.us/scrolling2deathbp" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Get the Bark Phone! </a></p><p><a href="https://info.bark.us/scrolling2death_bark" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Monitor your child's iPhone with the Bark App.</a></p><p><a href="https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/5214646/2204011/17000" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Get the Bark Watch!</a></p>