Andrea Eboli
The core asset

At what age should you give children a phone and social media?

You look around at restaurants and hotels and see almost every family with a dedicated screen for the child — and your kid starts asking for the game that "all their friends have," putting you in the role of the strict parent who says no.

Direct answer

The Desconecta movement recommends giving a phone to children only from age 14 and allowing social media only at 16, defending a screen-free childhood to protect development and the brain.

The Desconecta recommendation

The Desconecta movement, founded by mothers in São Paulo last April, advocates:

  • A phone for children only from age 14.
  • Social media only from age 16.

The movement already has around 90,000 followers and helped push, alongside legislators, the ban on phones in schools — which later became federal law.

Why so much caution

Screens are designed to addict and "rot" the brain, in the brain rot phenomenon. Additionally, Instagram filters and influencers teach young girls to measure their bodies from an early age, fueling the obsession with eternal thinness.

Limits in practice

  • Controlled TV during the week, more relaxed on weekends — like chocolate and pizza.
  • Clear agreements, like 20 minutes of gaming on Saturday and 20 on Sunday, with no bargaining on Monday.
  • "Brainwashing in a good way": explaining to the child that you're protecting their childhood and brain, not being the strict parent.
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