If your adolescent girl’s friends are getting smartphones, you might have noticed a change in them. Even if your girl doesn’t have one, the smartphone has fused itself as another “friend” in her peer group.  

Don’t believe it? Watch how their behavior changes when the smartphone comes out of the pocket. Suddenly they’re acutely aware of the possibility to be photographed, videoed, every move recorded and analyzed. It’s changing a generation’s personality! Where once your girl might have laughed so hard she spouted milk from her nose, now the fear of criticism has dampered her joy. 

Consider designating your house a “phone-free” zone! A place where your girl and her friends can lay aside the smartphone peer presence, and let themselves be silly, enjoy a messy snack without embarrassment, and let their hair down. 

1 John 4:18 

Listen to the Raising Godly Girls Minute with Patti Garibay: