Is summer a good time to get that first phone for kids? Read this.

If you decided to give your child their first phone this summer, consider this: Extended breaks like holidays and summer are great times to introduce the new tech.

“I recommend introducing a child’s first phone when you’re around them a lot,” says Alanna Powers, research and program specialist at the Family Online Safety Institute. Her organization provides guidance on digital parenting and helps families navigate technology safely and responsibly.

Powers adds that having a phone for kids for those summertime routines, like coordinating rides and schedules for summer activities, is not only practical but also could help ensure your kid will be ready for a phone when they head back to school in the fall. Here, she shares three ways parents can prepare kids for their first phone in the summer.

1. First phone for kids 101.

Learning may be the last thing on kids’ minds during the summer but getting them familiar with a new device is worth their time and attention.

“Make sure your kids know how to use their phone from a practical sense and to the best of their ability,” says Powers. For example:

Texting. Talk about how to text, and when to text, and that texts should be friendly and free of harmful messages or images.

Contacts. Add work and phone numbers for important contacts such as parents and caregivers. And make sure your kids know how to reach you in an emergency.

Do not disturb. Show them how to toggle on features on the device that may help them stay on task when they go back to school.

Push notifications. Show them how to turn off app notifications for the apps you approved them to use.

Pictures and video. Talk about asking for someone’s permission if they’re taking a picture or video, especially if it’s going on social media.

Social posts. If they’re over the age of 13, talk about what’s appropriate to post online, especially if it’s a public account. Talk about not sharing photos online that reveal their location, and turn off location sharing on their device settings for photos, too.

Media literacy. Ensure your kids are thinking critically about what they see or read online. This deck of media literacy flashcards can help.

2. Set up tech-go and tech-no zones and times.

While summer and holiday breaks offer plenty of freedom for kids, having no routine can be tough to manage for some. Powers suggests that having a schedule around that first phone for kids can be helpful.

“The lack of structure during the summer can lead to boredom,” she says. “If there are no activities scheduled throughout the day, it may lead to endless scrolling or too much time on social media.”

Build in time each day for your child to put the phone down and go outside or at least explore a variety of activities they can do with their device. These tips can help provide a good framework:

• Set device-free times and zones. The classic example is no phones at the dinner table. You might take this a step further and say no phones before, during, or after a certain time, or set up tech-go and no-tech zones in your home.

• Encourage device-free family time. Give your kids something to look forward to beyond the screen. Maybe that’s an after-dinner walk, dance party or playing board games a couple of nights a week.

• Suggest in-person meetups. Have your child use their device to arrange plans with friends they no longer see in class every day. This is a practical digital skill that helps them stay connected in meaningful ways.

• Mix digital and analog fun. Phones are part of daily life, so model healthy, safe ways to bring them into your routines. Consider a family fitness challenge.

3. And finally, review school rules for kids’ phone usage.

Rules around using phones for kids at school may vary depending on the district, the school, and even the teacher, so it’s important to understand what your child can and can’t do with their device during school hours. Look to your child’s school website for guidance or check in with teachers and staff during school orientation. Make the summer break a time to learn about those rules at school.

“Your child should be familiar with school rules so they can abide by them,” says Powers. “Especially since it’s their first phone and their first time having to worry about rules around it.”

No matter what boundaries you set around your child’s first phone, Powers says getting family and caregivers on the same page about the first phone for kids is a big part of reinforcing good digital habits.

“If you’re setting phone rules for your child, be sure to follow them, too,” she says. That also means extended family, blended family, or anyone helping to raise your child also should be modeling good digital behaviors. “Make sure they’re all aware your child has their first phone and what the rules are.”

It’s the first app for their first phone—Smart Family.