Top of Mind
iPhone? iDepressed!
Around half of U.S. kids own a smartphone by age 11, and that's bad news for their mental health according to a new study which found that preteens who own smartphones face higher risks of depression, obesity, and poor sleep.
Kids who had a smartphone at age 12 showed 31% higher odds of depression, 40% higher odds of obesity, and 62% higher odds of insufficient sleep compared with peers without phones.
What’s more interesting is that these specific risks only apply to smartphones, not other devices, like laptops or iPads.
How do social media platforms factor into this?
The important bits
The main reason smartphones are hurting children is because they grant them 24/7 access to social media, and that's cause for concern given that social media is basically a drug at this point. In fact, a newly unsealed court filing alleges Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat knowingly designed addictive features for teens, citing internal documents in which staff compared Instagram to a “drug” and noted minors lack the ability to control screen time.
Additionally, the American Psychological Association recently found that "brain rot" is a real problem. Data from 98,299 participants across 71 studies found that the more short-form content a person watches, the poorer cognitive performances they had in terms of attention and inhibitory control, making them less likely to seek out slow cognitive tasks like reading.
What's it all mean?
Keep your kid off social media for as long as possible. If your kid is just dying to have a phone, try out a phone like Gabb, which has no social media or internet browser access.
Did You Hear
📖 When did we stop reading to our children?
It looks like we all might be suffering from brain rot as many parents are reading less to their young children. Research shows kids read to daily hear hundreds of thousands more words by age 5, yet a 2025 survey found only 41% of caregivers read to children regularly. Experts warn this decline widens early learning gaps that appear as early as kindergarten. Don't believe us? Check out this state, which had over 3,000 students repeating the third grade for not meeting the state’s reading proficiency standards.
👶 Build-A-Baby Workshop
Silicon Valley's latest obsession? Building the perfect baby. Tech-driven embryo screening and emerging gene-editing tools are reshaping family planning. Prospective parents are increasingly using IVF, even without fertility issues, to select embryos based on risks for disease, mental health conditions, height, or even cognitive traits. Startups backed by billionaires are accelerating this trend, outpacing regulation and raising ethical concerns. Read all the craziness here.
🎀 Pokémon and Hello Kitty are making big comebacks
If you're trying to figure out how you're going to afford gifts this year for your kids, maybe you should just look in your attic? '90s brands are so hot right now, including Pokémon, Hello Kitty, Monopoly, Hot Topic and Super Mario. One of our personal favorites this year that will set you back less than $10? Monopoly Deal. It's a savage card game that will surely turn every family member against one another.
🚑 This fun ride for toddlers costs $9,000!
Read this mom's ambulance horror story.
Dose of Good
@sarah_stage All of us were ugly crying. So happy for my babies and welcome to our family Teddi!
Bites with Kiyah
Sheet Pan Greek Chicken Pitas (a 20 minute dinner win!) 🙌
Some nights you just need dinner to cook itself while you referee tug-of-war over who gets the blue cup. This is that dinner.
It’s fast, flavorful, and the kids can build their own pitas (which somehow makes them 10 times more willing to eat.) And the best part? Everything cooks on one sheet pan.
If you don’t already have a Greek seasoning you love, this is the one I swear by.
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken, thighs, sliced into strips
1 red onion, sliced
1-2 bell peppers, sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs Greek seasoning
Warm pitas or naan
Tzatziki for drizzling
Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers… Whatever is left in your fridge that works in a pita
Instructions:
Heat oven to 425°F
Toss chicken and veggies with olive oil and Greek seasoning
Spread everything on a sheet pan in a single layer (it helps to actually keep the chicken and veggies separate since they’ll cook at different rates, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t)
Roast 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges get a little crispy and the chicken is cooked through
Load into warm pitas, top with tzatziki and other veggies and let your kids build their own
Pro Tip: cleanup is even easier if you roast everything on a sheet of parchment paper.
Here’s a Question
At what age should a child get a smartphone with internet capabilities?
Last week, we asked you how much you plan to spend on gifts this holiday season, and the majority of you said, "About the same as last year."
Listen Up
This week Kiyah spoke with therapist Emily Cox about the perfectionism trap, and the surprising tools that can help families climb out of it.
Listen on your favorite platform!
Recalls
Troubles at Wally World!
At least 10 products sold at Walmart have been recalled recently due to safety concerns.
The products in question include Outdoor Master children's helmets, convertible high chairs sold by Rotinyard, and Glotika Baby Loungers. Get all the important info here.
