The Patrick Madrid Show: February 17, 2026 - Hour 3

Patrick brings the smartphone struggle front and center, questioning why tech and social media seem to influence children more than their own families. Parents call in with raw confessions, regrets, and inventive solutions, from holding out on smartphones to battling the sneaky ways kids get around controls, while stories of bikes, banana seats, and even Maseratis bring humor and a touch of nostalgia to the mix. Rules, boundaries, and values collide with modern tech, leaving listeners weighing connection, safety, and family sanity in a world where a phone can change everything.

• Audio: Once kids get smart phones, family life turns into a fight over screen time . . . - https://x.com/drantbradley/status/2012876836502405511 (00:23)
• Audio: just because everyone is doing it doesn’t mean your kids should do it too - https://x.com/modernxdad/status/2015262851414544684 (02:21)
• Todd - Smart phone: I challenge you to switch to a flip phone and have kids watch Gun Smoke (09:14)
• Liz - We are a family of smart phone holdouts, and we gave our kids flip phones and my kids don't care. (10:25)
• Melissa - A counselor told me that I should get my kid a phone so she could feel more part of other kids' social circles. That was the beginning of the end. (19:36)
• Jorge - From where I come from, we didn't have TVs. I think I can enjoy the benefit of learning without it. I compare the TVs of yesterday to the phone today. (23:29)
• Jessica - Smart phones: Somethings that helped me prolong the eventuality of kids getting a phone was a straight A report card. (29:09)
• Gloria - Smart phone: I set parameters for my kids. My children wanted them at a young age. I did a lot of research before getting them phones. We used a lot of the parental controls available. I think it is working out. (34:14)
• Marie - I have a teenager and a preteen. I totally agree with Patrick. My 10-year-old hacked my iPad and removed restrictions. (40:27)
• Andrew - I am a parent of 6 kids. I struggle with how smart phones can lead to the sin of envy. (44:31)
• John - My college age son argues that killing in video games is moral and I argue it is not. Can you help me? (49:02)

Originally Aired on 01/29/26