Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld supported their youngest son Shepherd, who graduated from high school.Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld are celebrating their youngest son's graduation from high school, and in honor of the occasion, they gave him an intentional gift—a flip cell phone.
"Our youngest son Shepherd graduated from high school yesterday. As I posted earlier in my stories, we gave him a flip phone for graduation in hopes he will turn in his smartphone," Jessica Seinfeld began in anTuesday. "Many of you have asked if this is his first phone - I wish! If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve waited until age 14 to give him a smartphone .
The mom of three has often posted on social media about encouraging a smartphone-free environment for kids. Among her posts is a video from social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, who wrote “The Anxious Generation,” which discusses teens' use of smartphones and social media and their impact on kids' mental health.
"It was when we gave kids smartphones and then right around that time, they also got ... social media accounts. When kids move their social lives onto social media like that, it's not human. It doesn't help them develop. And right away, mental health collapses," Haidt said at the time. "Kids need play and independence if they're going to become healthy, happy, and independent adults," Haidt added.