Mum blown away by daughter’s transformation after taking her iPhone

A mother has revealed how her household dynamics have shifted dramatically since she took her daughter’s iPhone and gave her a basic flip phone instead. Becca Farley, a mum-of-two in her 20s, made the bold move after observing her 12-year-old using social media in ‘not a very appropriate way’.

The concerned parent said she became particularly alarmed after witnessing a decline in her daughter’s mental health and noticing she was perpetually holed up in her bedroom, showing little interest in anything beyond her mobile device. Following a frank discussion with her daughter, Becca swapped the smartphone, which was packed with social media applications, for a flip phone.

Becca explained: “I’ll just preface this by saying this was not done as a means to control my teenager… It was purely done for her mental well-being.

“She was putting herself in unsafe situations and I had to, as her mum, put her safety before her online social life. So for context, my daughter is 13 this year and we had quite a tricky few months leading up to this point.

“All of it really was surrounding social media, the use of the phone. It just wasn’t a very happy atmosphere. We sat down and had a conversation.

“She isn’t a fiery character. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. I had a conversation with her and she did not agree, obviously. She wasn’t keen on the idea.”

Three weeks on, Becca shared an update on TikTok under the handle @urgh.becc, detailing the significant progress her almost-teenage daughter had made since having her iPhone confiscated.

She said: “The one biggest blessing that I think has come out of all of this is her mental wellbeing. I cannot express to you the change that I have seen in that child in three weeks.

“She’s an entirely different child. Before all of this, she was coming home from school, hibernating in her bedroom, getting sucked into this fake reality online and losing all spark about her, all personality, all drive, all wish to do anything but live in this fantasy world that is social media.

“Now she spends so much time with us, she is so happy, she’s so funny, she’s started reading again, she’s taken up other interests and hobbies, and she is truly an absolute joy to be around. It’s like the dark cloud is lifted.”

Becca clarified that her daughter still has access to an iPad, which she can use before or after dinner for activities such as watching Netflix, FaceTiming friends, and using WhatsApp.

Becca added: “So she still has that connection with the outside world, and with all her friends from school. But even now, half the time she will choose to not sit on her iPad.

“She’ll come and we’ll watch a TV programme together, we’ll play a game, or we’ll sit and chat or she is just living in the real world again. It is so nice to see.

“When we were young, if we had s**t going on at school, we could come home and that was left at school. Granted, we might have had like MSN, which we’re allowed on for like half an hour in the evening, but like your stress of school stayed at school.

“Whereas now because of smartphones and social media, it like trickles into home life, and if you’ve got a problem with someone at school, or you’ve got stuff going on, it’s then coming home and like you’re getting these arguments over WhatsApp.

“Mentally, these kids aren’t getting a break and home is no longer just a safe space, because you’re bringing it all home with you. And it’s constant, it’s in your pocket, It’s in your bedroom. Her mental well-being has just improved tenfold.”

Fellow mothers flooded the comments section, praising it as one of the “best posts they had seen for a long time”.

One remarked: “I’m a safeguarding lead in a school and I do wish more parents would consider things like this. I don’t think people understand the impact social media is having on children.”

Another responded: “By far the best post I’ve seen in a long time… mum of a 13 year old daughter and can totally relate, I’m so very close to doing the exact thing.

“These kids are constantly overstimulated and can’t escape the world. If anything you have just confirmed I’m doing the right thing… I want my happy go lucky daughter back.”

A third chimed in: “My daughter is seven, I am going to leave it as long as a possibly / safely can to get her a phone. As a high school teacher it’s incredibly frightening the impact of social media on teenagers. Well done Mama you’ve done so well here.”