Podcast Summary: The Gift of Growing Up Slowly | Russell York, COSMO

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast – Episode 1KHO 637
Host: Ginny Ert (That Sounds Fun Network) | Guest: Russell York (COSMO Technologies)
Release Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores the theme of preserving and enriching childhood by “growing up slowly”—delaying the introduction of smartphones and using intentional tech tools to foster independence, safety, and development. Ginny Ert is joined by Russell York, founder of COSMO Technologies, to discuss alternatives to traditional smartphones—specifically smartwatches designed for kids—and how these relate to children’s development, family well-being, and outdoor play. The conversation is rich with practical stories, research insights, and a strong advocacy for childhood as a unique, protected season of life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Modern “Rite of Passage”: Watches vs. Smartphones

• Children’s Natural Desire for Independence (02:31, 03:41):
  • Ginny and Russell reminisce about how children around ages 8–12 used to desire simple watches or bikes. Today, this desire is converging with the first experience of technology—now in the form of smartwatches.
  • Ginny shares her family's experience: "Our youngest daughter's like, when can I have it?...Her friend was over...Can I have it?...They're both nine." (01:37)
  • Russell notes, "For us, it was a bike, maybe. Today, increasingly, it’s a smartwatch." (02:31)

2. Alternatives to Smartphones: The COSMO Junior Track 5 Watch

• Features and Intentions (05:44, 54:14):
  • The watch is positioned as an empowering alternative, providing connection without the risks of full smartphones.
  • Key features for parents: geofencing, approved contacts, real-time location and communication, simple setup, no access for unknown callers.
  • "This is a training wheels product…You’re introducing your kid to the digital world and you need to be able to come alongside them." — Russell (53:22)
  • The device is child-designed: customizable, durable, and includes a camera for photos and videos, bridging the request for “tech gifts” without full internet access.

3. Safety, Expansion, and the “Invisible Fence” of Childhood

• Tech and Expanding Freedom (08:13):
  • Russell discusses how parental anxiety shapes the boundaries of children’s independence and how tech like smartwatches helps safely expand these boundaries.
  • "There's an invisible fence that's created by rules and a comfort zone…A Watch extends that significantly because communication is such an essential part of safety." (08:13)
• Historical comparison: loss of freedom vs. past generations.
  • Ginny invokes Lenore Skenazy’s work on children’s freedom, showing the radical contraction of kids’ self-exploration over the decades (07:05).

4. Nature, Downtime, and the Crisis of Attention

• Research on Attention & the Need for Outdoor Time (10:43, 15:45):
  • Ginny brings in expert insights (Dr. Mark Berman, Mike McLeod) on the absolute necessity of outdoor play for mental/attentional restoration—especially in the context of ADHD.
  • Notable quote: "As the day goes on, our attention drains...One of the things that's most fatiguing is boredom...To get your attention filled back up, your two options are to sleep or to go outside." — Ginny (10:43)
  • The “conundrum”: parents’ need for children to have time outside, but barriers due to safety fears, logistics, and lack of safe, independent options.

5. Independence, Place, and Community Design

• Overcoming "Radical Home-ness" (22:03):
  • Russell highlights the compounding effect of design obstacles: “We’ve isolated ourselves…by physical design, digital design, and the habits of our society. We need to lean in and change that.” (24:10)
  • Notably references Strong Towns (community design advocacy).

6. Current Tech & Societal Pressures (AI, Social Isolation)

• Societal urgency: AI relationships, delayed maturity (25:28):
  • Ginny references a recent article: “20% of high schoolers have an AI relationship…this is sweeping through.”
  • The importance of not just under-13 tech, but continuing support of "kid-tech" for older children and teens.
• Missed developmental windows:
  • Discussion of "windows" of independence at ages 9 and 16; “If you miss the window, they may struggle.” (26:31)

7. The Technology Market’s Blind Spot for Kids

• Lack of Safe, Age-Appropriate Options (27:27):
  • Russell: “There’s been very little consideration of kids under 13, except for how to milk them for profit...”
  • Two underserved groups: kids and seniors.
  • Need for real innovation in family-centered technology.

8. Real-Life Stories: Building Trust and Milestones

• Customer anecdotes: Milestones facilitated by technology (37:13):
  • Example: Letting a 9-year-old babysit siblings and pay the pizza delivery guy—memorializing maturity enabled by the watch.
  • “It was more memorializing a moment of maturity...the watch kind of being like a bicycle, it’s a coming of age thing.” — Russell (38:07)
• Building family trust:
  • Ginny: “Once you leave them at the park and you walk home to get the rocket base and come back 20 minutes later and they’re fine...you grow a little bit yourself every time.” (29:46)

9. Dogmatism, Flexibility, and Meeting Families Where They Are

• Avoiding Digital Dogmatism (41:35):
  • Russell stresses non-judgmental, situational approaches: “Dogmatism just doesn’t help...One of our core pillars is parents know best.” (41:35)
  • Acknowledges screen use for medical situations and urges empathy in technology choices.

10. Digital Independence: A Continuum

• Progressive digital trust (54:14):
  • Ginny brings up "digital citizenship" and the necessity of gradual, intentional tech exposure/conversations.
  • Russell: “A kid is a kid is a kid…I think it’s intuitive that there is a distinction in technology for adults versus technology for kids.” (56:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Smartwatches as “Rites of Passage”:
  "There's that age where you look around at all the adults and you're like, I want a watch, I want sunglasses, I want a ball cap. You want to be like everyone else." — Russell York (04:56)
• On Parental Fear and the Contracted Radius of Childhood:
  “Are we— is CPS gonna call? Is someone gonna ... call Child Protective Services? ... Someone’s gonna go by and say, 'These irresponsible parents, why are these kids out in this field?' ... It just reminded me of how much has been lost.” — Ginny Ert (05:44)
• On Modern Tech Excluding Kids:
  "For the last 25 years, the entire public, the adult public, has become digitally connected ... we just never included kids in that the right way." — Russell York (08:13)
• On Outdoor Time as a Necessity:
  "It is a necessity that these kids are getting outdoors after school." — Ginny Ert (11:43)
• On Tech Market Failing Kids:
  “The failure of the technology world to address how technology relates to users at different ages.” — Russell York (27:27)
• On the Importance of Knowing Options:
  "I don't know if everyone is necessarily aware of ... the differences between products. You have products from a lot of different companies at this point that have different angles...Cosmos built truly from the ground up, a completely fresh operating system with the value system of, parents know best." — Russell York (46:08)
• On Family-Centered Technology:
  "We are all about empowering parents. Big tech is all about undercutting parents to entice kids. We believe it's so important to empower and support parents while making products that are genuinely fun and safe for kids." — Ginny Ert (57:02)

Important Timestamps

• [02:31] – Children’s natural developmental desire for independence and watches
• [08:13] – Smartwatches expand the “invisible fence” of childhood safety
• [10:43] – Research-based discussion of attention, outdoor time, and schools’ failure to offer adequate recess
• [15:45] – Effects of attention fatigue on family life and the necessity of outdoor “downtime”
• [24:10] – Societal and physical design impeding children’s independence
• [25:28] – Urgency around AI, social tech, and the under-13 market
• [29:46] – The impact of small acts of independence on both children and parents (park, rocket story)
• [37:13] – Customer milestone stories (trust and rites of passage)
• [41:35] – Dangers of dogmatism in digital-family conversations
• [46:08] – Overview of watch options; Cosmo versus Apple Watch for kids
• [53:22] – The COSMO approach: building for kids and parents (features, safety, ease)
• [56:31] – The importance of child-specific technology
• [57:02] – Empowering parents vs. Big Tech

Episode Tone & Language

The episode is conversational, evidence-informed, warm, and supportive. Ginny Ert draws from research and personal stories, while Russell York offers industry context, product insights, and a friendly, non-judgmental perspective. Both emphasize empathy, flexibility for families, and the value of a joyful, slower, playful childhood.

Takeaway Messages

• Delay smartphones as long as possible for children, opting for purpose-built devices that extend both freedom and safety.
• Children need real independence, outdoor time, and opportunities for gradual digital responsibility—balancing a safe environment with genuine growth.
• Parents should be supported with tools and information—not pressured by tech trends or fear—so they can choose what’s best for their family at any given stage.
• Family-centered, child-specific technology like the COSMO watch can be a meaningful, empowering gift—marking milestones, building trust, and fostering healthy habits.
• Childhood is precious—protect it, nurture it, and let them grow up slowly.

(For a special COSMO Junior Track 5 watch holiday deal, listeners are directed to the show notes. Offer valid through December 12.)