Dear Max,
It must seem a little odd to get a letter from your own mother who m you see every day, but I hope you will read this and take what I have to say seriously.
I bought you a phone for your 12th birthday because you wanted one so much, and all your friends have one. I know you love your phone, but I wonder whether you are aware of just how much you use it.
From my perspective, it seems that you are constantly checking your phone for notifications(通知) or messages. You even do this when we're having a family meal in a restaurant or when I'm talking to you. You may not realise this, but whenever you feel even slightly bored, you check your phone. You never seem to relax. You're constantly on alert, and I don't think this is very good for you. We all need to switch it off every now and then. And if I ask you to leave your phone at home when we go out, you sulk(生气) and get twitchy, almost as if you're suffering withdrawal symptoms(戒断症状). It's like your phone is a drug.
I have tried to talk to you about this, but whenever I ask you to put down your phone and look at me, you say "in a minute". Unfortunately, "in a minute" never comes, and we never talk. I can't actually remember the last time we had a proper face-to-face conversation. I even have to message you to let you know dinner is on the table! That's why I decided to put my concerns in a letter to you.
Please don't think I am writing this letter to punish you or to nag(唠叨) you. I know you are a good boy. I don't think you want to hurt me or be rude intentionally. However, I recently heard about something called "nomophobia"—the fear of being without a phone. It's a real illness and I'm worried whether you have it. I really think it would be a good idea if we all went to see an addiction expert together so we can all have a discussion about this serious problem. I know you won't want to, but I'm very concerned about you. Please take some time to think about what I have written. Then let's talk.
Mum,