We’ve all seen the chilling public service announcements. A girl is messaging someone online and the conversation appears to be taking place between friends. The person asks for a photo and promises support and care in return. Then the screen splits, revealing that it’s actually an older man on the other end. These dramatic “reveals”… Read More →
“Your phone is blowing up!” a friend noticed during a walk together. “Everything okay?” I laughed and showed her the avalanche of cow, sunglass-smiley-face, and poop emojis pouring down my phone screen. “Ah. New smartwatch?” she asked. “Yup,” I responded. A persistent string of nonsensical emojis is typical for a pre-teen exploring what’s possible on… Read More →
Caregivers are inundated with guidance about screen time. Some of it helps families find firm footing; much of it is conflicting, oversimplified, or untethered from the latest developmental science. It’s no wonder parents feel tired and eager for clarity. On our most exhausted days, we just want someone to tell us what to do. At… Read More →
I spent last week canoeing with my family in northern Minnesota. Before we left, I changed my out-of-office message to indicate that I would be offline for a week. For many people, this kind of message is meant to communicate the spirit of a commitment: to take a break from work and relieve the expectation… Read More →
“Broken!” Miles exclaimed. “It’s broken!” he repeated, his frustration building. It took me a moment to catch on. My nearly three-year-old was standing in front of the TV, furiously trying to swipe at Daniel Tiger with his index finger. Then it clicked—he was trying to move the character like he would on a tablet. And… Read More →
Sometimes it’s hard to observe transformative changes in real-time. We tend to look back and think, “Ah, that was when everything started to change.” When I set up my first “Friendster” account, it certainly felt new and exciting. I thought carefully about which songs and photos best represented “me” for my little corner of the… Read More →
It doesn’t work well to install parental controls, close our eyes, cross our fingers, and hope for digital greatness. How we use parental controls has a huge impact on whether or not they are effective in helping our kids build digital skills and whether or not they build or erode trust.
There are moments when I look at my phone and think, “What a time to be alive!” The device in my hand is one thousand times faster than the last generation’s supercomputers. Our lives benefit from this small device’s connection, information, and efficiency. There are other moments when I long to slow down all that… Read More →
“I wasn’t surprised that my kid looked at inappropriate content online. I know it comes with the territory,” a parent recently confided. “What upset me more is that he lied about it.” “This is always so tricky,” I sympathized. “We only see a little snapshot of what is going on. And it can be hard… Read More →
In the words of Adam Alter, when it comes to digital devices, “proximity is destiny.” In an ideal world we would all have the internal impulse control to make good choices about when to scroll and when to look up towards a family member or friend. Yet we know these internal skills are still developing… Read More →
