Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: It's Not Too Late

The book lays out ten practical guardrails. Here's what each one can look like in a home with young kids and pre-teens — and the beautiful thing is, most of these are so much easier to begin now than to try to reclaim later.

1. Parents are in charge. Sweet friend, you are the parent — not the negotiator-in-chief — and it is both your right and your responsibility to decide when and how technology enters your child's life. Leading now with loving, confident authority while they're young saves you a hundred exhausting battles down the road.
2. No devices in the bedroom overnight. Set up a little charging station in the kitchen or your own room, and let every tablet and phone rest there overnight instead of behind a closed bedroom door. Protected sleep and a screen-free bedtime are some of the simplest, most loving gifts we can give our children — and starting this habit while they're little means it's just "how our family does it."
3. No social media until age 16. Hold off on handing your child the keys to social media until they're truly old enough to carry the comparison, the pressure, and the permanence that come with it. When they're small, this decision feels far away — but deciding now, before the begging starts, is how you guard their tender little hearts through the years that matter most.
4. Start with basic phones. When it's finally time for a phone, begin with one that simply calls and texts, rather than a pocket-sized supercomputer with the whole internet tucked inside. A simple phone lets you stay connected to your child without handing them everything at once, and it turns the eventual smartphone into a real milestone instead of an assumption.
5. Pair smartphones with driving. Tie the privilege of a full smartphone to a genuine marker of maturity, like getting behind the wheel someday, so the device arrives only after your child has shown they can handle real responsibility. It may feel like a long way off with a little one in your lap, but linking freedom to trustworthiness now teaches them that the two always grow together.
6. Utilize parental controls. Take advantage of the filters, screen-time limits, and content settings on every device in your home, and set them up before those little hands ever get hold of it. These tools aren't about spying — think of them as the sweet, sturdy fence around the yard while your kids are still learning to look both ways.
7. Create device-free zones. Draw gentle, clear lines around the moments that matter most — the dinner table, the car, family movie night — and keep them screen-free for everyone, mama and daddy included. Protecting these ordinary little spaces is how we make sure the people in the room always matter more than the notifications in our pockets.
8. Prioritize in-person freedom. Give your kids room to roam, play in the dirt, and figure things out in the real world long before you ever give them freedom in the digital one — because the confidence built at the playground simply can't be downloaded. That real-world independence, built one scraped knee at a time, is what truly prepares them for the bigger world ahead.
9.  Monitor other screens. Remember that the phone is only one little doorway — the gaming console, the smart TV, the tablet, and even a friend's device at a playdate all deserve that same thoughtful, loving attention. Staying aware of every screen your child touches keeps you from locking the front door while the side gate swings wide open.
10. Support phone-free school days. Get behind your school's efforts to keep phones out of the classroom, and gently reinforce that same expectation at home. Our kids learn, focus, and actually connect with the friends right in front of them so much better when a screen isn't quietly competing for every ounce of their attention.

You don't have to do all ten this week. Just pick one. Start there.