“Five breakdowns and four fruit snack packs into the morning, I find myself checking out and looking for something to numb the frustration that I feel building from the inside out. This is about the time I grab my phone and get on Instagram. Immediately my feed is flooded with filtered squares that deliver a message before I even read the caption…” START parent Cierra Karson shares five fresh ideas on how to handle social media fatigue as a young parent.

Teachers like Kathryn Sanfle are on the front lines of the mental health epidemic, seeing some of the harshest sides of our kids’ digital reality—and at START, we think she’s spot on: how powerful would it be if parents and teachers could speak the same language when it comes to adopting healthy screen habits? That’s why we’re here. This fall, based on requests from multiple school administrators, START is releasing a program specifically for teachers and administrators…

One of our START Rules of Thumb is: Ride. Practice. Drive… use a driver’s ed approach to tech training. The idea is that before your kid is ready to drive a smart device independently, there is a learner’s permit season—where you log hours in the passenger seat, coaching them for the road. Not sure where to start coaching? We loved these tips from Melissa Griffin, also known as “HR Mom.”

We’re not gonna lie: during the summertime chaos, a little screentime can be such a gift—helping everyone in the family to mentally reset. But we were recently reminded by Lin-Manuel Miranda of another good old fashioned trick that might be worth sprinkling into the summer chaos—time alone.

We know that there are many factors that contribute to your family’s mental wellness.  But this summer, we invite you to journey with us as we ask a question about one of them:  How do our digital habits impact our mental health and wellness?  Together we’ll be looking at how our screens are impacting our minds when it comes to human connection, self-image, and rest…and considering how more sunsets–and less Netflix–might be just what the doctor orders when it comes to supporting your family’s mental health. 

As mental health professionals, the staff at Johnson County Mental Health Center are hyper aware of how unhealthy tech use can negatively impact the families they serve—oftentimes creating a barrier in relationships, which are essential for recovery. This week, we were given the privilege of bringing our START program to their staff, and together we considered the role technology has played in exacerbating the side effects they are seeing…

“For our family of four kids, screens are an easy fallback.  The kids are happy being entertained by videos and games. And I get moments of peace and quiet and a chance to accomplish some work. That’s a win/win situation. But last summer, we tried something new. We decided to make a plan to help us be more intentional regarding our summer screen time…”

Today’s parents can feel overwhelmed by the task of keeping up with their kids’ digital lives. And when we fall behind? It is easy to throw our hands and the air and ask, “Is it even worth it?” This spring, we headed to the University of Kansas to see how college students felt about the things their parents did to help them navigate the digital world…

In a six-month tour of the nation, Diane Sawyer set out to find the answer to a pressing question: How do we balance the ease of technology with the fullness of our lives? When she heard about START, she was intrigued by a community courageously coming together to tackle this epidemic. So she hopped on a plane to KC, to see for herself what the buzz is all about. To view one of the ScreenTime segments where START was featured, click here.

At START, we believe that digital parenting isn’t about taking connection away from our kids…it is about giving them opportunities to taste and see that face to face connection can be even better. So our hearts were warmed when we heard the story of a gentleman who spotted a group of beautiful prom goers at a restaurant, and was inspired to anonymously pay for their meal if they would put their phones away.