It’s that time of year when the weather is changing, holiday decor is appearing on the shelves and gift-giving may be on the mind. Along with connection, cheer and cups of cocoa, this season can also bring about lengthy shopping lists and overwhelming decisions. If whether or not to buy your child a smartphone is one of those choices, you are not alone!

With the release of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, you may feel added pressure to get your child a new device. But before you introduce a fully loaded smartphone, we encourage you to ponder three simple questions. WHY AM I GETTING MY CHILD A SMARTPHONE? If the answer is connection, or keeping in

You’ve done the work. You’ve thought critically about the role that you want technology to play in your home. You’ve considered the ways that devices might enhance or hinder your family values. You’ve communicated these things with your family and are feeling confident about the path ahead.

And then…you open the front door. You remember that there is a whole world out there that you simply cannot control. So now what? How can you communicate your family’s new practices to your friends and extended family?

Summer is here! This season feels like a natural invitation to gather, whether that be around a sprinkler in your front yard or enjoying popsicles on the back porch. In an effort to maximize memory making and minimize screentime, we are giving you a few tips on how to host a device-free gathering. These suggestions can be applied whether it’s the neighborhood kids coming over for a casual hangout, or you’re hosting a big summer birthday bash.

Heath Wilson and Joey Odom, creators of The Aro, join Krista Boan for a conversation about their search for “life uninterrupted.”

The positive effects of participating in youth sports are numbered, yet there is a distracting new teammate causing disengagement among today’s athletes—the smartphone. Instead of focusing on the game, players run to the bench to check their phones for notifications. Instead of practicing drills outside, teens spend hours inside scrolling through social media.

From viral TikTok challenges to the controversial launch of Metaverse, 2021 was filled with big changes in the digital world. In a time where tech trends and news can be overwhelming, we thought we would take this opportunity to summarize the top digital stories for parents in 2021.

Felicia Wu Song is a sociologist at Westmont College who studies the way technology has changed contemporary life. On the Screen Sanity’s final episode of 2021, she joins START co-founder Krista Boan for a conversation about digital fatigue and unpacks how our own lives have been transformed by devices and screens.

In this conversation, Adam and Krista reflect on the “smartphone plunge”—that moment when your kids graduate from a limited device like a Gabb phone to a smartphone. Join us as we unpack the emotions of prepping your kids for this milestone, the process of unboxing a smartphone, and the importance of wisdom, communication, and connection with your kids along the way.

Recently, one of our START parents contacted us to seek advice on how to handle school-issued devices in her family’s home. With the fall season in full swing, we thought it timely to share our feedback in hopes of helping others who are sending kids back to school with more technology than ever.