START recently partnered with the Wall Street Journal to share thoughts about a hot app for kids: Facebook’s Messenger Kids, an introductory social media app designed for kids age 6-12. If you decide to take the plunge, it’s likely your child’s first foray into social media and it’s important to equip them for it and to be attentive to potential unexpected side effects.

When it comes to check-ups, healthcare professionals share that digital health is just as important as physical health. This article includes practical questions providers can use to start the digital health conversation with their patients.

Parenting in the days of quarantine is a juggle of childcare, conference calls, household chores, and emotional roller coasters. Screens are providing a beautiful lifeline, but how to we best manage them without letting them consume us? Let’s make a plan!

Even before quarantine, studies showed that we look at our phones 80+ times a day – and based on our own news and social media scrolling amidst this crisis, it’s likely gone up.

In the thick of flurries of group texting, news checking, and zoom scheduling, you might sense that you—and your kids—are online more than ever. But just like our devices need to recharge, so do we. If you are looking for a couple of zones to designate as “device-free”—we suggest tables and bedtimes.

During this time when kids are likely on screens longer and with less supervision, they are more likely to accidentally stumble onto unsavory content.  If you haven’t yet installed filters and controls on your child’s devices, now is a great time. Here are a few ideas to help your family navigate the internet with a safety net.

In national surveys, families report that the number one battleground is managing technology. During this time of quarantine, we encourage you to get ahead of those battles by adopting consistent rhythms for screen use. Let consistent, predictable patterns “be the bad guy” so you don’t have to.

The days will be long and emotionally challenging, but if you can, we encourage you to look for some unexpected positives. In quarantines throughout history, Shakespeare wrote King Lear and Isaac Newton developed calculus and discovered gravity. We encourage you to make this season “time well spent” by guiding your kids towards meaningful activities—both online and offline. 

One of our rules of thumb is Start with Yourself. But one of the top obstacles parents share? Figuring out what digital health looks like at work. We loved these examples from companies who are taking this to heart and experimenting with new workplace practices to support digital wellness, including Netsmart—a healthcare company based in Kansas City.

When it comes to setting boundaries with new devices, it is much easier to start with strong limits and release them slowly, rather than trying to put them in place during a time of stress. But if this doesn’t sound like a magical start to your Christmas day, we gotcha covered! Here are five topics to talk about when they unwrap the phone. Feel free to print them as a contract that you and your child each initial!