Making resolutions for the new year can feel a little different this year, but there’s one choice we can all make to give ourselves and our families a boost in the new year. We can look critically at our tech use for 2021 and make plans to fill up our time with activities we love to do when we are unplugged.
So, make a plan to unplug with us in 2021.
Tools for Digital Dialogue
Check out these tools for digital dialogue in your family. Whether it’s making a plan for a week of screen-free fun in May or a daily commitment to have a no-phones dinner, the act of talking about tech-use and setting goals can go a long way for your family’s mental and physical health.
Digital Flourishing Map & Assessment Tool: Our friends at Digital Wellness Collective created this tool to help people get a sense of where they are at in relationship to tech. It can be a healthy starting point for families and individuals.
LookUp Challenge Intentions: Lookup.live offers youth-generated intentions for getting a handle on your relationship with tech. Check out the intentions from our joint Screen-Free Saturdays LookUp Challenge in July to get you started. Plus, register for the next challenge here.
Durable Human Email Charter: Adults, consider this email charter to help you in navigating the overwhelm and disconnection that email can ironically bring.
Screen-Free Hours Tracker: Set an intention to log off for a certain number of hours per week and track them with our new hours tracker! How long will it take you to fill the page? Download it here.
Recommit to Screen-Free Saturdays: Yep… we know. As the year came to an end, mayyyybe so did your Screen-Free Saturdays practice. Take the time to recommit. Remember, if Wednesdays or Sundays work better for you, great! Just commit to trying it out again. Need a little more incentive? Have your family members fill out these pledge cards or whole family pledge.
Resolve not to rely entirely on Parental Controls
The Screentime Consultant, Emily Cherkin, offers a bold take on parental controls, calling instead for an approach that relies more on people than tech. Click to read.
Make New Year’s Resolutions that will last
This article offers some concrete steps for reducing screen time as part of your New Year’s Resolutions. Click to read..
Community Connections
Connect to your community around screen use. It can be hard to feel like you’re going at it alone when it comes to helping kids manage their screen time. But, the truth is we’re all in the same storm. Come together around screen time. Schedule a monthly zoom call where you discuss your issues. Find an accountability buddy. Take a walk and chat with a trusted friend. Connect with someone new or someone who has been there with you all along. We all want the best for our kids– find a buddy to make it more fun to get there!
New Baby, New Year: Resolve to be a Tech Wise Parent. Even expecting families and caregivers of infants need a game plan for tech. Check out our recent Action Network Live! Webinar. Learn from Samah Saidi, Dr. Carol Westby, and Dr. Mark Bertin as they discuss how to boost baby’s brain development and communication skills using everyday moments—and the impact of screens in shaping baby’s language and speech. In this special event for expectant families, families with infants, and professionals working with caregivers and infants, you’ll take away specific suggestions for building baby’s brain, setting up the healthiest possible environment for baby’s growth, and optimal bonding to keep baby feeling secure and off to a healthy start—all while helping baby thrive in a tech-saturated world. Check out the recording here.
Make sure to stay connected with all of our Screen-Free Saturdays ideas, resources, and fun by taking the pledge:
Happy unplugging,
Rachel Franz