Beyond the Screen
The Urgency of Now!
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
How to Use the Action Week Toolkit
This toolkit is rich with information and resources selected to support families, the family peer workforce, educators, mental health professionals and the general public. The materials included have been carefully curated to help us all better understand the impact of technology on the development of our youth and on family life. The toolkit is self-paced. We encourage you to visit each page and explore the hotspot links we have included on your own time. We welcome you to share and use the toolkit as a whole or any of the individual resources you find helpful for your family and/or in your role as a professional and community member. We hope you find our toolkit helpful and we welcome any feedback at ffcmh@ffcmh.org. The National Federation of Families Team
The Urgency of Now - Ending Isolation by Creating Effective Community Ecosystems
At the National Federation of Families, we believe children with mental health and/or substance use challenges thrive best when they remain at home—connected to their families, schools, and communities. Our primary focus in 2026 is strengthening family stability, promoting healthy child development, and ensuring children can grow safely within their communities rather than in congregate care settings. This commitment is the driving force behind our work and theme, “The Urgency of Now – Ending Isolation by Creating Effective Community Ecosystems,” and the 2026 Children’s Mental Health Action Week (CMHAW) theme, “Beyond the Screen: Education, Prevention, Connection.” At the heart of both is one central idea: connection is protection. During CMHAW (May 3–9) and throughout Mental Health Month, we will explore the growing influence of screens in the lives of children, youth and families. Rooted in the urgent need to keep young people safe, supported, and at home, the campaign will focus on three core goals:
Goals
Connection
Prevention
Education
To strengthen the relationships that matter most by encouraging screen‑ free moments of presence, shared activities, and meaningful family rituals that build resilience, belonging, and emotional well‑being.
To help families understand digital safety and reduce risks that can heighten emotional dysregulation, disrupt sleep, and increase vulnerability to harmful online influences—factors
that can intensify mental
health symptoms.
To equip families and
caregivers with clear,
accessible information
and tools thatsupport
balanced, developmenally appropriate screen‑time
boundaries.
Together, these goals reflect our belief that when families are connected, children are safer, healthier, and more able to thrive.
“The sense of community is the most essential element in building a better world.”
Impact
By supporting families and caregivers in setting balanced, developmentally appropriate screen-time boundaries, we enhance family stability, promote healthier child development, and amplify influences that keep children safely in their communities rather than in congregate care settings.
Why this Conversation Matters
First, let's explore why looking Beyond the Screen is criticalto the mental health of our children, youth, and families.
Use the left and right arrows to move between the pages. Hover over OR click on the hotspots like this one on each page for more information!
Humans are built for connection.
True family connection is protective.
The importance of strong family bonds.
Screens: Bridging or Blocking Connection?
Now that we better understand the challenge families face in today's highly digital world, let's look Beyond the Screen.
Education
Mind
Click on any topic to the right to learn more about how technology can impact this area of a child or young person's life.
Body
Learning
Relationships
Sleep
Family
Emotions
Attention
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
Prevention
Screen Time
Click on any topic to the right to find resources and solutions that can help prevent negative impacts of screen time on a child or young person's life.
Content
Tech Free Times
No-Screen Zones
Phones
Family Contracts
Social Media
Talking Tech with Kids
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
Connection
Protective Factor
Click on any topic to the right to learn how you can build, protect and preserve connection with a child or young person in your life.
Conversation Starters
Community Engagement
Peer Relationships
Family Bonding
Safety
Emotional Security
Emotional Intelligence
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
Connected families and inclusive communities protect our youth and loved ones from congregate care.
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
Beyond the Screen
Safety
Strong family relationships act as a critical safety factor for youth by teaching positive coping skills and providing a secure base for developmental exploration. By fostering emotional resilience, secure attachment, and prosocial behavior families provide protective environments that reduce risks of violence, substance use, and poor mental health.
How Family Relationships Ensure Youth Safety:
- Emotional Security and Resilience
- Reduced Risk Behaviors
- Structure and Predictability
- Improved School Connectedness
- Positive Identity Development
Conversations with Kids
This guide includes 100 family conversation starters designed to:
- Strengthen connection
- Build emotional awareness
- Encourage curiosity
- Create more meaningful daily interactions
Whether you’re sitting down for dinner, driving in the car, or winding down before bed, these prompts can help turn everyday moments into opportunities for connection.
Our brain is wired to consume visual content. Some data: 90% of the information we process comes through sight, and we process visual content up to 60,000 times faster than text. That's why visual communication is more effective.
Build Shared Experiences & Traditions
Explore New Things: Try new activities, such as trying new foods, board games, or hobbies to build teamwork and shared memories. Celebrate Together: Acknowledge, and celebrate both big milestones and small, everyday achievements.
Family Projects: Work together on shared goals, such as home improvement projects, gardening, or volunteering at a community organization.
Stay Active Together: Go for walks, take bike rides, or have family dance parties to reduce stress.
Social Connection
Key points:
- Staying connected to others creates feelings of belonging and being loved, cared for, and valued.
- Social connections are important to our mental and physical health.
- Being connected to others helps protect against serious illness and disease.
- People with stronger social bonds are more likely to live longer, healthier lives.
Learn more here.
Talking Tech with Kids
Open, curious, and collaborative conversations are key to helping kids navigate social media safely and positively. Use the resources linked below to help:
- Understand the Impact
- Build Trust and Open Communication
- Explore Together
- Set Boundaries and Household Guidelines
- Address Risks and Promote Positive Use
- Collaborative Problem Solving
- Make Conversations Routine
By combining active listening, shared exploration, clear boundaries, and collaborative problem-solving, parents can help children use social media responsibly while supporting their mental health and fostering trust.
Cultivate Mutual Respect & Support
Value Individuality: Recognize that family members are unique individuals with distinct talents and interests, not just an extension of the family unit.
Positive Conflict Resolution: Focus on solutions rather than blame when problems arise.
Support Interests: Take interest in what younger children or teens are interested in, rather than waiting for them to join your interests.
Non-Verbal Support: Show affection through hugs, smiles, and attentive listening to make members feel secure and loved.
The Family as a Protective Factor
Protective Factors are attributes in families that increase health and well-being. We could take that a bit further and state that family and community in and of themselves can be Protective Factors. As a family, look within to discover and enhance those protective factors that are naturally present. Where you are lacking or need support, look to those who surround you.
Access the full article.
One of the most important protective factors is healthy relationships.
Learn about the importance of these factors in the article linked below.
- Staying connected with peers and classmates
- Parent involvement
- Open communication between parents and their children
- Relationships with teachers and other school staff
Access the full article.
Physical Health
Key physical health impacts include:
- Reduced Physical Activity: Increased screen time replaces active, outdoor play, leading to lower cardiorespiratory fitness and increased sedentary behavior.
- Obesity and Metabolism: Sedentary behavior and, in some cases, mindless eating while using screens, contributes directly to higher obesity rates and metabolic syndrome.
- Sleep Disruption: Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin, causing difficulty falling asleep, shorter sleep duration, and night waking.
- Physical Strain: Prolonged device use leads to "computer vision syndrome" (eye strain), headaches, and musculoskeletal issues like "text neck" or back pain
- Muscle Weakness: Reduced traditional play (tapping/swiping instead of manipulating objects) can limit the development of hand and finger strength.
Watch
Screen Time
Guides by age:
6-11
0-5
11-18
Digital Milestones Guide:
< 18 Months: Avoid all screen time, except for video chatting with family, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). 18–24 Months: Limit to educational, high-quality content, and always watch with a child 2–5 Years: Limit to 1 hour or less of high-quality educational programming daily. Avoid fast-paced content.
6–10 Years: Less than 2 hours of recreational screen time per day is recommended.
11-18 Years: Establish consistent, daily limits to ensure screen time doesn't disrupt sleep (9-11 hours), exercise (at least 1 hour), and schoolwork.
Use the 5 C's!
Create Consistent Quality Time & Routines
Designated Family Time: Commit to regular, scheduled time together (e.g., family game night, weekly walks, or a weekly movie night). Shared Meals: Eat together to create daily opportunities for connection.
Unplugged Time: Establish "device-free" zones or times to ensure full engagement with one another.
Small Rituals: Implement the "7-7-7" rule: 7 minutes in the morning, 7 after school/work, and 7 before bed for undivided, focused connection.
Social Media
Access the Surgeon General's Social Media and Youth Mental Health Advisory here!
Emotional Security
Families that prioritize emotional safety create a "secure base" that fosters independence, emotional resilience, and healthy development, while reducing the likelihood of anxiety and depression.
Key Ways Families Build Emotional Security:
- Open and Honest Communication
- Active Listening and Validation
- Consistency and Predictability
- Respectful Boundaries
- Modeling Positive Behavior
- Quality Time and Connection
- Unconditional Love and Support
Infants & Toddlers (0-2 years)
Emotions
Preschool & Early School Age (3-8 years)
Play
Older Children & Adolescents (9+ years)
Young Adult
U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, and the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community
The Surgeon General’s Advisory lays out lays out a National Strategy to Advance Social Connection. "By strengthening our relationships, increasing connection, and rebuilding the social fabric of our nation, we can improve the health of people across the country."
Read the full advisory here.
No-Screen Zones
No-screen zones are designated, technology-free areas (e.g., bedrooms, dining table) or times (e.g., before bed) designed to encourage face-to-face interaction, improve sleep, and enhance mental health. Effective strategies include starting small, ensuring consistency, and establishing phone-free zones, particularly for children to foster creativity.
Bridging the Gap
To make screens a bridge rather than a block, experts suggest:
- Digital Detoxes: Scheduling screen-free times, such as meals or weekends, to focus on in-person engagement.
- Mindful Usage: Being aware of when a screen is helping you connect versus when it is helping you "numb out".
- Creating "Sacred" Spaces: Designating areas (like the bedroom or dining table) as phone-free zones.
Screens as a Block to Human Connection:
Reduced Empathy & Presence: Excessive screen use, particularly smartphones, is associated with lower empathy and decreased ability to read non-verbal cues. The mere presence of a phone can decrease the quality of in-person conversations. Digital Isolation: Over-reliance on screens leads to increased feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
Displacing Interactions: Screens frequently displace face-to-face interactions, leading to shorter and less meaningful connections with family and friends.
Developmental Disruptions: Early exposure to screens (especially under age 2) and excessive, fast-paced content can hinder social-emotional and cognitive development in children.
Tech Free Times
Key Tech-Free Strategies for Families: Establish a Digital Curfew: Turn off all devices at least 60 minutes before bedtime to prevent sleep disruption.
Implement "Unplugged" Times: Dedicate specific times for family, such as Sunday mornings, game nights, or during car rides.
Model Healthy Behavior: Children mimic parents, so put away your own phone to show that screens are just one part of daily life.
Provide Engaging Alternatives: Prepare a list of non-screen activities (books, puzzles, sports) to combat boredom and encourage independent play.
Family Bonding
Family bonding is critically needed in the digital age. Intentional, screen-free time is essential to foster emotional connection, trust, and resilience in children, which can be eroded by digital oversharing and cyberbullying. Balancing technology with shared, face-to-face experiences is vital.
Actionable strategies include:
- Creating Tech-Free Zones
- Using Technology as a Tool, Not a Barrier
- Modeling Healthy Habits
- Maintaining Consistent Connection
Key characteristics of strong family connections include:
- Commitment and Support: A deep commitment to each other's welfare is common. They act as a team, providing emotional support and nurturing personal growth.
- Resilience and Coping Skills: They pull together during difficult times and crises, viewing challenges as opportunities to strengthen their bond.
- Shared Values and Beliefs: Many strong families share a sense of purpose, often incorporating traditions and rituals to pass down values.
- Clear Boundaries and Flexibility: While having clear expectations and structure, strong families are also flexible and adapt to change, allowing individual differences while keeping a shared identity.
- Positive Communication: Active listening, sharing feelings, and providing honest, gentle feedback are common. They avoid sarcasm, maintain respect, and work through conflicts to foster deeper intimacy.
- Quality Time Together: Strong families prioritize and schedule time for each other, such as sharing meals, playing games, or doing chores together.
- Affection and Appreciation: Family members frequently express love and gratitude for each other through words and actions.
Protective Factor
Social connection is foundational to human health, acting as a vital buffer against stress and a pillar for longevity. It fosters resilience by providing emotional support to navigate adversity, aids regulation by calming the nervous system, and enhances overall well-being by fostering belonging and reducing risks of chronic illness. Connection is Protection and plays a role in:
- Resilience (Bouncing Back)
- Regulation (Emotional & Physiological)
- Well-Being (Thriving)
Sleep
Sleep is an essential process our brain and body use to recharge and recover, this is especially true for children and teens, who are undergoing rapid growth and daily development. Children and teens need anywhere between 8 and 13 hours of sleep a night depending on their age. But, screen use, especially exciting and engaging content before bed, can negatively impact the quality and quantity of children’s sleep. Learn more in the links below.
- How Screen Time Affects Children’s Sleep and Behavior
- How Screens Affect Your Sleep
- Influence of technology on sleep among young children
- How Blue Light Affects Kids’ Sleep
- When to Put Devices to Bed
Family Contracts
A Family Technology Agreement is a collaborative, written plan setting rules for device use to ensure safety, balance, and trust. Key elements include defining screen time limits, designating tech-free zones (like bedrooms/dinner table), establishing charging stations, and setting clear consequences for rule violations. It should be signed by both parents and children, emphasizing that parents also follow the rules.
Introducing Family Tech Agreements:
Sample Contracts:
Wait Until 8th:
A Strategy from a Parent:
Family Life
Technology has woven its way into nearly every aspect of our lives. While it offers countless benefits and conveniences, it also poses a significant challenge to one of the most fundamental aspects of human existence: family bonding. As screens increasingly dominate our attention, the opportunity for meaningful interactions among family members can dwindle. However, studies tell us that prioritizing quality time together can have profound positive effects on communication, relationships, and overall life satisfaction. The importance of fostering uninterrupted family bonding cannot be overstated, and families who wish to create lasting memories together need to find ways of disconnecting from screens together.
Watch
Brain Development
Technology is fundamentally reshaping youth cognition and behavior by accelerating dopamine-driven reward pathways, reducing attention spans, and altering social development through screen-mediated interaction. While offering instant access to information, excessive screen time and social media use are linked to decreased empathy, increased anxiety/depression, and impaired cognitive control.
- Too Much of a Good Thing: The Impact of Technology on Teens’ Mental Wellness
- How Is the Digital Age Shaping Young Minds? A Rapid Systematic Review of Executive Functions in Children & Adolescents with Exposure to ICT
Play
Community Engagement
Community engagement is critical for youth because it fosters essential leadership skills, promotes positive mental health, and reduces risky behaviors, while providing a sense of belonging and agency. Active community participation enables young people to build social networks, gain practical experience, and influence decisions on issues affecting their future, such as education, safety, and the environment.
Why Community Engagement is Critical for Youth:
- Skill Development and Empowerment
- Mental Health and Well-being
- Reduced Risk Behaviors
- Sense of Belonging and Identity
- Future Preparedness
How Biology Prepares Us for Love and Connection
Learn more about how we are:
- Wired for empathy
- Wired for cooperation and generosity
- Wired for love
- Wired for touch
- Wired for social connection
Access the full resource here.
Peer Relationships
Peer connections are vital for youth, providing essential social-emotional development, companionship, and a sense of belonging that fosters confidence and mental health. These relationships teach critical skills like empathy, cooperation, and conflict resolution, while positive peer influence encourages healthy behaviors, academic success, and independence from family.
How peer connections benefit youth:
- Social and Emotional Development
- Identity Formation
- Skill Acquisition
- Academic Motivation
- Protection from Risk
Peer influences that foster a strong self-image alongside, positive, supportive friendships are crucial for building essential skills that predict successful adult relationships and life satisfaction.
Foster Open & Positive Communication
Active Listening: Focus on understanding, not just responding, to make family members feel heard. Positive Reinforcement: Regularly express gratitude and appreciation for each other’s contributions and efforts.
Family Meetings: Hold regular, constructive meetings to discuss schedules, plan activities, and resolve conflicts together.
Open Dialogue: Maintain a judgement-free environment to discuss feelings, achievements, and worries.
The Power of Vulnerability in Deepening Relationships
Learn more about these key factors:
- The Role of Vulnerability in Relationships
- Challenges of Embracing Vulnerability
- Moving Forward with Vulnerability
The path to embracing vulnerability can be challenging, its role in deepening relationships is invaluable.
Learn more here.
Learning
Watch
The "Crutch" Effect: AI and search tools are often used to generate answers immediately, skipping the cognitive effort required to learn and understand a subject.
Surface-Level Engagement: Digital tools often promote passive consumption—watching or tapping—rather than active, creative engagement.
Reduced Critical Thinking: Reliance on technology can decrease students' problem-solving capabilities and "gut instinct," which are essential for deep learning.
Multitasking Illusion: Students believe they are learning while multitasking, but technology often causes them to miss key information and struggle with retention.
Misaligned Goals: Technology can lead to superficial learning that does not align with core educational goals, valuing speed over mastery.
Attention Span
Excessive screen time in children is consistently linked to shortened attention spans, reduced cognitive control, and difficulty focusing on non-digital tasks. High-speed, interactive content overstimulates the brain, often causing inattention, poor academic performance, and higher risks of ADHD-related symptoms, especially with over two hours of daily use.
Content
Identifying quality media involves selecting content that is developmentally appropriate, engaging, and aligns with family values. Use tools like Common Sense Media for age-based ratings (e.g., 0-5, 5-11, teens), and look for positive messages, diverse representations, and educational value. The AAP recommends prioritizing interactive, high-quality content over passive viewing, with no screens under 18 months.
Phones
By age 11, about half of children in the U.S. own a smartphone. When you hand your child a cellphone, you're giving them a powerful tool for communication and entertainment. Many experts recommend waiting until at least age 13–14, while some suggest waiting until high school (15–17) to minimize risks to mental health and sleep. The decision should be based on maturity rather than age. Take the "Phone Ready?" quiz!
Emotional Intelligence
Families support emotional intelligence (EI) by modeling healthy emotional regulation, validating feelings, and fostering open communication. Active listening, encouraging children to name their emotions, teaching empathy, and practicing self-reflection during conflicts creates a secure environment where children learn to manage emotions and understand others.
Key Ways Families Support EI:
- Modeling Emotional Regulation
- Validating Feelings
- Labeling and Expressing Emotions
- Active Listening and Empathy
- Encouraging Reflection and Problem-Solving
- Shared Decision-Making
Beyond the Screen
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Transcript
Beyond the Screen
The Urgency of Now!
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
How to Use the Action Week Toolkit
This toolkit is rich with information and resources selected to support families, the family peer workforce, educators, mental health professionals and the general public. The materials included have been carefully curated to help us all better understand the impact of technology on the development of our youth and on family life. The toolkit is self-paced. We encourage you to visit each page and explore the hotspot links we have included on your own time. We welcome you to share and use the toolkit as a whole or any of the individual resources you find helpful for your family and/or in your role as a professional and community member. We hope you find our toolkit helpful and we welcome any feedback at ffcmh@ffcmh.org. The National Federation of Families Team
The Urgency of Now - Ending Isolation by Creating Effective Community Ecosystems
At the National Federation of Families, we believe children with mental health and/or substance use challenges thrive best when they remain at home—connected to their families, schools, and communities. Our primary focus in 2026 is strengthening family stability, promoting healthy child development, and ensuring children can grow safely within their communities rather than in congregate care settings. This commitment is the driving force behind our work and theme, “The Urgency of Now – Ending Isolation by Creating Effective Community Ecosystems,” and the 2026 Children’s Mental Health Action Week (CMHAW) theme, “Beyond the Screen: Education, Prevention, Connection.” At the heart of both is one central idea: connection is protection. During CMHAW (May 3–9) and throughout Mental Health Month, we will explore the growing influence of screens in the lives of children, youth and families. Rooted in the urgent need to keep young people safe, supported, and at home, the campaign will focus on three core goals:
Goals
Connection
Prevention
Education
To strengthen the relationships that matter most by encouraging screen‑ free moments of presence, shared activities, and meaningful family rituals that build resilience, belonging, and emotional well‑being.
To help families understand digital safety and reduce risks that can heighten emotional dysregulation, disrupt sleep, and increase vulnerability to harmful online influences—factors that can intensify mental health symptoms.
To equip families and caregivers with clear, accessible information and tools thatsupport balanced, developmenally appropriate screen‑time boundaries.
Together, these goals reflect our belief that when families are connected, children are safer, healthier, and more able to thrive.
“The sense of community is the most essential element in building a better world.”
Impact
By supporting families and caregivers in setting balanced, developmentally appropriate screen-time boundaries, we enhance family stability, promote healthier child development, and amplify influences that keep children safely in their communities rather than in congregate care settings.
Why this Conversation Matters
First, let's explore why looking Beyond the Screen is criticalto the mental health of our children, youth, and families.
Use the left and right arrows to move between the pages. Hover over OR click on the hotspots like this one on each page for more information!
Humans are built for connection.
True family connection is protective.
The importance of strong family bonds.
Screens: Bridging or Blocking Connection?
Now that we better understand the challenge families face in today's highly digital world, let's look Beyond the Screen.
Education
Mind
Click on any topic to the right to learn more about how technology can impact this area of a child or young person's life.
Body
Learning
Relationships
Sleep
Family
Emotions
Attention
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
Prevention
Screen Time
Click on any topic to the right to find resources and solutions that can help prevent negative impacts of screen time on a child or young person's life.
Content
Tech Free Times
No-Screen Zones
Phones
Family Contracts
Social Media
Talking Tech with Kids
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
Connection
Protective Factor
Click on any topic to the right to learn how you can build, protect and preserve connection with a child or young person in your life.
Conversation Starters
Community Engagement
Peer Relationships
Family Bonding
Safety
Emotional Security
Emotional Intelligence
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
Connected families and inclusive communities protect our youth and loved ones from congregate care.
Children's Mental Health Action Week 2026
Beyond the Screen
Safety
Strong family relationships act as a critical safety factor for youth by teaching positive coping skills and providing a secure base for developmental exploration. By fostering emotional resilience, secure attachment, and prosocial behavior families provide protective environments that reduce risks of violence, substance use, and poor mental health.
How Family Relationships Ensure Youth Safety:
Conversations with Kids
This guide includes 100 family conversation starters designed to:
- Strengthen connection
- Build emotional awareness
- Encourage curiosity
- Create more meaningful daily interactions
Whether you’re sitting down for dinner, driving in the car, or winding down before bed, these prompts can help turn everyday moments into opportunities for connection.Our brain is wired to consume visual content. Some data: 90% of the information we process comes through sight, and we process visual content up to 60,000 times faster than text. That's why visual communication is more effective.
Build Shared Experiences & Traditions
Explore New Things: Try new activities, such as trying new foods, board games, or hobbies to build teamwork and shared memories. Celebrate Together: Acknowledge, and celebrate both big milestones and small, everyday achievements. Family Projects: Work together on shared goals, such as home improvement projects, gardening, or volunteering at a community organization. Stay Active Together: Go for walks, take bike rides, or have family dance parties to reduce stress.
Social Connection
Key points:
Learn more here.
Talking Tech with Kids
Open, curious, and collaborative conversations are key to helping kids navigate social media safely and positively. Use the resources linked below to help:
- Understand the Impact
- Build Trust and Open Communication
- Explore Together
- Set Boundaries and Household Guidelines
- Address Risks and Promote Positive Use
- Collaborative Problem Solving
- Make Conversations Routine
By combining active listening, shared exploration, clear boundaries, and collaborative problem-solving, parents can help children use social media responsibly while supporting their mental health and fostering trust.Cultivate Mutual Respect & Support
Value Individuality: Recognize that family members are unique individuals with distinct talents and interests, not just an extension of the family unit. Positive Conflict Resolution: Focus on solutions rather than blame when problems arise. Support Interests: Take interest in what younger children or teens are interested in, rather than waiting for them to join your interests. Non-Verbal Support: Show affection through hugs, smiles, and attentive listening to make members feel secure and loved.
The Family as a Protective Factor
Protective Factors are attributes in families that increase health and well-being. We could take that a bit further and state that family and community in and of themselves can be Protective Factors. As a family, look within to discover and enhance those protective factors that are naturally present. Where you are lacking or need support, look to those who surround you.
Access the full article.
One of the most important protective factors is healthy relationships.
Learn about the importance of these factors in the article linked below.
Access the full article.
Physical Health
Key physical health impacts include:
Watch
Screen Time
Guides by age:
6-11
0-5
11-18
Digital Milestones Guide:
< 18 Months: Avoid all screen time, except for video chatting with family, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). 18–24 Months: Limit to educational, high-quality content, and always watch with a child 2–5 Years: Limit to 1 hour or less of high-quality educational programming daily. Avoid fast-paced content. 6–10 Years: Less than 2 hours of recreational screen time per day is recommended. 11-18 Years: Establish consistent, daily limits to ensure screen time doesn't disrupt sleep (9-11 hours), exercise (at least 1 hour), and schoolwork.
Use the 5 C's!
Create Consistent Quality Time & Routines
Designated Family Time: Commit to regular, scheduled time together (e.g., family game night, weekly walks, or a weekly movie night). Shared Meals: Eat together to create daily opportunities for connection. Unplugged Time: Establish "device-free" zones or times to ensure full engagement with one another. Small Rituals: Implement the "7-7-7" rule: 7 minutes in the morning, 7 after school/work, and 7 before bed for undivided, focused connection.
Social Media
Access the Surgeon General's Social Media and Youth Mental Health Advisory here!
Emotional Security
Families that prioritize emotional safety create a "secure base" that fosters independence, emotional resilience, and healthy development, while reducing the likelihood of anxiety and depression.
Key Ways Families Build Emotional Security:
Infants & Toddlers (0-2 years)
Emotions
Preschool & Early School Age (3-8 years)
Play
Older Children & Adolescents (9+ years)
Young Adult
U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, and the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community
The Surgeon General’s Advisory lays out lays out a National Strategy to Advance Social Connection. "By strengthening our relationships, increasing connection, and rebuilding the social fabric of our nation, we can improve the health of people across the country."
Read the full advisory here.
No-Screen Zones
No-screen zones are designated, technology-free areas (e.g., bedrooms, dining table) or times (e.g., before bed) designed to encourage face-to-face interaction, improve sleep, and enhance mental health. Effective strategies include starting small, ensuring consistency, and establishing phone-free zones, particularly for children to foster creativity.
Bridging the Gap
To make screens a bridge rather than a block, experts suggest:
Screens as a Block to Human Connection:
Reduced Empathy & Presence: Excessive screen use, particularly smartphones, is associated with lower empathy and decreased ability to read non-verbal cues. The mere presence of a phone can decrease the quality of in-person conversations. Digital Isolation: Over-reliance on screens leads to increased feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
Displacing Interactions: Screens frequently displace face-to-face interactions, leading to shorter and less meaningful connections with family and friends.
Developmental Disruptions: Early exposure to screens (especially under age 2) and excessive, fast-paced content can hinder social-emotional and cognitive development in children.
Tech Free Times
Key Tech-Free Strategies for Families: Establish a Digital Curfew: Turn off all devices at least 60 minutes before bedtime to prevent sleep disruption. Implement "Unplugged" Times: Dedicate specific times for family, such as Sunday mornings, game nights, or during car rides. Model Healthy Behavior: Children mimic parents, so put away your own phone to show that screens are just one part of daily life. Provide Engaging Alternatives: Prepare a list of non-screen activities (books, puzzles, sports) to combat boredom and encourage independent play.
Family Bonding
Family bonding is critically needed in the digital age. Intentional, screen-free time is essential to foster emotional connection, trust, and resilience in children, which can be eroded by digital oversharing and cyberbullying. Balancing technology with shared, face-to-face experiences is vital.
Actionable strategies include:
Key characteristics of strong family connections include:
Protective Factor
Social connection is foundational to human health, acting as a vital buffer against stress and a pillar for longevity. It fosters resilience by providing emotional support to navigate adversity, aids regulation by calming the nervous system, and enhances overall well-being by fostering belonging and reducing risks of chronic illness. Connection is Protection and plays a role in:
Sleep
Sleep is an essential process our brain and body use to recharge and recover, this is especially true for children and teens, who are undergoing rapid growth and daily development. Children and teens need anywhere between 8 and 13 hours of sleep a night depending on their age. But, screen use, especially exciting and engaging content before bed, can negatively impact the quality and quantity of children’s sleep. Learn more in the links below.
Family Contracts
A Family Technology Agreement is a collaborative, written plan setting rules for device use to ensure safety, balance, and trust. Key elements include defining screen time limits, designating tech-free zones (like bedrooms/dinner table), establishing charging stations, and setting clear consequences for rule violations. It should be signed by both parents and children, emphasizing that parents also follow the rules.
Introducing Family Tech Agreements:
Sample Contracts:
Wait Until 8th:
A Strategy from a Parent:
Family Life
Technology has woven its way into nearly every aspect of our lives. While it offers countless benefits and conveniences, it also poses a significant challenge to one of the most fundamental aspects of human existence: family bonding. As screens increasingly dominate our attention, the opportunity for meaningful interactions among family members can dwindle. However, studies tell us that prioritizing quality time together can have profound positive effects on communication, relationships, and overall life satisfaction. The importance of fostering uninterrupted family bonding cannot be overstated, and families who wish to create lasting memories together need to find ways of disconnecting from screens together.
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Brain Development
Technology is fundamentally reshaping youth cognition and behavior by accelerating dopamine-driven reward pathways, reducing attention spans, and altering social development through screen-mediated interaction. While offering instant access to information, excessive screen time and social media use are linked to decreased empathy, increased anxiety/depression, and impaired cognitive control.
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Community Engagement
Community engagement is critical for youth because it fosters essential leadership skills, promotes positive mental health, and reduces risky behaviors, while providing a sense of belonging and agency. Active community participation enables young people to build social networks, gain practical experience, and influence decisions on issues affecting their future, such as education, safety, and the environment.
Why Community Engagement is Critical for Youth:
How Biology Prepares Us for Love and Connection
Learn more about how we are:
Access the full resource here.
Peer Relationships
Peer connections are vital for youth, providing essential social-emotional development, companionship, and a sense of belonging that fosters confidence and mental health. These relationships teach critical skills like empathy, cooperation, and conflict resolution, while positive peer influence encourages healthy behaviors, academic success, and independence from family.
How peer connections benefit youth:
Peer influences that foster a strong self-image alongside, positive, supportive friendships are crucial for building essential skills that predict successful adult relationships and life satisfaction.
Foster Open & Positive Communication
Active Listening: Focus on understanding, not just responding, to make family members feel heard. Positive Reinforcement: Regularly express gratitude and appreciation for each other’s contributions and efforts. Family Meetings: Hold regular, constructive meetings to discuss schedules, plan activities, and resolve conflicts together. Open Dialogue: Maintain a judgement-free environment to discuss feelings, achievements, and worries.
The Power of Vulnerability in Deepening Relationships
Learn more about these key factors:
The path to embracing vulnerability can be challenging, its role in deepening relationships is invaluable.
Learn more here.
Learning
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The "Crutch" Effect: AI and search tools are often used to generate answers immediately, skipping the cognitive effort required to learn and understand a subject. Surface-Level Engagement: Digital tools often promote passive consumption—watching or tapping—rather than active, creative engagement. Reduced Critical Thinking: Reliance on technology can decrease students' problem-solving capabilities and "gut instinct," which are essential for deep learning. Multitasking Illusion: Students believe they are learning while multitasking, but technology often causes them to miss key information and struggle with retention. Misaligned Goals: Technology can lead to superficial learning that does not align with core educational goals, valuing speed over mastery.
Attention Span
Excessive screen time in children is consistently linked to shortened attention spans, reduced cognitive control, and difficulty focusing on non-digital tasks. High-speed, interactive content overstimulates the brain, often causing inattention, poor academic performance, and higher risks of ADHD-related symptoms, especially with over two hours of daily use.
Content
Identifying quality media involves selecting content that is developmentally appropriate, engaging, and aligns with family values. Use tools like Common Sense Media for age-based ratings (e.g., 0-5, 5-11, teens), and look for positive messages, diverse representations, and educational value. The AAP recommends prioritizing interactive, high-quality content over passive viewing, with no screens under 18 months.
Phones
By age 11, about half of children in the U.S. own a smartphone. When you hand your child a cellphone, you're giving them a powerful tool for communication and entertainment. Many experts recommend waiting until at least age 13–14, while some suggest waiting until high school (15–17) to minimize risks to mental health and sleep. The decision should be based on maturity rather than age. Take the "Phone Ready?" quiz!
Emotional Intelligence
Families support emotional intelligence (EI) by modeling healthy emotional regulation, validating feelings, and fostering open communication. Active listening, encouraging children to name their emotions, teaching empathy, and practicing self-reflection during conflicts creates a secure environment where children learn to manage emotions and understand others.
Key Ways Families Support EI: