The problem in 60 seconds
What's actually normal right now, how fast it moves between 10 and 12, and why so many apps are designed to be hard to put down.
Free · 8-page printable Digital Guide
The Delay the Phone Starter Kit
Pick your family's phone age, know what to say, and hold the line when "everyone has one." In one 20-minute sitting, you'll leave with a written phone rule, word-for-word scripts, and a 7-day plan to start.
Send me the free kit
It lands in your inbox in a minute or two. Print it, or fill it in on screen.
Bonus: one email a week (Fridays) with the top kids-and-tech news, written for parents. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Why now
What's normal isn't the same as what's right for you.
42%
of 10-year-olds already have their own smartphone.
Common Sense Media, 2021 Census71%
of 12-year-olds do. It moves fast, and most families slide into it without ever really deciding.
Common Sense Media, 2021 Census20 min
is all it takes to make the decision on purpose instead. That's what this kit is for.
One sitting. One written rule.A smartphone isn't a calculator with a camera. It's the whole internet in a pocket. If you haven't handed one over yet, you're not behind. You're right on time to decide. See the research →
What's inside
Eight pages. Zero lectures.
Pick your family's rule
Our recommended default (no smartphone until after 8th grade, around 14) or your own age with reasons. Written down, signed, and easy to explain.
Three conversations, word for word
With your kid (including "everyone has one" and "I'll be left out"), with your co-parent or grandparents, and with another parent at school.
Five house rules before any device
Devices charge outside bedrooms. Screens go to sleep before your kid does. New apps need a yes. Meals and car rides stay screen-free. And parents follow the rules too.
Bridges, not bans
Kid smartwatches, basic talk-and-text phones, and a shared family phone: ways to keep your kid reachable without handing over the whole internet.
Your 7-day start plan
One small action a day. By next week you've gone from "I should probably do something" to a written plan, a united front, and your first allies.
Plus page 8: every source we used, listed in plain sight.
Take a peek
Made to print, stick on the fridge, and actually use.
Who it's for
For parents who want childhood to come first.
You don't need to be anti-tech, and you don't need to have it all figured out. You just need twenty minutes and a pen.
- Your kid is in elementary or middle school, and the phone question is starting to come up (or you can feel it coming).
- You've heard "everyone has one" and weren't sure what to say back.
- You want a rule you and your co-parent actually agree on, before the birthday that forces the issue.
- There's already a tablet, laptop or game console in the house, and you'd like some rules before anything else comes in.
- You want your kid to be reachable without handing them the whole internet.
Twenty minutes from now, you could have a plan.
Get the free Delay the Phone Starter Kit: your family rule, word-for-word scripts, and a 7-day plan to start.
Bonus: one email a week (Fridays) with the top kids-and-tech news, written for parents. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
If you want to dive deeper
Want to go deeper?
The Wild Not Wired Playbook
The Starter Kit covers the basics. If you’d like the full research, scripts and plans behind it, the Wild Not Wired Playbook goes deeper: plans for every age from 6 to 13 and up, word-for-word scripts for the hard conversations, a gentle reset if your kid already has a phone, and a 30-day kickoff with printables for the fridge.
No rush. The Starter Kit is plenty to get you going, and the Playbook is here whenever you want it.
$27 · 52-page eBook, instant download · 15-day money-back guarantee, see details