“For our family of four kids, screens are an easy fallback.  The kids are happy being entertained by videos and games. And I get moments of peace and quiet and a chance to accomplish some work. That’s a win/win situation. But last summer, we tried something new. We decided to make a plan to help us be more intentional regarding our summer screen time…”

Today’s parents can feel overwhelmed by the task of keeping up with their kids’ digital lives. And when we fall behind? It is easy to throw our hands and the air and ask, “Is it even worth it?” This spring, we headed to the University of Kansas to see how college students felt about the things their parents did to help them navigate the digital world…

In a six-month tour of the nation, Diane Sawyer set out to find the answer to a pressing question: How do we balance the ease of technology with the fullness of our lives? When she heard about START, she was intrigued by a community courageously coming together to tackle this epidemic. So she hopped on a plane to KC, to see for herself what the buzz is all about. To view one of the ScreenTime segments where START was featured, click here.

At START, we believe that digital parenting isn’t about taking connection away from our kids…it is about giving them opportunities to taste and see that face to face connection can be even better. So our hearts were warmed when we heard the story of a gentleman who spotted a group of beautiful prom goers at a restaurant, and was inspired to anonymously pay for their meal if they would put their phones away.