In this episode, we’re talking about one of the biggest parenting challenges today — raising kids in a digital world. Many of us have overprotected our children in the physical world but underprotected them in the digital world. To help you add some guardrails, we share the practical tools and boundaries our family uses around technology — from phones and iPads to TV — and the eight foundational rules that guide us. We’re not speaking as experts, just practitioners learning through trial and error.

We start with the “why.” The data is clear about what technology is doing to us — especially our kids — and now it takes courage to respond wisely. Parenting in this area isn’t black and white, but it’s possible to approach it with grace and hope. In our home, that looks like saving smartphones for older teens, starting with basic phones, keeping devices out of bedrooms overnight, and using contracts and monitoring tools to stay accountable.

Technology is always changing, which means our family’s digital rules should too. In fact, it’s okay to adjust your strategy along the way. Above all, we want our kids to grow into freedom — not be thrown into it. As parents, we can lead with empathy, stay connected, and offer a safe place for our kids to learn how to navigate the digital world with maturity and wisdom.

Books + Resources Mentioned:

Gabb Phone

Pinwheel Phone

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Refurbished Phones: Back Market

The Mossers’ iPhone Contract

Parental Controls: Life360, Bark, Canopy, Screen Time + iPhone settings like locking apps and setting up downtime

10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World by Jean M. Twenge, PhD

The Opt-Out Family by Erin Loechner

The Hang 10 Movement

Protect Young Eyes

Greta Eskridge

Psalm 48 - Zion, the City of Our God

In the Lord I Take Refuge: Daily Devotions Through the Psalms with Dane Ortlund

Outro

The AI-powered Podcast Player