After 14 years as a high school teacher, this teacher decided to move on because "school as an institution is now broken for a very specific reason."

"Students have access to all of earth’s entertainment, information and communication at all times. People now block their ears and only listen to the sounds they want to hear. They block their eyes with images that they want to see."

Maya is smart, hardworking and kind. She’s happy with herself and who she is. Things start to change in seventh grade when she downloads Instagram. What she thought matters changes.

A challenge many parents struggle with is the amount of time their kids spend on their phones. Teens spend an average of seven hours and 22 minutes on their phones a day, and tweens -- ages 8 to 12 -- are at four hours and 44 minutes daily, according to a report by Common Sense Media.

Regardless if you are in the middle of a smartphone battle in your home or you want to setup your kid’s new iPhone for success, we are here to help. These tips can be used on an iPad too if you are trying to reduce time spent on a tablet.

The iPhone 11 is at the top of most children’s wish list. Some kids refuse to put anything else on it declaring, “all I want for Christmas is an iPhone.” Nostalgia is heavy for lists overflowing with requests for Barbies, Batman figures, Legos and Hot Wheels. When did our kids stop being kids and start asking for gadgets designed for adults? And how can we be the Christmas hero but hold the line on granting the smartphone wish?

Technology titans are issuing startling warnings about the dangers of social media and excess screen time for kids. Many parents are asking what they should do about screen time and their kids.  Our simple, shorthand answer: “Parent like a tech exec.”  You see, technology executives aren’t just raising the alarm about the dangers of screens and devices; they’re instituting new practices in their own families to guard against those dangers and equip their kids to thrive in this brave new tech world.

Once kids receive their first phones, it’s common for parents to be anxious and concerned for the things their children may get into online. From cyberbullying to online predators, countless ways exist for children to run into potentially dangerous situations. But how do you monitor what kids are actually saying online and expressing to their friends? And what’s more — how do you do it in a way that helps build trust with your child and encourage open, honest communication?

The types of mistakes kids are making on their smartphones have become increasingly criminalized, and the consequences at school and under the law can be very serious. As our communities continue to be rocked by story after story of mass school shootings and kids committing suicide after being ruthlessly cyberbullied, the stakes are extremely high.  Those in authority simply can’t afford to take any chances.  Everything must be treated seriously, just in case.  Learn what you can do as a parent to protect your child from legal trouble and teach them how to use smartphones responsibly.

Many parents ask when is the right age to give a child their first social media account. That is actually the wrong question. We think there are other, more important questions that should be asked first. We have a list of six questions that we’ve found to be helpful in making an accurate assessment.

Reality: Most Kids Eventually See Porn – No Matter How Hard You Try to Prevent It. In the digital age, it’s not a matter of IF my child will see pornography. It’s only a matter of WHEN. Learn how to talk confidently to your child about pornography .

In the era of the smartphone and tablet, boredom is facing an extinction-level moment. And that’s not a good thing, especially for our children. Learn three ways to make boredom great again.

New research is questioning the wisdom of allowing phones in school, as studies reveal this practice is putting students’ learning and safety at risk. Learn why phones don't belong in school. 

Giving a smartphone to a child is a big decision. Be sure to make sure your child is ready for this responsibility by checking this list of questions. Once your child has a smartphone, continue to educate them on the importance of using the smartphone safely, appropriately and moderately.

When should I give my child a smartphone? It’s a good question. And a hard one to answer because there are so many considerations. Learn why parents must tackle the sex talk and other hard subjects before their children are ready for a smartphone. 

A science teacher asked her students to finish this sentence: ‘What my parents don’t know about social media is…’ The answers were SICKENING. Heartbreaking. Depressing. Out of the 85 kids who answered, around 70 of them admitted to keeping some kind of social media secret from their parents.

My daughter is ten. She wants me to download the Musical.ly app on my phone so she can make funny lip-sync videos. Everyone has it, she whines, even the kid whose mom is an FBI agent/social worker/pediatrician/nun.

Wow. Well. In that case…

I download the app while she’s at school but it won’t let me explore without an account. I create a profile under Chardonaynay47, only to delete that and opt for something less momish — gummibear9.

One word sums up my experience: Nowayismykidgettingthisapp.

Learn how one family explains to their children why they are waiting until at least 8th grade for a smartphone.