How To Change Your Family’s Digital Habits In 2026!

Trying to figure out the best way to deal with screen time as a parent can be overwhelming, especially when we read about screen addiction in kids and health risks linked to smartphone use at a young age. But if your kids spent the entire holiday break from school glued to their screens, you may be ready to make some changes to your family’s digital habits.

So, where do we start? By being more conscious about screen time and setting healthy boundaries, according to Tatiana Jordan, parenting expert and chief marketing officer at Bark Technologies, an online safety company. She suggests these tips for healthy digital habits for the whole family.

• Encourage unstructured play - Try to get kids to put their screens down and play the old-fashioned way, outside when possible. "No schedule. No screens. Just sunshine, nature, and freedom. Or rain. Let them get muddy," says Jordan. "Movement and nature reset kids in ways screens never will." Legos, blocks and coloring are good, too, and don’t feel like you have to save them if they complain about being bored, it sparks imagination.
• Help kids build real-world friendships - They need in-person, screen-free connection to build confidence and social skills, according to this expert, who recommends setting up playdates and hangouts whenever you can.
• Protect their sleep - Research shows kids and teens aren’t getting enough sleep and tech is a big sleep disruptor for people of all ages. Try to keep tech out of bedrooms for the best chance of proper sleep.
• Model healthy tech use - Kids tend to mimic what they see and they’re always watching us, so if we want them to have healthier relationships with their devices, we need to model one. Limiting your scrolling around the kids is a good step.
• Create some phone-free rituals - Set some rules for the whole family on where and when tech is allowed, and have some tech-free zones, like bedrooms and meal time.
• Set up a family tech plan - Coming up with a tech contract for everyone to follow keeps you all on the same page about what’s allowed and what isn’t. Let the kids give input and come up with some rules, keep it simple to follow, and if you’re lucky, it’ll lead to fewer arguments and more cooperation.

Source: Parents