The biggest widescreen is the world: Screens, sanity, and embracing parental balance in a digital era.

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Kids today grow up surrounded by screens, making mindful tech use more important than ever. While digital media can spark learning and connection, overuse can disrupt sleep, focus, mood, and social skills. Families can find balance by striving for practical steps, not perfection. This guide offers accessible strategies to set boundaries and build healthier habits in a digital era. And when kids need a true break, Summer at Sandy Springs provides hands-on play, exploration, and creativity—no screen required.

Glancing at the restaurant around you you will undoubtedly see, if not a sea of portable screens, at least a smattering. When faced with the objective convenience and entertainment factor of a tablet or phone to create an easier excursion, who wouldn’t utilize it? Having a screen-free childhood is now virtually impossible. Today’s children are “digital natives”, and unlike their parents who had to adapt to the evolving technology landscape, our children have never known anything different.

From How Parents Manage Screen Time for Kids, an October 2025 article by Pew Research

There are definitive positives to technology and screen usage in childhood; learning materials become video games, parents have continuous contact, books are delivered in a heartbeat. Phonics instruction through scaffolded games are proven aids in children’s literacy. Some research has even demonstrated that children who play video games show increased visual processing skills, processing speed, and generalized dexterity.

However, overexposure to screens and digital media can have negative impacts on executive functioning, overall academic performance, and sensory and motor development. While research still aims to accurately define problematic screen and social media usage, the alarm has been sounded for the slippery slope to addiction, development of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, neglect of other life areas including hygiene, poor sleep, weakened social skills and inability to interact appropriately with peers, increased stress, and even risk of stunted language development and developmental delays.

So where is the balance? Screens are not only an important tool (and in brutal honesty, a tool to save parents’ sanity, as well), but removing them from the picture when they’re utilized in most public schools and homes isn’t realistic. They also have the capability to make learning fun, and every child can benefit from that. How do we guide our kids towards healthy usage and kick them off the dopamine rush highway?

Luckily, there are steps to savvy screen usage.

• Boredom is beneficial. Creativity flourishes when children are allowed to experience boredom. They thrive when they have an opportunity to find fun for themselves in the ordinary.
• Use your own social media savvily. Follow leaders in the technology and child development sphere, like Jonathan Haidt, childrenandscreens.org and its podcast (Screen Deep), and ScreenSanity.
• Be your own kid’s influencer. Modeling responsible screen usage is vital. Set your own screen limits (or try a family media use plan), get outside, read hard copies of books from the library, and find new board games until you pick a favorite.
• Create device free zones. Especially in bedrooms.
• Build device free time into the schedule, too. Remember, if you don’t want your kids using a tablet or phone at the dinner table, you can’t either!
• Try alternate technology. Have phones without smart tech until kids are more developmentally ready (high school is best), watches that allow you to call, text, and track location without added capabilities, even landlines are back (and cool?!)!
• Be kind and be patient. No need to go to extremes, but while reducing tech time, give both your children and yourself grace. This is hard, and there’s no perfect answer that fits every family.

Finally, remember to get outside and play! Play and enrichment can start with a screen, but it can’t end there. This is why Summer at Sandy Springs offers a diverse array of activities that immerse and engage your child in real time. Between outdoor play and activities, STEM learning, sports, performing arts, and visual arts activities, S@SS will reawaken your child’s fun (blue light optional).

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