Our family strongly believes in the power of being present and how important it is for kids to build self-reliance. We didn't allow our oldest to have her own cell phone until she was 13 — which meant that she had to walk to school and back, and often take the public bus "without a safety net" like we did when we were kids. That forced her to learn the systems and how to take care of herself in a way that she wouldn't have if she always had Google Maps or a lifeline to call. She's also not allowed to have the phone in her bedroom at night and we signed a contract with shared expectations on how she'd use the phone responsibly before she got it.

We do get a lot of pushback as they get less digital time than their friends, but we feel the trade-off of them being able to build self reliance and solve boredom without requiring a digital device is a critical life skill.

— David Reich, founder and CEO of Fambot, an AI tool for families  

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