There has been a sickness going around my kids’ school lately, and I’m not talking about the stomach bug making the rounds. Among the parents, there’s been an outbreak of dramatic screen time cutbacks.
For the uninitiated, “screen time” in our circle means individual time spent on a personal device: an iPad, a laptop, a Nintendo Switch, a phone. Family movie night or watching live sports together seems to be universally exempt. And, notably, parents themselves are not typically subject to the same limits. A few families in our friend group have gone even further and banned devices outright until summer.
My kids have grown up with screen time. It’s woven into the fabric of their days and they expect it in some form almost every afternoon. We do have one firm rule: no screens at restaurants. Okay, there have been one or two exceptions when the food service was taking an eternity or the company had long since exhausted what could reasonably be called conversation. They are kids after all. But in general, the rule holds.
So when spring break approached, specifically a weekend trip out of town, my wife unveiled what I can only describe as a bold and slightly insidious plan: no screens for the entire trip. That includes us parents.
The allowed exceptions were narrow but practical: normal phone calls, texts, and emails for connectivity; maps and navigation; and the camera. No news. No social media scrolling. No streaming. No gaming.
Here’s where it got personal for me: my current book is a library loan through the Libby app on my phone. Under the new regime, that doesn’t qualify. I had to set it aside and dig up a physical book to bring instead.
The blackout begins when we load up the car Saturday morning and lifts when we pull back into the driveway Monday afternoon. Wish me luck. I’ll report back below once I’ve had my screen time privileges restored.
Placeholder for post-trip report.