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Imagine your 10-year-old lying about their age to create a social media account, connecting with a user-base within a 5-mile radius, thriving and nosediving off upvotes and downvotes, and---here's the clincher---engaging in a community with complete anonymity. 

As children across the country return to school in 2022, parents wonder what age they should give their kids a smartphone.

Teachers rely more and more on technology to support their students' growth. While smartphones offer a lot of great apps and sources of information, a typical device actively attempts to divert young minds into gaming or YouTube rabbit holes. 

But with Pinwheel, your child can enjoy all of the support, with none of the distractions.

With less than a year of being on the market, the public is embracing Pinwheel's concept of a smartphone designed for kids. USA Today recently featured Pinwheel in an article reviewing what parents should consider before making that important purchase.  

Moving fast while playing the long-game: Dane Witbeck has been known to enjoy speeds of up to 175 mph on a motorcycle, yet also enjoys growing bonsai trees in his free time. 

The CEO and co-founder of Pinwheel, a smartphone which is now in the hands of thousands of children, Witbeck was recently awarded the 40 under 40 award from his alma mater, Georgia Tech.  

Witbeck joins 39 others that boast achievements in areas like the nonprofit sector, state politics, agriculture and military. Georgia Tech selected each individual based on the significant contributions they made in their fields. 

Starting Saturday, July 11 the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is hosting a four day event, filled with informative sessions, inspirational speeches, and current topics in school counseling. 

While most pop-ups are selling artisan tacos or showcasing local artists, a small company headquartered in Austin, Texas is setting up shop for one day so the Lakeway and Austin-area community can learn firsthand how the Pinwheel device helps kids. 

As your child steps out of their elementary school building for the last time in their lives, they officially become a rising middle school student. The transition to middle school might seem daunting to some children: they need to find their classes in a new building, meet all new teachers, and in some schools, walk the halls with peers the size of adults.  

In our first post about Managing Screen Time, we dove into managing our children’s screen time, and the difference between using technology as a tool versus a passive source of entertainment. If you missed our first post, take a moment to read about current screen time challenges, like how social media and smartphones make parenting harder. You can also find suggestions on how to embrace the new kids tech era in the healthiest possible way. 

Does the phrase “summer break” give you memories of catching fireflies at dusk and splashing in sprinklers with friends? Did you read for hours under the sun, sleep in a tent or take beach trips with your family? Or how about "winter break"? Hot chocolate and hours of family time spent reading and playing games? 

For most of us, our fond holiday break memories don’t involve much screen time, and it can be difficult to accept that tech is a larger part of kids' lives today than it was in our childhood. In this two-part series, we’ll dive into when screen time is ok, and ideas on incorporating technology into your routine in a healthy way.