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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.

Parents face monumental challenges in raising children today. The world of technology and social media were not designed with the safety of children in mind. Many social media platforms make children vulnerable in ways that could be easily prevented.

I co-founded Pinwheel because I’m personally driven to give kids access to technology in the healthiest possible way. But today, I’m writing as a dad. I feel compelled to share this petition to#LetParentsProtect, which urges every social media platform to let parental monitoring tools have a voice in helping to protect kids. 

By trusted Pinwheel Guest
Julie T., a Pinwheel Parent from CO.

Jackson, 8-years-old at the time, hopped into my minivan, and before I could pull out of the school parking lot, he said, “Everybody has a smartphone, but me.”

Everyone must learn how to use a smartphone. The question of how and when is better answered by another question: what is the lifelong relationship you want to have with a smartphone: will you serve it or will it serve you?

When I started Pinwheel, I noticed a LOT of companies around parent / family tech use “safety” as their rallying cry and the basis for their brand. I get it. Safety for our kids pulls at our heartstrings as parents. We all want safety for kids.We can’t stand to see them hurt. In the dangerous world we see online, we feel extremely out of control to stop the possibility of harm. It makes sense that safety is something to aspire to and to work towards, and to be clear we talk about it A LOT and work on it A TON at Pinwheel. BUT, safety is never going to be there 100% for our kids… not offline... and not online.