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The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough

Ten Schools, Three Districts, One Community of Learners

Creating Healthy Technology Routines & Controls

Creating Healthy Technology Routines & Controls

How do we help children build healthy technology habits in a world where screens are everywhere?

The answer isn’t simply counting minutes. Healthy digital habits develop when adults model, guide, set boundaries, and gradually help children learn to manage technology for themselves. Whether your child is in kindergarten or high school, small routines at home can make a difference.

    • Why it's easier to set norms before habits form (new device, new school year
    • How to have the "tech talk": what the rules are, why, and what happens if they're broken
    • A short family media plan template they can print

    • Step-by-step guides or videos for iPhone Screen Time, Android and Google Family Link, and the big platforms (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, gaming consoles) 
    • What to set: downtime hours, app limits, content filters, purchase approvals
    • Tip: set it up together with your child when possible, so it's a partnership and not surveillance

    • Phone-free meals, charging devices outside the bedroom, putting your own phone away during conversations
    • A short "kids notice what we do" message with a non-judgmental tone

    • Manage notifications: turn off non-essential alerts, use Do Not Disturb or Focus modes during homework and sleep
    • App audit: which apps do I use on purpose, and which just eat time? Keep, limit, or delete
    • Check your usage: how to find Screen Time (iPhone) or Digital Wellbeing (Android), and what to look for
    • Self-reflection: "How do I feel after using this app?" with 3 to 4 prompts they can ask themselves (energized, drained, anxious, connected, left out?)

    • Turn off notifications for one app
    • Switch the screen to grayscale or a warmer color setting at night
    • Move social apps off the home screen (or into a folder on the last page)
    • Charge the phone outside the bedroom
    • Give families a "pick one" choice so it feels doable

Elementary School

Parents set the controls, shared spaces for devices, simple routines

Middle School

First phone and social media decisions, co-setting limits, notification basics

High School

Guided independence, self-monitoring, app audit, sleep and late-night use