RESOURCES
-
TAKE ACTION
Fun things you can do in our community to help foster child independence.
-
ARTICLES
Read about kids and smartphones, social media, tech in schools and more.
TAKE ACTION
GET A LANDLINE
Tired of texting with other parents to set up playdates for your kids? Getting a landline or Tin Can phone gives your kids the freedom to call up their friends and arrange their own meet ups.
LANDLINE
To get a landline, contact local providers like AT&T, Spectrum, or Verizon (or CenturyLink, Cox, Xfinity for digital/VoIP options) in your area, choose between traditional copper or digital (VoIP) service, and they'll set up the line, often bundled with internet for better rates
TIN CAN PHONE
Tin Cans give kids old-school phone freedom with a modern twist. The current model plugs into Ethernet and a WiFi version arrives soon - it drops in February, so place your order soon. Previous batches have sold out like crazy!
Pure voice calls, zero distractions. Kids can plan playdates without apps getting in the way. And they’re catching on fast—groups of friends here in Piedmont have already ordered sets so kids can call each other directly. Want more details? Check out this thorough review.
HOST A BLOCK PARTY
We all know that block parties are super fun ways to bond with our neighbors and help our kids find others to play with. But how to make one happen? It's simpler than you think.
Steps to Take:
Choose a section of your street where you know most of your neighbors (it doesn't have to be the whole block)
Complete this permit and have all of the neighbors in the block party zone sign it (try sending your kids knocking door-to-door)
Within 10 days of your date, return the form to the City Clerk's Office in City Hall, along with a $50 fee
Send a flyer to your neighbors inviting them to join the fun
Hope to see you at a block party - or elsewhere around the neighborhood!
ARTICLES
SMARTPHONES
My Fellow Parents Have Betrayed Me’ (The Cut) Aug. 15, 2025
Most recently, the families had come together on perhaps the most critical decision of all: They would wait until at least eighth grade for their kids to get smartphones.
The Screen That Ate Your Child’s Education (New York Times) Nov. 16, 2025
That’s progress, especially when 83 percent of K-12 teachers surveyed by one major union think that smartphone bans are a good idea
CHILD INDEPENDENCE
The Dumbest Phone Is Parenting Genius (The Atlantic) June 17, 2025
“Now about 15 to 20 families in their South Portland neighborhood have installed a landline. They’ve created a retro bubble in which their children can easily call their friends without bugging a parent to borrow their phone—and in which the parents, for now, can live blissfully free of anxieties about the downsides of smartphones.”
The Decline of Play and Rise in Children's Mental Disorders (Psychology Today) January 26, 2010
One thing we know about anxiety and depression is that they correlate significantly with people's sense of control or lack of control over their own lives.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Most U.S. Teens Use YouTube and TikTok Daily, Some ‘Almost Constantly,’ Survey Says (New York Times) Dec. 9, 2025
“Roughly a third of teens say that they’re on at least one of the five almost constantly — and that number has stayed steady for several years now,” said Michelle Faverio, a research associate with Pew and a lead author on the new report.”
Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban (Reuters) December 10, 2025
"Social media is highly addictive and doesn't really have any real advantages. I mean, there are advantages, such as being able to spread your opinion, but I think the disadvantages, especially the addiction, are much worse," said 15-year-old pupil Arian Klaar.”
Teens, Social Media and Mental Health (Pew Research Center) April 22, 2025
Roughly half of teens (48%) say these sites have a mostly negative effect on people their age, up from 32% in 2022
