Technology is part of everyday life, but how much of it should children use? For many parents, finding the right balance between screens, school, play, and family time can feel like a constant challenge.
Will Stackable, a technology entrepreneur who helps major companies build technology, takes a different approach at home. He and his wife raise their four young children without Wi-Fi, a television, or routine recreational screen use. His goal isn’t to reject technology altogether. It’s to make sure technology doesn’t take the place of meaningful family experiences.
In this Stronger Weekly podcast conversation, Stackable shares his personal struggles with smartphone use, the research that shaped his perspective, and practical ways to create healthier boundaries. His experience offers parents an opportunity to think about their own habits and decide what role screens should play in family life.
1. What Research Says About Screen Time and Children's Well-Being
Research discussed in the episode highlights possible links between children’s screen use and several aspects of their development. These findings don’t establish that screens directly cause every problem, but they raise important questions about how children use technology and how much time they spend with it.
One review published in JAMA Pediatrics brought together 23 meta-analyses covering approximately 2.8 million children under 18 across 64 countries. The findings discussed in the episode associated greater screen use with outcomes involving academic performance, language development, anxiety, depression, peer relationships, and behavior.
The episode also discusses research involving approximately 9,000 children that examined smartphone ownership at age 12 and eating-related symptoms by age 14. In that study, around 70% of the 12-year-olds had their own smartphone. Eating-disorder symptoms were reported in 24% of children who owned a phone at 12, compared with 16% of those who did not.
The reported findings also included associations with binge-eating symptoms, unhealthy weight-control behaviors, and self-worth tied to body weight. These results show a relationship between smartphone ownership and certain outcomes, not proof that owning a phone caused them.
The preteen and early-teen years deserve particular attention because children are still developing their identities and understanding their bodies. As the episode highlights, smartphones can provide easy access to appearance-focused content and social comparison.
For parents, the takeaway isn’t that every screen is harmful. It’s that children’s age, the type of content they consume, and the role screens play in their daily routines all deserve consideration.
2. Why Screen Time Boundaries Work Better Than Willpower Alone
Stackable’s approach to technology began with a personal realization. He found it difficult to put his smartphone aside, even when he wanted to focus on the people around him.
One moment with his young son changed how he thought about the habit. While Stackable was scrolling on his phone, his son crawled over and tried to get his attention. Instead of engaging with him, Stackable kept pushing him away because he felt interrupted. Seeing the situation from the outside made him question his behavior.
He decided to give up his smartphone for a year and use a basic phone instead. The change wasn’t always convenient. Without smartphone maps, he even got lost in downtown Oklahoma City. Still, the experience helped him recognize how much his device had become part of his daily life.
When he eventually returned to using a smartphone, he experimented with screen-time controls and other restrictions. He discovered that limiting one app could simply lead him to spend more time on another.
He describes endless scrolling feeds as “infinity pools” because they offer no natural stopping point. There is always another post, video, or update waiting to capture attention.
This is why changing your environment can be more effective than relying on willpower throughout the day. Keeping a phone nearby makes checking it easy. Moving it to another room or blocking distracting apps introduces a small barrier that gives you a chance to make a more deliberate choice.
For parents, this means setting boundaries for themselves as well as their children. If you want to spend more time connecting as a family, making devices less accessible during those moments can be a useful first step.
3. How One Family Makes More Room for Offline Activities
Stackable’s household offers an example of how parents can create a different relationship with technology. He works in a connected office, using screens and digital tools throughout the day. At home, however, the family doesn’t have Wi-Fi, although a mobile hotspot is available when internet access is needed.
He describes the journey home as a way of stepping back from the connected world and entering a different environment.
The children have plenty of other ways to spend their time. They help with chores, collect eggs from chickens, work in the garden, play soccer, practice piano, and build forts. These activities encourage them to interact with the physical world rather than automatically reaching for a device whenever they have a spare moment.
Boredom also has a place in this approach. When the children say they don’t know what to do, Stackable encourages them to figure something out. Instead of immediately providing entertainment, he gives them room to come up with their own ideas.
That might mean building something, exploring outdoors, creating a game, or finding a new way to use their imagination. Not every moment needs to be filled with an activity planned by an adult.
The family also makes movie nights feel like an occasion. Rather than keeping a television running in the background, they bring out a projector when they want to watch a film together. Watching becomes a deliberate shared activity instead of the default option whenever the house is quiet.
Not every household needs to eliminate Wi-Fi or televisions to benefit from these ideas. The underlying principle is to make space for play, conversation, creativity, and shared experiences alongside technology.
4. Practical Ways to Set Healthier Screen Time Boundaries
You don’t need to follow Stackable’s exact household rules to make changes. Small adjustments can help families become more intentional about how and when they use devices.
Start by identifying what you want to protect. Perhaps you’d like more engaged family dinners, less scrolling before bed, more outdoor play, or uninterrupted time with your children. Having a clear goal makes it easier to choose a boundary that fits your household.
Next, look at the habits that regularly get in the way. If you reach for your phone whenever you have a quiet moment, try leaving it in another room during family activities. If notifications repeatedly interrupt conversations, turn off the ones that aren’t essential.
Stackable also discusses tools that can help limit access to distracting apps and websites, including built-in screen-time controls, Brick, and Cold Turkey Blocker. These options can introduce friction between the urge to check a device and the act of opening an app.
For children, boundaries work best when they’re clear and suited to their age and needs. Parents can decide which apps are allowed, when devices can be used, and where phones should be kept during meals, homework, or bedtime.
Here are some practical steps to consider:
- Create screen-free periods: Keep meals, family conversations, or bedtime routines free from unnecessary device use.
- Keep devices out of reach: Place phones in a cupboard or another room when you want to focus.
- Turn off nonessential notifications: Reduce the number of alerts competing for your attention.
- Plan offline activities: Keep books, games, sports equipment, and creative materials available.
- Introduce phones gradually: Discuss expectations and limits before giving a child their own device.
- Review the rules together: Adjust boundaries as children grow and their needs change.
The goal isn’t to make technology difficult to use for its own sake. It’s to ensure that screens remain a choice rather than becoming the automatic response to every quiet moment.
5. Parents Can Model Better Technology Habits
Children learn from what parents say, but they also pay attention to what adults do. Asking children to put their phones away while constantly checking your own sends a mixed message.
Stackable’s approach encourages parents to look at their own relationship with technology before focusing entirely on their children’s screen use.
That can start with simple habits. Put your phone aside when your child wants to tell you something. Give family meals your attention. Avoid checking messages during playtime unless there’s a genuine need.
These small moments communicate that relationships deserve attention and that people don’t have to compete with a device to be heard.
It’s also worth thinking about how you unwind. Stackable explains that physical activities with his children, such as playing soccer or wrestling, can leave him feeling better than spending time scrolling alone.
Everyone needs downtime, and not every use of technology is a problem. The important distinction is whether your habits help you feel rested and connected or leave you distracted from the people and activities that matter to you.
Parents can also talk openly with their children about why certain boundaries exist. Explaining that a rule is intended to protect sleep, concentration, safety, or family time can make it easier for children to understand its purpose.
As children get older, involving them in conversations about technology can help them develop their own judgment. The aim is not simply to enforce rules forever, but to help them learn how to make thoughtful decisions.
6. Make Technology Serve Your Family, Not Replace It
Technology offers real benefits. It helps people work, communicate, learn, and access information. Stackable’s career demonstrates that he isn’t opposed to using it. His concern is what happens when technology becomes so convenient that it pushes other valuable experiences out of the day.
That idea is central to his approach: technology always displaces something. The question is whether what it provides is worth what it replaces.
For one family, unrestricted screen use might mean less time talking at dinner. For another, it might mean fewer opportunities for outdoor play, more distractions during homework, or a parent who struggles to be fully present.
The solution doesn’t have to be the same for every household. Some families may choose screen-free evenings, while others may begin by keeping phones away during meals or delaying personal smartphones until their children are older.
Start with one change that feels realistic. Create a regular opportunity for offline play, establish a device-free family routine, or make your own phone less accessible when you’re spending time with your children. Notice whether the change improves your family’s experience, then build from there.
Ultimately, healthier screen habits are not just about reducing the number of hours spent looking at a device. They’re about making intentional choices with your time and attention.
Ask yourself the question at the heart of Stackable’s philosophy: Is what technology gives your family worth what it displaces? The answer can help you build boundaries that protect the relationships, activities, and everyday moments you value most.
