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You’ve probably heard Gandhi’s advice to “be the change you want to see in the world.” When it comes to media addiction, change really does start in our homes and in our own families. We’ll never change the world if we ourselves are addicted, distracted and overstimulated by screens. And we can’t help other kids if we can’t first help our own.
MAMA’s House Rules can help you make your home a place of freedom and human connection for everyone — just start small, be easy on yourself and your family, and strive for progress not perfection!
MAMA’s House Rules
The Basics
In the morning, we wait until after we’ve fully woken up, brushed our teeth, and eaten breakfast before we check our devices.
On weeknights, we power down devices starting at 8pm for teens and 9pm for adults and store them in a designated space outside of anyone's bedroom (where basic alarm clocks sit on nightstands instead).
Daily Habits
We set daily screen time limits for all of our digital activities, and we stick to them.
We enjoy the outdoors without devices for at least 30 minutes every day.
When we talk to one another, we never check our phones mid-conversation.
Family Meals
We don’t invite devices to the dinner table.
When we go out to eat, we color, play games, or talk to pass the time (and learn the value of boredom) instead of using screens.
Getting Serious
We put devices away completely for 24 hours once a month.
We don’t sign up for social media until high school.
With any new device, we sit and create a family media agreement, and review it together whenever necessary.
We never ever put anything in a text or email that we wouldn’t want our grandparents to read or see on the front page of a newspaper.
We use parental controls to select age-appropriate apps.
Join us and get a printable version of the MAMA House Rules.
“MAMA is precisely what is needed to fight for the safety and rights of our children, and of our society.”
— SG, mom to kids ages 4 and 7, VP of communications for a major national foundation, Member of MAMA, NYC chapter