- Evidence-Based
Kids have too much open access to a world they aren't ready for.
From toddlers on tablets to teens on unmonitored algorithms, childhood shouldn’t have a back door. We provide the practical frameworks, tech audits, and age-appropriate guardrails families and schools need to protect the first 18 years.
Started by a parent. Backed by the research.
🟢 What GoLowTech offers
Research Library
🛠️Family Tools
School Talks
🤝The Agreement
JAMA Pediatrics
Cited source
Jonathan Haidt
NYU / Anxious Generation
Common Sense Media
Referenced data
Pew Research Center
Statistics cited
The research is unambiguous
The damage spans every age — birth to 18
Ages 0–9
More likely to develop attention problems by age 9
Cheng et al., JAMA Pediatrics, 2020
High screen exposure in early childhood triples ADHD-criteria risk — across all screen types, not just TV
Ages 13–18
Rise in depression among teen girls since 2012
Haidt, The Anxious Generation, 2024
2012 is when smartphones became ubiquitous among teens — and when the mental health crisis began
Ages 12–18
Of high-screen teens report depression symptoms
Zablotsky et al., CDC, 2025
vs. 9.5% among low-screen peers — nearly 3× the rate, in a nationally representative US sample
Ages 13–18
Average daily screen time for US teens
Common Sense Media, 2023
More than sleep. More than school. More than any previous generation — and the apps are designed to keep it that way
All statistics sourced from peer-reviewed journals and independent research organisations. View full research base →
Who’s Behind This?
A parent who got angry at the research — and decided to do something about it.
I found the science on screens and child development and couldn’t look away. The JAMA studies, the CDC data, Haidt’s work was damning. And almost no one was translating it into plain language for the people who needed it most: parents.
No corporate funding. No brand partnerships. Just the research, made useful for families who want to make better decisions without being made to feel guilty for owning a TV.
Make it official
The GoLowTech Agreement
This isn’t an agreement to delay one device. It’s a commitment to rethink your family’s entire relationship with technology. That takes more than a signature.
A different approach
Beyond the smartphone pledge
The old approach
Delay the smartphone
Most advocacy focuses on pushing back the first smartphone — a worthy goal, but narrow. It doesn’t address tablets, streaming, gaming, YouTube, or the broader tech culture at home.
The GoLowTech way
Rethink tech entirely
We ask a bigger question: what role should screens play in the first decade of a child’s life? Our answer is far less than most families currently allow — across all devices, all platforms.
The old approach
Tweens & teens, after habits form
Most movements target the moment of the first phone. By then, children have often had years of passive screen consumption. The habits are already set.
The GoLowTech way
Birth to 18 — every stage matters
GoLowTech covers the full arc of childhood. Whether your child is 2, 9, or 16, there are evidence-based guardrails that apply. The earlier you start, the easier it is — but it’s never too late.
The Problem
What Screens Are Doing to Our Children
This is not moral panic. It is neurological, psychological, and social harm — documented across thousands of peer-reviewed studies and now visible at a generational scale.
Ages 0–5
Brain & Language Development
In the first five years, the brain forms 1 million neural connections per second. Screens displace the face-to-face interaction and free play that drive this growth — with measurable consequences for language, attention, and social-emotional skills.
Children under 5 watching 2+ hrs/day show confirmed delays in language, attention & social-emotional development.
Madigan et al., JAMA Pediatrics, 2019
Ages 5–12
Attention & Learning
The rapid-fire stimulation of screens — especially games and short-form video — conditions the developing brain to expect constant novelty. This makes sustained attention in school, reading, and conversation increasingly difficult.
High early screen exposure → 3× more likely to meet ADHD criteria by age 9 vs. low-exposure peers.
Cheng et al., JAMA Pediatrics, 2020
Ages 10–15
Mental Health Crisis Onset
The transition to social media during early adolescence is a period of acute risk. Depression, anxiety, and self-harm rates spike — particularly in girls. Neuroimaging now shows screen time alters white matter structure in ways that predict later depression.
Increased screen time in late childhood predicts heightened depressive symptoms in early adolescence — with a neurological mechanism confirmed.
Cheng et al., JAMA Pediatrics, 2024
Ages 6–18
Sleep Disruption
Blue light suppresses melatonin. Algorithmic stimulation keeps the nervous system aroused. Device presence in the bedroom — even switched off — correlates with shorter sleep. Sleep loss compounds every other harm on this list.
Robust association between screen time and adverse sleep confirmed across all age groups — adolescents most affected.
He et al., PMC Systematic Review, 2025
🤝
Ages 3–18
Social Skill Atrophy
Face-to-face interaction is the engine of empathy, emotional literacy, and relationship skills. Screens replace this with parasocial one-way consumption. The effects compound over time — and are most severe in children who started early.
Background TV reduces quantity and quality of parent-child verbal interaction — even when the child isn't watching.
Kirkorian et al., Child Development, 2009
Ages 13–18
Adolescent Identity & Anxiety
Teenagers with developing identities are algorithmically served comparison content, body image triggers, and outrage loops — at scale. The dose-response relationship between social media hours and depression is now replicated across dozens of studies.
Teens with high daily screen time: 25.9% depression symptoms vs 9.5% — and 27.1% anxiety vs 12.3% in low-screen peers.
Zablotsky et al., CDC / Preventing Chronic Disease, 2025
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
The Research Base
Every claim on this site is backed by published research. Read the studies yourself.
Mental Health
Ages 6-12
2024
Screen Time and White Matter: Link Between Screen Time and Depression in Childhood and Early Adolescence
Cheng, W. et al. — JAMA Pediatrics
Increased screen time in late childhood is linked to heightened depressive symptoms in early adolescence, mediated by disrupted sleep and white matter microstructure changes — providing a neurological mechanism for harm.
Social Media
Ages 10–15
2024
Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence
JAMA Network Open — JAMA Network Open
Longitudinal study finding that more time on social media during early adolescence predicts significantly increased depressive symptoms over time — effects were dose-dependent and persisted after controlling for confounders.
Mental Health
Ages 12–18
2025
Associations Between Screen Time Use and Health Outcomes Among Adolescents
Zablotsky, B. et al. — CDC / Preventing Chronic Disease
CDC-backed national study: teens with high daily screen time were 2.7× more likely to report depression symptoms (25.9% vs 9.5%) and 2.2× more likely to report anxiety symptoms compared to low-screen-time peers.
Sleep
Ages 5–18
2025
Screen Time and Sleep: A Systematic Review of the Association with Adverse Sleep Outcomes
He, X. et al. — PMC / Systematic Review
Comprehensive systematic review confirming robust associations between increased screen time and adverse sleep outcomes across all age groups, with adolescents showing the strongest effects — particularly from evening device use.
Sleep
Ages 11–18
2024
The Impact of Social Media Use on Sleep and Mental Health in Youth
Danny, J.Y. et al. — Current Psychiatry Reports
Review of 94 studies finding that social media use is strongly associated with both sleep disruption and mental health problems in youth, with bidirectional effects — poor sleep worsens social media use and vice versa.
Policy
Ages 0–18
2025
Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: AAP Policy Statement
American Academy of Pediatrics — Pediatrics
Updated AAP policy citing accumulated evidence across attention, mental health, sleep, and development. Recommends no screens for children under 2 (except video calls), and consistent limits through age 18.
Development
Ages 0–18
2023
Screen Time and Its Health Consequences in Children and Adolescents
PMC / NIH Systematic Review — International Journal of Environmental Research
Comprehensive review linking excessive screen time to obesity, cardiometabolic risk, poor mental health, and unhealthy eating habits across children and adolescents. Establishes screen time as a multi-domain health risk.
Social Media
Ages 13–18
2025
Effects of Social Media Use on Youth and Adolescent Mental Health
PMC / Meta-Analysis — PLOS Mental Health
Meta-analysis of recent literature confirming the majority of studies link social media use to adverse mental health outcomes — particularly depression and anxiety — with consistent patterns across Western nations.
Mental Health
Ages 6-12
2024
Screen Time and White Matter: Link Between Screen Time and Depression in Childhood and Early Adolescence
Cheng, W. et al. — JAMA Pediatrics
Increased screen time in late childhood is linked to heightened depressive symptoms in early adolescence, mediated by disrupted sleep and white matter microstructure changes — providing a neurological mechanism for harm.
Mental Health
Ages 12–18
2025
Associations Between Screen Time Use and Health Outcomes Among Adolescents
Zablotsky, B. et al. — CDC / Preventing Chronic Disease
CDC-backed national study: teens with high daily screen time were 2.7× more likely to report depression symptoms (25.9% vs 9.5%) and 2.2× more likely to report anxiety symptoms compared to low-screen-time peers.
Social Media
Ages 10–15
2024
Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence
JAMA Network Open — JAMA Network Open
Longitudinal study finding that more time on social media during early adolescence predicts significantly increased depressive symptoms over time — effects were dose-dependent and persisted after controlling for confounders.
Social Media
Ages 13–18
2025
Effects of Social Media Use on Youth and Adolescent Mental Health
PMC / Meta-Analysis — PLOS Mental Health
Meta-analysis of recent literature confirming the majority of studies link social media use to adverse mental health outcomes — particularly depression and anxiety — with consistent patterns across Western nations.
Sleep
Ages 5–18
2025
Screen Time and Sleep: A Systematic Review of the Association with Adverse Sleep Outcomes
He, X. et al. — PMC / Systematic Review
Comprehensive systematic review confirming robust associations between increased screen time and adverse sleep outcomes across all age groups, with adolescents showing the strongest effects — particularly from evening device use.
Sleep
Ages 11–18
2024
The Impact of Social Media Use on Sleep and Mental Health in Youth
Danny, J.Y. et al. — Current Psychiatry Reports
Review of 94 studies finding that social media use is strongly associated with both sleep disruption and mental health problems in youth, with bidirectional effects — poor sleep worsens social media use and vice versa.
Development
Ages 0–18
2023
Screen Time and Its Health Consequences in Children and Adolescents
PMC / NIH Systematic Review — International Journal of Environmental Research
Comprehensive review linking excessive screen time to obesity, cardiometabolic risk, poor mental health, and unhealthy eating habits across children and adolescents. Establishes screen time as a multi-domain health risk.
Policy
Ages 0–18
2025
Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: AAP Policy Statement
American Academy of Pediatrics — Pediatrics
Updated AAP policy citing accumulated evidence across attention, mental health, sleep, and development. Recommends no screens for children under 2 (except video calls), and consistent limits through age 18.
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Key Voices
Researchers & Speakers You Should Know
These are the scientists, authors, and thinkers driving the global conversation on childhood and technology.
JT
Jean Twenge
Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University
Research
Teen Wellbeing
Author of iGen. Her landmark research tracks generational data showing the sharp mental health decline in adolescents beginning around 2012 — the year smartphones became ubiquitous among teens.
DS
Dr. Sherry Turkle
MIT Professor, Founder of MIT Initiative on Technology and Self
Empathy
Social Skills
Author of Reclaiming Conversation. Her ethnographic research shows how device use is degrading children’s capacity for empathy, conversation, and solitude — the foundational skills of humanity.
DV
Dr. Victoria Dunckley
Integrative Child Psychiatrist
Psychiatry
Screen Syndrome
Author of Reset Your Child’s Brain. Coined the term “Electronic Screen Syndrome” to describe the cluster of symptoms — irritability, aggression, poor focus, and mood instability — caused by excessive screen time.
Our Mission
Delay Tech. Protect Childhood..
GoLow Tech exists to help parents, schools, and communities make evidence-informed decisions about children and technology — during every stage from birth to 18.
We believe every child deserves a childhood that is unhurried, embodied, and free from algorithmic manipulation. The smartphone and social media industries have conducted a mass experiment on our children without consent. It is time to respond with clarity and courage.
“The four basic norms: no smartphones before high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, and far more unsupervised play and independence in the real world.”
— Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation, 2024
📊
Evidence First
We rely only on published, peer-reviewed science. No anecdotes. No fear-mongering. Just data.
🏫
Schools Are Key
GoLowTech works with schools to support evidence-based phone-free policies and parent education programs.
👨👩👧
Parents Need Support
We equip parents with practical frameworks and real research — not guilt, but agency.
🌳
Reclaim the Outdoors
Unstructured outdoor play isn’t a luxury — it’s the original childhood operating system. We’re on a mission to bring it back.
🌿
71%
Parents Need Support
We equip parents with practical frameworks and real research — not guilt, but agency.
🎯
Recess
is disappearing
In the US, 40% of school districts have cut or reduced recess since 2000. We’re scheduling away the most important part of the school day.
⏱
4–7 min
Daily outdoor free play for many kids
That’s it. Four to seven minutes. Less than a TikTok session. It’s not a screen problem — it’s a priorities problem.
🎬
Watch: The Death of Recess
“We took away the one thing children needed most — and gave them a screen instead.”
The documentary The Death of Recess explores how over-scheduled, screen-saturated childhoods have eliminated the unstructured time that builds resilience, creativity, and emotional health. Kids aren’t broken — we broke the conditions they need to thrive.
“The antidote to a phone-based childhood isn’t rules — it’s a life so rich, so physical, so full of real adventure that the phone can’t compete.”
Reach out
We want to hear from you
Parents, schools, press, or just curious — drop me a message.
🎤
Parent Evening Talk
A 60-min evidence-based presentation for parents on the research and practical steps to reduce screen time.
🏫
School Staff Training
Half-day workshop for teachers and leadership on implementing phone-free policy and supporting student wellbeing.
📋
Policy Support
Guided support for schools building or reviewing technology policies grounded in current research.
