The Journal

Raising kids in the anti-screen age

Research summaries without the panic, and playbooks that survive contact with real children.

First Phone

The Complete Guide to Smartphone Alternatives for Kids (2026)

Every real option for keeping your kid connected without handing them a smartphone — watches, flip phones, walkie-talkies, and screenless devices, compared honestly.

June 15, 2026

First Phone

What's the Right Age for a First Phone? What the Evidence Actually Says

Pediatricians, researchers, and 10,000 parent surveys point to the same answer: later than you think for a smartphone — earlier than you think for a voice line.

May 28, 2026

Screen Time

Screen Time and Child Development: The Research, Summarized Honestly

What the strongest studies actually show about screens and kids' brains, sleep, attention, and mental health — without the panic and without the excuses.

May 10, 2026

Screen Time

How to Delay the Smartphone Without Making Your Kid a Social Outcast

The 'everyone has one' problem is real. Here's the playbook that works: pacts with other parents, a genuinely cool alternative, and scripts for the hard conversations.

Apr 22, 2026

First Phone

Walkie-Talkie vs. Phone for Kids: Which Does Your Family Actually Need?

Push-to-talk toys and real phones solve different problems. A clear framework for which one fits your kid's age, range, and independence level.

Apr 2, 2026

Design

Why LOUP's E-Ink Strip Isn't 'a Screen' (And Why the Difference Matters)

We sell a screenless phone with a visible display of names. Contradiction? Here's the design philosophy — and the neuroscience — behind the distinction.

Mar 18, 2026