I'm not a teacher - but both my kids know that 16 is going to be the magic age for phones. They do get access to their iPads - educational gifts from the grandparents - though I did manage to accidentally LOSE the dang things for over 2 years when the kids were younger. I legit got so frustrated that I stashed them in a file drawer, and then couldn't find them later. I wish I had never found the damn things.

We talk about peak oil, and peak capitalism - but I think we've reached the point of peak distraction. And now, like Sisyphus, we have this dang boulder to keep working with.

The one strategy we've used to good effect is to share out our family Audible account via Alexa. Listening to audiobooks is still stimulating - but they aren't plugged into the visuals of the screen - so it still satisfies the urge to be entertained, while requiring some imagination to be put into play.