Resources for a Tech-Wise Family

Becoming tech-wise requires work and the proper tools. We listed some great resources and tips here to assist you in your journey of putting technology back in its proper place.

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch

• Book
• Talk
• Barna Research
• 10 Tech-Wise Commitments (PDF)

Parental Control Apps

• Kidslox
• OurPact
• Qustodio
• FamilyTime

The Basics of a Tech-wise Family

Pursuing a life that is not enslaved to technology takes making sound choices and commitment.

Three Fundamental Choices

1. Choose character. Make the mission of your family, for children and adults alike, the cultivation of wisdom and courage.
2. Shape space. Make choices about the place where you live that put the development of character and creativity at the heart of your home.
3. Structure time. Build rhythms into your life on a daily, weekly and annual basis. These rhythms make it possible for you to get to know your family, God and your world in deeper ways.

10 Tech-Wise Commitments

1. We develop wisdom and courage together as a family.
2. We want to create more than we consume. So we fill the center of our home with things that reward skill and active engagement.
3. We are designed for a rhythm of work and rest. So one hour a day, one day a week, and one week a year, we turn off our devices and worship, feast, play and rest together.
4. We wake up before our devices do, and they “go to bed” before we do.
5. We aim for “no screens before double digits” at school and at home.
6. We use screens for a purpose, and we use them together, rather than using them aimlessly and alone.
7. Car time is conversation time.
8. Spouses have one another’s passwords, and parents have total access to children’s devices.
9. We learn to sing together, rather than letting recorded and amplified music take over our lives and worship.
10. We show up in person for the big events of life. We learn how to be human by being fully present at our moments of greatest vulnerability. We hope to die in one another’s arms.