Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to manage their screen time.
That’s the idea behind The Balance Project, which relies on community-based efforts to provide kids with device-free activities. A group of parents in New Jersey founded the nonprofit in November 2024, and it’s since expanded to about 300 communities across 48 states. Last November, Caroline Brachman started a chapter in Arlington.
Even with screen-time limits at home, the East Falls Church mom of two says her kids still push back. Having neighbors on her side—parents who also believe children need time to play and socialize without smartphones, tablets or watches—gives her more support in holding the line.
“We are truly building a community of parents who are feeling more confident, since they are part of a group that is able to say, ‘No, we’re not doing this just because everybody else is, and actually a lot fewer people in our community are doing it now anyway,” Brachman says. “It’s definitely been impactful in our homes.”
Power in Numbers
The Arlington chapter has 77 members so far. Kathleen McKenna, a local mom with three boys in second, fifth and seventh grades, was among the first to sign up and host a meeting.
She and Brachman quickly teamed up to lead the chapter. Together, they organize events ranging from in-person and online meet-and-greets for parents to device-free gatherings for kids.
At Tuckahoe Elementary School, Brachman started a Friday “bike bus.” Each week, about 15 to 20 kids ride to school, with one parent leading the way and another bringing up the rear. “We pick up kids along the way on their bikes,” she says.
She also started a Friday play club at Benjamin Banneker Park for children in pre-K through fifth grade. One or two parents sign up to provide what Brachman calls “light supervision,” serving more as lifeguards than directing play.
McKenna has hosted similar meetups. On Oct. 9, she organized a gathering at Glebe Road Park for children in second through seventh grades.
“The idea is to get multiple age groups all together in an independent, have-at-it type of environment,” she says. “It is crazy to think we have to be intentional about those opportunities in today’s world, but we do. It has personally helped me, because I would say to my boys, ‘Go outside and play,’ and I know there are kids in the neighborhood, but they’re like, ‘There’s no one to play with.'”
Earlier this month, Brachman and McKenna joined a panel discussion titled “Raising Kids in a World of Screens” at Washington Golf and Country Club. They also set up a booth at the most recent Clarendon Day, and a device fair at Nighthawk Brewery & Pizza in National Landing. At both events, they helped families learn about kid-safe phones, watches and other digital tools.
Screen Time Stats
Brachman and McKenna say concerns about how screens are affecting their children’s health are partly what prompted them to join The Balance Project. Both moms point to The Anxious Generation, a book by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, that describes a mental health crisis among youth, driven by screen and social media use.
Notably, the book cites a 134% increase in anxiety and a 106% increase in depression in youth between 2010 and 2018. The 2023 Virginia Youth Survey found nearly 27% of high schoolers and about 18% of middle schoolers reporting that their mental health was not good “always” or “most of the time.” More than 77% of high school students in the survey said they spent three or more hours a day engaged in screen time unrelated to schoolwork. Pandemic isolation only exacerbated the trend.
In April 2025, the Jacob’s Ladder Group, an Atlanta-based provider of therapy for people with neurodiversity, released a report analyzing how excessive screen time affects dopamine levels in children and adolescents. “Dopamine, often called the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter, plays a crucial role in the brain’s reward system,” the authors explain. “Whenever an individual engages with a screen through social media, gaming or watching videos, the brain releases dopamine, reinforcing the behavior. … Over time, more stimulation is required to achieve the same dopamine ‘rush.'”
“With my own children, I watched how three rambunctious, very energetic young boys would become these still, silent zombies if there was certain content that was put in front of them,” says McKenna.
Striking a Balance
When is a child ready for a device? There is no universal answer. By age 2, 40% of children have their own tablets, according to a 2025 Common Sense Media report. By ages 13 to 18, 88% to 95% of teens have smartphones, according to another report.
Before buying a device for your child, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests considering how responsible they are, how well they adhere to existing tech rules at home and school, and how access to social media could affect their anxiety or self-esteem.
For Brachman and McKenna, the goal isn’t to keep technology out of their children’s lives completely. It’s to help them and other families figure out when and how to let it in.
“We very much recognize that tech isn’t going away,” McKenna says. “What we’re saying is, let’s find a way to have harmony. Let’s find a way to bring tech and life into balance.”
“The Balance Project has never been anti-technology,” Brachman adds. “It’s about mindful technology, the right tech at the right ages, at the right developmental stages.”
