Phones help us do a lot. They keep us connected, organized and entertained. They help with homework, directions, schedules, recipes, work and staying in touch with the people we care about. But sometimes being connected to everything can make it harder to connect with the people sitting right beside us. A notification comes through during dinner. Someone checks a text. Another person starts scrolling. Before long, everyone may be together—but everyone's attention is somewhere else.
Phones help us do a lot.
They keep us connected, organized and entertained. They help with homework, directions, schedules, recipes, work and staying in touch with the people we care about.
But sometimes being connected to everything can make it harder to connect with the people sitting right beside us.
A notification comes through during dinner. Someone checks a text. Another person starts scrolling. Before long, everyone may be together—but everyone's attention is somewhere else.
That's why one of the simplest things families can try is also one of the easiest:
Put the phones down for a little while.
As we prepare for Family Day on September 28, Informed Families is encouraging families to make space for conversation, listening and time together—including during family meals.
And you don't have to disconnect for the entire day to make it meaningful.
Creating healthier digital habits doesn't require banning technology from your home.
Instead, think about choosing specific moments when your family's attention belongs to each other.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends creating screen-free times and places, such as family meals, bedtime and other moments when face-to-face connection is important. The AAP also encourages families to develop media expectations together rather than treating technology rules as something that only applies to children.
For your family, that might mean:
You don't need dozens of rules.
Start with one moment that matters.
If an entire phone-free evening sounds unrealistic, don't start there.
Try 15 minutes.
Put the phones somewhere out of reach and use that time to:
Eat a snack together.
Walk around the neighborhood.
Make dinner.
Play a quick game.
Sit outside.
Talk about everyone's day.
Fifteen minutes may not sound like much, but the goal isn't creating the longest family activity possible.
It's creating a small pocket of time when everyone is present.
Family meals are a natural place to begin.
Informed Families' Family Day campaign specifically encourages families to put down mobile devices during dinner so there is more opportunity to talk, listen and create memories together.
Try putting everyone's phones:
And yes—parents' phones go away too.
Children learn a lot about digital habits by watching the adults around them. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that family media expectations include adults as well as children.
It doesn't need to feel like punishment.
Instead of:
"Nobody is allowed to use their phone."
Try:
"Let's put everything away while we eat so we can catch up."
That small change in language makes the goal clear: connection.
Once the phones disappear, you may encounter another challenge:
Silence.
That's okay!
Sometimes families simply need something to get the conversation moving.
Try asking:
What made you laugh today?
What was the best thing that happened today?
Was anything harder than you expected?
If you could plan our weekend, what would we do?
What's something you're excited about right now?
What's one thing you want us to do together soon?
You can even let each family member take turns choosing the question.
The goal isn't to force a deep conversation every night.
It's to make talking with each other part of the routine.
Dinner isn't the only opportunity to disconnect from devices and reconnect with each other.
Look for moments that already exist in your family's day.
If you're driving together, occasionally skip the headphones and devices.
Use the ride to school, practice or errands as an opportunity to talk.
Ask your child to help prepare dinner.
Chop, stir, set the table or simply hang out in the kitchen together.
Side-by-side activities can create natural opportunities for conversation without making it feel like a formal "family talk."
Leave the phones behind—or keep one only for safety—and take a quick walk together.
Create a few device-free minutes before bedtime to talk, read or check in.
Game night, puzzles, crafts, baking and backyard activities are all easy opportunities to make screens unnecessary for a while.
One of the easiest ways to make phone-free time frustrating is to tell children to put their phones away while adults continue checking theirs.
Instead, make the expectation apply to everyone.
You might even let your children help create your family's rules.
Ask:
When do phones distract us the most?
What time should we protect as family time?
Where should we keep our phones during dinner?
What should we do instead?
The goal is not simply controlling screen time.
It's helping children learn that technology has a place—and so does intentionally stepping away from it.
The AAP's current guidance similarly recommends that families create media rules that fit their own routines and values and discuss those expectations together.
Technology isn't automatically the enemy of family connection.
Sometimes screens actually bring families together.
You might:
Video call grandparents.
Watch a movie together.
Look up a recipe and cook it.
Play a family game.
Plan a vacation.
Share funny photos from the week.
The question isn't necessarily:
"Are we using a screen?"
A better question might be:
"Is this technology helping us connect—or distracting us from connecting?"
That's a much more realistic way to think about digital habits.
Healthy family connection is valuable on its own.
It also helps create an environment where young people know they have adults who are available to listen, answer questions and talk through difficult situations.
The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that parents and caregivers invest in strong relationships with children, model healthy social connection and pay attention to how online activity may affect offline relationships.
Current federal guidance has also placed increased attention on excessive or harmful screen use among children and adolescents and encourages families to make room for healthy offline activities and relationships.
That doesn't mean every notification is harmful or every screen needs to disappear.
It means balance matters.
Tonight, try something simple.
Choose one 15-minute period when everyone puts their devices away.
Then:
1. Put the phones somewhere out of reach.
2. Do one thing together.
Eat. Walk. Cook. Play. Sit outside.
3. Ask one good question.
4. Listen to the answer.
That's it.
If it works, try it again tomorrow.
Small changes are much easier to turn into habits than big rules no one wants to follow.
Family Day is September 28, 2026, but you don't need to wait until then to start creating more intentional family time.
Between now and Family Day, challenge your family to find a few everyday moments when the phones can wait.
Then use those moments to:
Talk.
Listen.
Laugh.
Eat together.
Learn something new about each other.
Informed Families also offers Family Day activity placemats, recipes, family activities and conversation resources designed to make connecting a little easier.
[BUTTON: EXPLORE FAMILY DAY RESOURCES]
You don't have to disconnect from technology completely.
Just remember to make room for something technology can't replace:
Time together.
I would use the Family Day Activity Placemats as the main download for this article because they fit the phone-free dinner message perfectly.
CTA Heading:
CTA Copy:
Make your next family meal a little more interactive! Download a Family Day Activity Placemat and use the activities and conversation starters to help everyone talk, laugh and connect around the table.
Button:
DOWNLOAD FAMILY DAY PLACEMATS
Then underneath:
Looking for more ways to celebrate?
[BUTTON: EXPLORE ALL FAMILY DAY RESOURCES]
Both can point visitors into Informed Families' current Family Day 2026 resources, which include the placemats, recipes and additional family activities.
For this one, I'd visually distinguish it from the first two blogs while keeping the campaign consistent:
Headline:
PUT IT DOWN TO CONNECT
Subheadline:
Make a little more room for family.
Visual: A candid family around the dinner table or playing a game together, with a phone visibly placed face-down/off to the side rather than making the phone itself the main visual.
Use the official Informed Families + Family Day logos, red/black/cream palette, and the same Canva-style design language we've been using across this Family Day series.