When we were looking for a place to raise our kids, we didn’t just look at school ratings or square footage. We looked at the kids.
In 2021, pregnant with my first, we visited Serenbe and saw something I don’t see many places anymore:
Kids roaming.
Running into the woods. Swimming in questionable water. Climbing way too high in trees. Riding bikes in packs like a 90s movie.
You know what I didn’t see? That constant digital glow. The head-down trance.
That was the “why.”
I want my kids’ memories to be shaped by stories like the time a neighbor kid got stuck waist-deep in a mud pit (yes, that actually happened in the woods behind Selborne, don’t worry – she’s fine, and the trail has been rerouted).
I want them getting into trouble outside.
Five years in my biggest fear is this:
As more people move in, the roaming gets fragile.
Not because anyone is doing something wrong. Just because culture shifts slowly… until one day you look up and the thing you moved here for is gone.
If we don’t actively protect it, it evaporates.
And this isn’t just about kids. It’s about adults who don’t want to spend their one wild life half-present, half-scrolling, half-missing it.
This actually hits me in a deeply uncomfortable way. Because I keep catching myself on playgrounds scrolling, half-watching my kids instead of actually being there… even hiding my phone when someone walks by.
It’s not just childhood we’re protecting, it’s our own lives too.
Turns out, I’m not the only parent worrying about this. A few neighbors are launching something called the Let Them Roam Pledge, a community experiment to help protect the kind of childhood many of us moved here for.
So I wanted to share what’s happening and what I took away, whether you live here or want to try something similar at home.
In Today’s Issue
🤝 The “Let Them Roam” Pledge
The Let Them Roam Pledge is a community effort across Serenbe and Terra School at Serenbe to help families delay smartphones and social media together, so no one feels like the only “no” house on the block.
It’s basically a collective, “Hey… want to try this together?” Not rules. Not shame. Just community guardrails.
The idea is simple:
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Delay smartphones and smart devices until age 14
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Delay social media until age 16
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Do it together, as a community
Because once even part of a grade or neighborhood agrees, the social pressure flips, and suddenly kids aren’t fighting this battle alone.
To help kick things off, the organizers brought in digital parenting educator Sarah Gallagher Tromb, founder of Digital Mom Media , to walk parents through what we’re actually dealing with online.
I walked in expecting another parent talk. I walked out feeling a few things at the same time: A little terrified and in over my head. And also… hopeful.
Some of the data was heavvvvyy, but the takeaway that stuck with me was simple:
We’re the adults. It’s on us to build guardrails while our kids brains are still growing.
And sitting in a room with parents from all kinds of backgrounds, all nodding at the same fears and hopes for our kids, felt like one of those rare community moments that reminds you we actually agree on more than we think.
Turns out, most of us want the same thing:
For our kids to be okay. And not to feel alone trying to get this right.
If you’re local and want the full research and official pledge, the Let Them Roam website should be launching any day.
I’m proud to sign this, not just for my kids, but for the whole community.
💡Field Notes from a digital expert
For anyone who couldn’t attend (or just wants the cheat sheet) here are the takeaways I kept thinking every parent deserves to hear.
1) Community is the cheat code
You don’t need everyone. If even 20–50% of families opt in together, norms shift. Kids stop feeling like the weird ones.
2) Kids are creative, and they share hacks
If one kid figures out how to bypass controls, every kid knows within a week.
Examples parents are seeing:
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Shared Apple Notes or Google Slides turning into chat rooms
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Reddit literally documenting how to get around controls
3) Some platforms need extra awareness
A few things look harmless but get adult fast:
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Roblox: Not just a game — thousands of user-created worlds, many with chat and content parents wouldn’t expect.
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Spotify & streaming apps: Not really built for kids. Podcasts, lyrics, and album art drift adult quickly. Kid players like Mighty or Yoto avoid browsing entirely.
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YouTube (even Kids): Autoplay and recommendations wander fast.
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Group chats: Honestly where most drama and late-night chaos actually live.
Big takeaway: it’s rarely the obvious apps. It’s the side doors.
4) The environment matters more than we admit
The wild west usually isn’t your house, it’s grandparents’ TVs, a friend’s iPad, sleepovers, or devices nobody checked settings on.
And most trouble happens late at night when kids are alone with screens.
5) Tools parents are using
Not perfect solutions, just helpful guardrails:
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Gizmo Watch: calling & texting without a full phone
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Gabb / Pinwheel / Bark: starter phones without open internet
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Brick: physically locks distracting apps
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20-20-20 rule: look away every 20 minutes to give eyes a break
6) The goal isn’t panic. It’s power.
Not zero tech. Not perfection. Just more awareness and a little more leverage.
And if you want to go deeper, Sarah shares practical guidance through Digital Mom Media and her Substack Thoughts From A Digital Mom, and if you want more step-by-step help she has Digital Mom Lab courses.
📱 The “Whole Family” Reset
Just to be clear… I’m not sitting over here on a pedestal doing this perfectly.
My kids are 2 and 4.5. We are not a zero-tech house.
We’ve watched K-pop Demon Hunters at an age that would make a parenting expert sigh. We’re currently deep in a Back to the Outback phase. I use iPads for travel, sickness, and the occasional “I need my nervous system to survive this morning” moment.
The digital world is a persistent, invited guest in our home.
And if I’m struggling to moderate my own phone use as an adult (and let’s be real, I am), how can I expect my kids to do it alone?
So no, this isn’t just about “fixing kids.” It’s about us waking up. Picking our heads up.
Asking: What kind of life are we building in this house?
Not the life that looks impressive on paper. The life that feels like participation. The whole point is feeling alive and good in our own lives.
And doing this alone is nearly impossible. It is so much easier to say “no” to a device when you aren’t the only “No” house on the block.
🛤️ What I’m trying next: The Analog Experiment
And now I’m feeling motivated. So I’m starting at home with a few small experiments:
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An easy phone drop zone (because if I don’t build the guardrail, my thumb will)
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A “Get off My Phone Bag” ready to grab for adventures (so “we’re bored” doesn’t equal “screen” by default)
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A simple House Rules sign (not strict, just visible)
Over the next week I’m fine-tuning our family systems and finding easy analog replacements that make real life feel easier, not harder. I’ll share what works… and doesn’t.
If you’ve figured out something that works in your house, tell me. I’m collecting ideas and will share them back with everyone.
📣 Quickie newsletter update
Small update based on your survey feedback (thank you to everyone who filled it out!)
Life at Play is still the main newsletter: stories and experiments about waking up from autopilot and building lives that feel really freakin’ good, often shaped by what I’m learning living here in Serenbe and from the people and community around me, but relevant no matter where you live.
But a lot of locals said they LOVE the community updates too, and some readers only want one or the other.
So I’m splitting that part into a separate “Substack section” (aka email) called Around Here, where I’ll share Serenbe + Chatt Hills happenings, events, and local updates twice a month.
Right now everyone gets both, but you can change that anytime by clicking Manage subscription at the bottom of any email. Just making it easier to get what you’re actually here for.
And if you haven’t filled out the survey yet, you can still jump in. I’ll keep it open through Feb 28.
Hit reply and tell me what you’re trying in your house. I read every reply, and your ideas help other families too.
We don’t have to do this perfectly. We just have to do it together.
See you in the woods!
xx, Gina
