Recently, I shared a tool for minimizing whining or repeated asks for screen time.

(If you missed that email, you can search your inbox for the subject "I've got a ridiculously powerful tool for you.")

What that email touched on is what is going on when a child's brain begins to be addicted to screen time.

What it failed to mention is one really important part:

It's not their fault.

It's not your children's fault tech giants have spent millions developing the playbook of How to Ensnare and Addict the Human Mind (booo them!👎)

It's not the fault of these small humans that their developing brains do exactly what brains do:

Respond to the intense stimuli of screens by releasing chemicals like dopamine, the "feel good" chemical.

(Did you know brain scans show us the dopamine response to gaming is equivalent to cocaine use? Eek...)

Kids aren't the only ones.

Our brains are also manipulated by devices and their apps.

(That's not your fault either.)

Especially if you're a Gen Xer or a Millennial like me, your brain was likely already primed for this stimulation response by the prevalence of TV watching in the 80s and 90s.

The difference is that television used to have innate boundaries.

Our shows were only on at certain times on certain days.

At a certain point in the evening, television turned grown-up focused with shows like the news.

Even if we had cable, most TVs were in shared spaces. We couldn't just watch shows nonstop without competing for the remote or being kicked out of the house to go play.

Now?

There are no more boundaries.

It's a 24/7 free-for-all of on-demand TV, social media, games, work emails, and social pressure for round-the-clock accessibility.

All of that inside our pocket or purse. Or our kids' bedrooms.

There are no external boundaries.

The "powers that be" are not going to set them.

Congress and the tech giants are not coming to save us anytime soon (despite a recent Congress session involving the CEOs of major social media platforms).

But it's okay, because you don't need to be saved. Once you see what really going on "behind the curtain," you can do something about it.

Because why?

Because you're a badass human.

Look at you, ALIVE despite what life has thrown at you.

Here you are showing up to learn and grow and fail and flourish and try and try again.

YOU are more than capable of saving yourself (and your kids!).

You can take charge of your relationship with screens and set kickass boundaries that you uphold no matter what.

And ... it's way easier to make monumental changes with help - a coach, a mentor, a role model or special knowledge.

I created Unplugged! The 30 Day Take Back Your Life Challenge for just that reason -- no to entirely give up screens, but to help you evaluate and break up with the toxic part of your relationship with devices.

If you want a program that feels like a bestie, a coach, and a rebel yell to "more" this is it.

Starting February 26th, we're spending 30 days breaking up with idle screen time, so you can fall more in love with "real" life.

​Sign up for Unplugged! The 30 Day Take Back Your Life Challenge here.​

Jenna Lee "bestie/coach/rebel yeller" Dillon

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