Parents go to extreme lengths — including moving states — to raise children without screens

Summary

This article explores the growing movement of parents raising children in screen-free or low-tech environments, driven by concerns over social media's impact on mental health and well-being. It profiles families who have taken extreme measures — including moving out of state, installing landlines, locking away iPads, and enrolling children in screen-free schools — to limit or eliminate screen time. The piece features parents like Laura Derrendinger, whose teenage son uses a rotary phone and volunteers as a junior firefighter, and others who have relocated to rural areas or joined communities like the "Luddite Club" in Brooklyn. It examines the challenges, social trade-offs, and motivations behind this counter-cultural parenting approach.