The 7-day
real-life challenge
A little creativity, connection, and movement. Try one idea each day and notice what you enjoy.
The resource library
Print it. Try it. Talk about it.
Free starter materials for students, families, and classrooms. No account or email address needed.
The 7-day
Our family
screen agreement
A conversation you can put on paper. Make a plan that includes children and adults.
Who’s choosing
your next click?
A 20-minute classroom activity about autoplay, notifications, and making your own choices.
All three downloads are one-page PDFs. Print at actual size on Letter paper, or choose “fit” for A4. Please adapt activities for your group’s needs.
For educators & group leaders
A conversation,
A conversation,
not a comparison.
Invite students to discuss imaginary situations. They don’t need to share their screen-time totals, account names, family rules, or personal experiences.
For grades 4–6, read the scenario aloud and draw ideas together. For grades 7–9, invite students to debate which design changes would give people more choice.
Using these materials
You’re welcome to print, share, and adapt Screenleaders’ original starter handouts for free educational use. Please retain the Screenleaders credit and any source references.
The activities are conversation starters, not validated questionnaires or clinical programmes. Linked organisations are independent sources and do not endorse Screenleaders.
Understanding the growing brain
Prefrontal cortex development: planning, attention, and self-control.
The prefrontal cortex, behind the forehead, helps with planning, attention, and pausing before acting. It continues developing through adolescence and into young adulthood. Children develop at different rates, and skills such as managing distractions also grow through practice and support.
These introductions explain the science and offer context for conversations about everyday choices, including screen habits.
- The Teen Brain: 7 Things to KnowNational Institute of Mental Health · For families and older students
An accessible overview of adolescent brain development, including the prefrontal cortex’s role in planning and decisions, the influence of social experiences, and the brain’s capacity to learn.
- What’s Going On in the Teenage Brain?American Academy of Pediatrics / HealthyChildren.org · For parents and caregivers
Explains how development relates to attention, impulse control, and emotions, with suggestions for helping young people slow down and think through decisions.
- What Is Executive Function? And How Does It Relate to Child Development?Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University · For parents and educators
An illustrated introduction, with a text version, to the skills used to focus, remember instructions, manage impulses, and adjust plans—and how supportive experiences help children practise them.
The overview above draws on these three sources. Their descriptions of development are broad patterns, not a measure of any individual child’s abilities. Links checked September 8, 2026.
Go deeper with established guidance.
- Create a family media plan with the AAPPractical guidance for building and revisiting a plan together.
- Explore the AAP’s 5 CsA broader way to think about media habits and family conversations.
- Read the Canadian Paediatric Society’s parent guidanceAdvice for families of school-aged children and teens.
External guidance checked September 8, 2026. External sites have their own privacy practices.