Why Offline Childhood?

We’re parents. And we’re trying…

Trying to be “conscious”. Trying to break cycles, but raise nice kids. Trying to eat healthy, model self-regulation, get outside more, delay the introduction of smartphones, and avoid excessive screentime. We are not purists in that regard; we are not advocating for a completely offline existence (but if you’re doing that, we salute you!). We just know that this world has gotten a little off the hook when it comes to screen addiction, phone addiction, social media scrolling, algorithmic ecochambers, and, oh yes, now AI.

So what’s the solution? More outdoor time, more face to face time, more hands-on activities, and yeah, maybe a little less internet. We’re also seeing a shift – maybe due to nostaglia – to more analog ways of life, and a lot of us want that for our kids. At least to some extent.

In an era of cultural exhaustion with all things artificial and the growing (research-backed) awareness of the impact of screens on kids, we thought there was a real need for a directory of products and services in support of this way of life. There are cool products and resources out there, with more on the market every day, but it was really hard to find them collected neatly in one place.

What will we become?

The real goal is to form a diverse community of parents, caregivers, and educators who are hoping to encourage a slightly more offline childhood for their kids. We would love to grow in this direction, encouraging interactions and community-building. We have a few plans up our sleeves, but things take time and, sadly, investment, so please stay tuned. In the meantime, if you’d like make suggestions – either about a product or service we should list on this site, a product review you’d like to write, or suggestions for making this site more valuable to you – by all means, let us know.

Who are you?

This site was founded by a mom who lives outside New York City and works in technology. She is supported by a group of other parent friends who provide content, feedback, and product reviews.