Where We Stand on Screen Bans

Across the U.S. and abroad, rules are tightening around kids’ screen use: states are moving to curb “addictive” design features and require stronger age assurance, more districts are adopting phone-free school days, and overseas regulators are pressing platforms to limit late-night notifications and default algorithmic feeds for minors. Those shifts are real and welcome—but they don’t answer the everyday question at home. Bans and policies can reset the playing field but lasting change comes from daily rhythms. Which is why our position is simple:

Bans alone don’t build the life you want. Outdoor habits do.

“Off” can be a reset button, but it’s not a plan. When we remove screens without replacing them with something real, the void fills back up—usually with more of the same. What actually changes the temperature of family life is a daily rhythm that makes the good thing easy and the default thing less automatic.

What we support

 
• Safer design and better tools. We support policy and platform changes that curb addictive mechanics for kids—less autoplay, fewer late-night notifications, stronger age and privacy protections.
 
• School-day phone limits. Clear, consistent expectations at school help kids focus and lower social pressure.
 
• Family-led structure at home. Each household needs a media plan that fits its values, ages, and realities. There isn’t one number of “minutes” that works for every kid.

What works better than blanket bans

 
• Replace, don’t just remove. Create a small, dependable margin each day that belongs to unstructured, real-world time. No itinerary required—just availability.
 
• Make “outside first” the order, not the argument. A short step into fresh air before screens is a rhythm kids learn quickly when it’s consistent.
 
• Tame the stickiest features. Turn off autoplay, set device downtime before bed, and keep phones out of bedrooms at night. These aren’t statements about character; they’re guardrails.

Why outside is our answer (and our business)

We’re biased—and honest about it. Our whole mission is helping families protect the small, daily moments outside that reset a day and build happier, healthier kids. When “outside” is an easy yes (because shoes, pants, and jackets are handled), it happens more often. And when it happens more often, the fight over screens gets smaller because it’s no longer the only option on the table.

Our bottom line on bans

Use a ban as a tool, not an identity. Press “pause” when you need to. But build a routine that children can step into every day—ten or twenty minutes of unstructured time, ideally outdoors, that doesn’t depend on motivation or perfect weather. The habit matters more than the plan. And we get it. It's not always easy. But if we stick to it, and make consistent effort, it will pay off.

— Team Oaki