Recommended products
Hand-picked products and apps for a calmer everyday life with technology. I'm as honest about the downsides as the upsides, and only recommend things I actually think are worth knowing about.
I have no affiliations and earn nothing from these recommendations, with the exception of my own app Homie for a calmer family life.
Smiling Mind
The free one: over 700 exercises written by psychologists, from an Australian non-profit.
Google Family Link
Google's free parental controls: screen time, app limits and content, all run from your own phone.
Opal
Adds a little friction to the most absorbing apps instead of blocking them outright, and runs scheduled focus sessions.
Energizer book light
A little clip-on light for the paper book, so bedtime reading needs no screen at all.
Rubicson radio-controlled alarm clock
A simple, sturdy alarm clock, so the phone doesn't have to be your child's wake-up call.
Homie
My own app for a calmer family life: calendar, routines, tasks and a dinner plan in one place.
Balance
The meditation app that learns who you are and shapes the exercises around what you've already learnt.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 12
An analogue pocket camera that gets your child looking at the world and making something physical, not shooting for a feed.
Nokia 3210 4G
The classic I grew up with, back as a budget first phone. It calls, texts and plays Snake, and that's about it.
Headspace
Mindfulness and meditation with proper kids' content, reaching all the way down to preschool age.
Calm
Meditation, breathing exercises and sleep stories for the teenager who struggles to wind down.
Xplora XGO3
The watch that keeps you in touch with each other, with no internet, no feed and no app store on the wrist.
Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light
A more natural way to wake up, with a “sunrise” and gentle sounds on the bedside table.
Xplora X6 Play
The step between watch and phone: video calls and approved contacts, still no feed.
Mudita Kompakt
A phone for reaching your child, without the apps and the feed that pull them in.
Kindle Scribe
Reading and handwritten notes on the same e-ink tablet, with no apps and no feed in sight.
