Fix screen time.
Fix bedtime battles.
Fix your child’s phone use.
Fix yourself while you’re at it.
No wonder so many parents feel tired before the year has properly begun.
So this isn’t another New Year’s resolution list — and it’s definitely not a lecture about screens. You don’t need to overhaul your family’s tech use, ban devices, or become someone you’re not.
Instead, think of this as a set of coaching questions — the kind I ask with my private clients — designed to invite reflection, spark calmer conversations, and lead to small changes that quietly make a big difference.
Because navigating family life in the digital age isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about gently nudging what already exists — with clarity, confidence and compassion.
Let me know if you find it helpful and share it with family, friends or colleagues if it resonates.
Let’s begin.
Let’s be honest.
Most New Year’s resolutions don’t survive past the second week of January — especially the ones that involve children, screens, willpower and Wi-Fi.
So this is not a list of things you must ban, block, confiscate or feel guilty about.
Instead, think of this as a set of coaching questions — the kind that invite reflection, spark conversations, and lead to small changes that quietly make a big difference.
No perfection.
No power struggles.
Just calmer, more intentional steps as you navigate the digital jungle together in 2026.
Before we start… one important reframe 🌱
You don’t need to “fix” your family’s tech use.
You just need to nudge it.
Progress over perfection.
Curiosity over control.
Connection over compliance.
Now, let’s begin.
1. “What’s actually working for us already?”
Before you change anything, pause.
Coaching questions:
- Where does tech already support our family life?
- When do screens bring us together rather than pull us apart?
- What would we want more of this year — not less?
✨ Small shift: Name what’s working out loud. Children listen more when they feel seen, not judged.
2. “What feels hardest right now — and for whom?”
Not all tech tension is the same.
Coaching questions:
- What’s my biggest worry about screens at the moment?
- What do I think my child finds hardest?
- Are we talking about the same problem — or different ones?
✨ Small shift: Move from “screens are the problem” to “what’s the unmet need here?”
3. “What’s one moment each day we’d like to protect?”
This isn’t about screen time — it’s about sacred time.
Coaching questions:
- What’s one daily moment we don’t want tech to interrupt?
- Mornings? Mealtimes? Bedtime?
- What would change if we protected just that one space?
✨ Small shift: Choose one tech-light anchor in the day and guard it gently but consistently.
4. “How do we want tech to feel in our home?”
Rules matter — but values matter more.
Coaching questions:
- When tech is going well, what does it feel like in our home?
- Calm? Creative? Connected?
- What behaviours support that feeling — from adults and children?
✨ Small shift: Talk about feelings before setting limits. It lowers defences instantly.
5. “What am I modelling — even when I don’t mean to?”
This one’s uncomfortable. And powerful.
Coaching questions:
- What does my own tech use teach my child?
- When do I reach for my phone automatically?
- What would ‘good enough’ modelling look like — not perfect?
✨ Small shift: Put your phone down for the first 10 minutes after work or school. Tiny change. Huge signal.
6. “Where could we swap control for conversation?”
Many family tech battles aren’t really about tech.
Coaching questions:
- Where am I policing instead of partnering?
- What conversations am I avoiding because they feel awkward?
- What would it sound like to say, “Help me understand…”?
✨ Small shift: Ask one curious question instead of issuing one instruction.
7. “What does my child need more of this year?”
Children don’t just need limits — they need alternatives.
Coaching questions:
- More sleep? More movement? More responsibility?
- More trust? More time together? More boredom?
- What might tech be filling in for?
✨ Small shift: Add before you subtract. Fill the gaps screens currently occupy.
8. “What would a ‘good enough’ digital year look like?”
Let’s lower the bar — on purpose.
Coaching questions:
- If nothing was perfect but things felt calmer, what would be different?
- What would I notice less of? What would I enjoy more?
- What would success look like by next December?
✨ Small shift: Write your answer down. Calm clarity beats endless tweaking.
9. “What support do I need?”
Parenting in the digital age is heavy.
Coaching questions:
- Who do I talk to about this — honestly?
- What information do I need less of? What do I need more of?
- How can I be kinder to myself this year?
✨ Small shift: Stop scrolling for answers at midnight. Choose one trusted voice and stick with it.
Finally… one gentle promise for 2026 🤍
You don’t have to do everything.
You don’t have to do it now.
And you certainly don’t have to do it alone.
Small changes, done consistently, change family culture.
So no resolutions.
No guilt.
Just better questions, braver conversations, and calmer steps through the digital jungle — together.
Here’s to a gentler, more intentional 2026 🌿
