The Problem Isn't Just Screentime.

It’s the way screens stay with us…long after we put them down.,

Like most parents, when screens became a problem in our home, I went all-in on limits.

App timers. Parental controls. Pins on everything.

The limits worked—sort of. But even when the screens were off, our kids were still somewhere else.

𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁.

How could they still be distracted—when screen time was over?

I know now—it’s the design.

When a phone’s in the room, it’s in your head. Even if you’re not checking it… 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁.

So if we wanted presence, limits weren’t enough. We had to change the environment—to remove the distraction altogether.

So we made one simple change.

We brought back an old wooden phone box—the one that held our ugly yellow landline in the kitchen growing up.

Now it holds our family’s phones—just like it used to.

And that one change shifted everything.

The phones finally had a home.
They stopped following us room to room.
And the invisible pull we all felt?
𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱.

Now, anytime someone forgets to dock their phone…
I point to the box and say in my best E.T. voice:

“Phone homeeee…”

Everyone groans.
Which, of course, means it’s working. ✌️

Setting limits is a good start.

But if the phone’s still sitting on the table—or the TV’s still glowing in the background—our brains don’t know the difference between off and available.

That’s why we can’t just focus on how much time we spend on screens.
We also have to look at where they live in our homes—and how they shape our attention, even when we’re not using them.

This is what holistic digital wellness really means:

It’s not about strict rules.
It’s about designing your home, habits, and environment to support the kind of presence you actually want.

So if you’ve ever felt like limits aren’t working...
Look around the room—not just at your screen time settings.

Environment might be the missing piece.

I'm Christopher Sciullo, creator of the H.E.A.L. Method. I help parents balance their own tech use while guiding kids toward healthier screen habits—so we can all rediscover the wonder of life beyond the screen.

Want more of this?

If you’re ready to build a summer that feels like the ones we remember—
that’s what we do inside the H.E.A.L. Method.

It’s a four-part framework that helps your family trade digital overwhelm for real-life connection:

Habits. Environment. Alternatives. Limits.
Practical, proven, and completely parent-friendly.

Follow along for weekly guidance and support by subscribing to The Connected Parent below.