Ever feel like your phone is a third wheel in every conversation? Or maybe you've noticed your kids can't seem to look away from their tablets. Yeah, us too. It's called tech-induced anxiety, and it's real. A study by Deloitte found that one-third of smartphone users avoid traditional calls, using their devices just mainly for tasks like email, shopping, and social media. This constant connectivity often leads to tech-induced anxiety.

In honor of Earth Day, let's talk about some ways our technology impacts the envirnment and ways we can use technology to benefit the environment too. It's more significant than you might think. In today's tech-savvy world, our love for the latest devices isn’t just about staying connected — it’s also about understanding the impact all this tech has on our planet.

Was there ever a time when you caught yourself checking your phone a bit too much, even when you're supposed to be having family time? Yep, our kids are watching, and they're pretty good at copying what we do, including our not-so-great phone habits. Here are three helpful tips for parents to be better role models with our phone habits.

What if we started paying a bit more attention to the way we use these tech sidekicks, especially around our friends and family? Curious about how we can keep our digital lives from hijacking our real-life moments? Let's unpack some ideas on balancing the tech without losing the touch of humanity.

Joey Odom, Co-Founder of Aro, joined Ginny Yurich on 1000 Hours Outside to discuss the pressing issue of digital dependency and its impact on our lives and the lives of those who are closest to us.

Here are some easy-to-adopt mindful practices that can help us turn our technology from a barrier into a bridge, bringing us closer to the laughter and conversations we've been missing.

Here's a wake-up call: around 87% of kids are clocking in more screen time than what's recommended by the American Pediatric Academy. That's a huge number, and it's a red flag that has us thinking about the downsides of too much screen time for our little ones.

Caught in a loop of endless scrolling at night? This common issue disrupts our sleep and strains our personal connections, but it's definitely something we can overcome. Here are some practical steps to reclaim those restful nights of sleep:

Check out these four fantastic tools and apps designed to help us guide our kids in navigating the digital world wisely without going overboard.

These days, 87% of children spend considerably more time on screens than the American Pediatric Academy recommends. That's not just a number; it's a wake-up call for us parents to peek over their shoulders a bit more often. Have you caught your kid zoning out a bit more than usual, or maybe they're quieter at dinner these days? These little signs might suggest our kids are soaking up a bit too much screen time. 

Opting for a real alarm clock over your phone's alarm can seriously upgrade your sleep. But it's more than just snoozing better; it's about steering clear of a bunch of sleep issues for you and your loved ones. Here's some solid evidence on why an actual alarm clock can be a sleep saver, plus some smart tips to enhance your sleep quality.‍

Every week, like clockwork, our devices present us with a summary of screen time and a digital ledger of hours and minutes. We often take these numbers at face value, trusting them to reflect our digital habits accurately. A study on smartphone screen time found that, on average, people are off by about 110 minutes when they report their screen time. That's almost two hours! And get this – 70% of people actually think they're using their phones less than they really are.

According to studies, parental phubbing can lead to negative effects such as burnout problems in adolescents, poorer social-emotional adjustment, and, most importantly, poor parent-to-child relationships. But don't worry, we've got some tricks up our sleeves to help you fix this. Here are some practical ways to take back our time and focus on the real world for the sake of our kids but first let us understand more about what parental phubbing is.

Ever heard of secondhand smoke? Well, there's something similar happening in our homes, but with screens. It's called secondhand screen time. And just like that smoke, it's something we often don't see until we start looking for it. Secondhand screen time is the digital version of secondhand smoking. Just as being around cigarette smoke can harm your health, being exposed to excessive screen time can have negative effects on your physical and cognitive abilities,

As the cool parent you are, you know it’s not just about giving them the latest tech toy. It’s about finding gadgets that are as safe as they are exciting. Tech for kids is getting cooler and smarter, but with so many options out there, how do you pick the right one? Don’t sweat it; we've got you covered. This guide is your go-to for the latest and greatest in kid-friendly phones and watches.

Trying to figure out when it's cool to give our kids their own phones is like trying to find your way through a maze without a map. There are a lot of considerations to take, especially with teenagers, whose phone addictions are very much apparent. Did you know that about a third of them (32%) feel wiped out, down, or anxious because they're on their phones too much? That's not just a small issue, as it can mess with their health and make tough times even tougher.So, as we all try to make sense of the digital age, figuring out the right moment to get our kids a phone turns out to be a big deal for us parents. 

Remember when screen time was mostly limited to the good old television set and those chunky desktop computers? Fast forward to today, and the average person is essentially tethered to screens 24/7 thanks to those nifty little mobile devices we carry in our pockets. Studies are telling us that adults in the United States are spending over 11 hours each day glued to digital media. And you know who's giving them a run for their money? Teenagers. They're clocking in a solid 7-9 hours of screen time for fun outside of school and homework. It's like screens have become their best buddies.

Whether it's binge-watching, scrolling through feeds, working, or gaming, each gadget has its own vibe and impact on our day-to-day lives. It's crucial that we get savvy about how we're engaging with our technology. Understanding the ins and outs of each device can help us navigate the digital waters more wisely, ensuring we're making the most of tech without letting it take over.

Aro, the tech startup leading the charge in digital wellness for families, announced it is releasing a new feature to help parents and kids reduce screen time and develop healthier relationships with their smartphones. Just like tracking the time your phone spends in the Aro box, the new feature, called “Flip”, now tracks the time Aro users don’t touch their phones. With a tap of a button in the Aro app, users flip their phones over and place it screen-down. Once ready, simply pick up your phone, see how much time you’ve regained, and tap an activity to log how you spent that time.

Hear directly from Kallie Branciforte on her experience with Aro - "In this revealing video, I'm sharing the sneaky tactics built into your phone that keep you hooked. And then I share my personal journey of liberation from phone addiction, thanks to a life-altering gadget. How I found freedom from my phone and constant screen time and CHANGED MY LIFE."

Following their appearance on The Aro Podcast, David Thomas and Sissy Goff asked Joey to join their podcast to ‍discuss how our relationship with our phones is impacting the most important relationships in our lives

Kids are glued to their phones for many reasons. They're keeping tabs on their friends, staying up-to-date with the latest TikTok trends, diving into games, or just binge-watching YouTube. This around-the-clock phone use isn't just a harmless habit. It can take a toll on mental health, leaving kids feeling lonely, not good enough, or just out of control. So, if you're looking to help your kids peel away from their screens and get a taste of the real world, here are three solid strategies to try out.

Ever noticed how your phone seems to have this magnetic pull, even when it's just chilling on the table, not making a peep? It's like there's this invisible force drawing us to our phones, and most of the time, there's no real reason to check them. This isn't just something you or I feel; it's a big deal that's changing the way we interact with the world.

Screen time is very much woven into the fabric of our family lives these days—from our daily routines to our bonding moments. This blog will tackle some practical strategies to help you and your family find that perfect tech-life balance.

So, you've set a New Year's resolution. Great! But how often have these resolutions slipped through the cracks? Let's change that this year. Using wisdom from James Clear's "Atomic Habits," we'll tackle the common goal of cutting down screen time, but in a way that feels doable and even enjoyable.

Seeing our kids captivated by screens for hours can really make us question the true cost of our digital-heavy lives. It's no surprise that many parents are aiming to cut down on screen time. However, it has now become more than just setting limits but also regaining those precious moments that screens often steal from us. Here are some practical ways to take back our time and focus from the digital world, for the sake of our kids and our own well-being.

Parents are taking a stand against screen time, and it's not just for their kids. More and more parents are recognizing their relationships with their phones are negatively impacting their relationships with their families. Here are three reasons why reducing screen time is one of the top goals for parents.

'Tis the season for a gift guide! We've curated a collection of our favorite things —gifts that either pull us away from our screens and into real-life moments or enhance the experiences we cherish when we're unplugged. Check out our picks across categories like outdoors, tech, books, games, and resources—there's something for every member of the family to love.

As the back-to-school season arrives, the Wilson family embraces the return to routines and sets new goals for the year. They encourage other families to find what works best for them and take small steps towards intentional phone use in the new school year.

Welcome to the first ever Family Tech $10,000 Back to School Giveaway, brought to you by an exciting alliance of family tech brands & organizations. Together, we’re on a mission to build a future where families have the tools & resources they need to thrive in our digital world. It’s tech for good - and tech for family!

The stories we hear of Aro's impact on families bring us to tears. They are truly a dream come true. One of my favorite dreams-come-true is from Sam in Chico, CA, an Aro member I first met not long ago. A few months ago, Sam came downstairs to find his eight year old son, Julian, eating cereal before school. Instead of scrolling on his phone like usual, Sam put his phone in Aro, and he says their conversation over the following 17 minutes changed his life.

Graduation season is another reminder of how little time left we have with our kids before they leave the nest. You have less time than you realize. Please don't waste it.

Every spring tens of thousands of people flock to Augusta, Ga to attend The Masters, arguably the most prestigious golf tournament in the world. There are many unique things about this tournament, but my favorite may be that it remains a phone-free event. The Masters is commonly referred to as “A Tradition Unlike Any Other”. This got me thinking about the traditions of my family and our home - “What do I want our traditions unlike any other to be?” The first one that jumped out at me was family dinners, specifically phone-free family dinners. Then I realized that this shouldn’t be unlike any other tradition. Referring to something as “unlike” means it is unique. Why should quality time, away from our phones, be unique? It should be the norm. Unfortunately, dinners interrupted by phones are the norm these days. 

"I kind of wish phones didn't exist...kind of". I know that's something you might not expect to hear from a teenager. My name is Reese Wilson and I am a junior in high school. I'm part of Gen Z so I basically watched the whole world acclimate to technology. Don't get me wrong, I love snapping and facetiming, but there is a part of me that wonders what life would be like if everyone didn't have a phone. I believe that friendships, sleep, and our willingness to take risks are all suffering because of phones.‍

By the time our kids are 18 years old, 90% of the time we will ever spend with them will be gone. And if we’re lucky, we might get 40 focused minutes with our teenagers per day now. The math works out. That means if your kids are 14 years old, you have 40 more days with them at that pace. We have no idea how little time we have, and we are wasting it by scrolling. And I know this sounds a little preachy, but I wish someone would have shaken me by the shoulders a few years ago to tell me this. We have to stop rationalizing. We have to stop pretending we have unlimited time. We have to stop wasting our lives scrolling through other people on screens when the people we made are on the other side of those screens!!!

The entire Aro experience, including the design of the app and the technology of the box, is based on the science of habit formation and the fact that it takes physical space to help us reduce the amount of time we spend on our phones, but someones it’s not that easy to put them down. ‍A big part of habit formation is setting up your environment for success. As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits says, “What often looks like a lack of willpower is actually the result of a poor environment.”‍ If you or your family are struggling with screen time and want to connect more away from your devices, here are some ways to set up your environment to make that easier. There are also ways to adjust your phone settings to reduce the amount of time you spend on it. These can be helpful, but we believe the most effective solution to using your phone less is not a solution 100% based in your phone. You will often hear us say, “the solution cannot be based inside the problem.” That being said, adjusting settings on your phone is a quick and easy way to start reducing screen time, especially on the go when you are not in control of the environment.

Men, take the lead. Take your wife on a date this week. She longs for conversation, for connection, for intimacy. Put your phone away (not on mute, not on the table, away). Tell your sitter or your kids that you won’t be available for one hour. One simple action to make her night a 10! Do that, and something just might happen…

Dads, we’ve got some work to do. Moms tend to be the family tech managers and are leading the discussion on screen time. As our friends at Screen Sanity say, “screen time is the #1 battleground in most families” and moms tend to own that tension. We need to be better at supporting our partners and creating an environment for our kids to learn healthy relationships with technology and for our families to spend quality time together. 

One piece of advice for parents with young children...When you are 1-on-1 with your child, put your phone away. Not down, not on silent, not in your pocket, but away and preferably out of sight. That’s it. When you put your phone away you bestow value on the person in front of you. You are telling them that they are more important than the other 7 billion people available behind the rectangular screen. Our kids are modeling their behavior after us. We are the reason our kids instinctively reach for a device. It’s because we instinctively reach for our devices. Let’s demonstrate that relationships are more important than the beautiful phone in our hands. Show them and they just might ask to play a game while driving, or you might just be willing to engage at dinner more intently.

We analyzed activity across the Aro community in January to see how and when people are putting down their phones to be present. The Aro app and the ability to measure how much time you spend away from your phone is a key tenet to developing the habit. At it’s most basic, it’s like tracking steps or miles when walking or running.

I've challenged myself to spend half the year off my phone.

As a tech company looking to leverage technology to reduce our screen time, we wanted to see what ChatGPT, the technology everyone is talking about, has to say about it using tech a little less. We told it to "Give me a list of 25 tips for reducing screen time." The results talk about reducing all screen time, not specifically phones, and they are right in line with what we see from most experts. Check out the full list.

Each December, I make a resolution that the coming year will finally be the year that I allocate the first few minutes of every morning to personal “quiet time.” ‍For me, this time consists of a daily journal entry, a 365-day devotional, and this year a Bible reading plan (chronologically). Sometimes I simply sit and reflect, sometimes I pray, and oftentimes my mind wanders. It takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes. ‍As I said though, I’ve failed at this mission every year. My willpower fades (often in mid-to-late January) and I justify my lack of discipline because I’m so busy. But the truth is, I’ve been going about it all wrong. Here are a couple of things I changed to set myself up for success in 2023.

It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon. You’re enjoying a leisurely day, watching football, and spending time with your family. Until… the dreaded Screen Time notification pops up on your phone. Through squinted eyes, you peek to see how you did this week. But should we really put much weight behind this single data point? We think Screen Time has it all wrong for a few reasons.

This Christmas break our family did something quite unusual… we traveled. Normally, I travel with an Aro Home device. It’s not easy and frankly, it’s not meant to be a mobile solution, but I typically and carefully pack a carry-on with an Aro. This time though, I chose not to. This is the first time our family has been without an Aro in 2 years! Here are a few things our family learned without having Aro over the break.

Most people agree that family dinners are a great way for parents and kids to connect, but for today's families with hectic schedules, sitting down for consistent family dinners is not always possible. We get it, which is why we want to help you make the most of those moments when they do happen. Joey Odom, Aro Co-Founder, shares his perspective on what family dinners mean to him and how his family is able to slow down time over meals.

Are you teaching your kids healthy phone habits? Or better yet...If you gave your kids a smartphone today, would you be proud of the habits they learned by watching you? This one is for parents with young kids who don't have phones yet. You may be thinking it is not something you need to worry about until your kids are older and of "phone age", which we all know is getting younger and younger. Like it or not, your kids learn from everything you do, including how you interact with your phone.

It wouldn’t be the holiday season without a gift guide, right? We’ve rounded up our favorite things that get us off our phones and engaged in real life. We’ve made sure to cover all the bases with gifts for Mom, Dad, and kids, and even some that the whole family will enjoy.

Heath Wilson and Joey Odom joined The Happy Hour podcast with Jamie Ivey to discuss family boundaries with technology, their personal stories that inspired Aro, and how Aro is helping families spend quality time together away from their phones.

Our phones are amazing. They connect us with people in every corner of the globe, BUT that has come at the cost of connecting with the people right next to us. We always say, “when you change your relationship with your phone, you change your relationship with everyone around you…including yourself.” Here are a few shocking stats that may have you reevaluate your relationship with your phone so you can focus on the relationships with those around you.

Many solutions designed to reduce screen time are focused on blocking specific apps or setting time limits for usage of certain apps. The problem with this approach is too often those limits are ignored or easily dismissed. At Aro, we believe the solution cannot be within the problem and it requires creating space from your phone to truly eliminate the distraction. If our phones are with us, we are going to use them. It’s that simple.

So you put down your phone. Now what? We've become so accustomed to being on our phones that sometimes a sense of anxiety can kick in when we do put them away. Here are a few phone-free activities you can do to engage with friends and family and that will make you forget to check your phone. ‍

When our team mentions that we sleep with our phones in the Aro smart box in a room separate from our bedroom, people tend to be shocked. We almost immediately get asked how we wake up if we aren’t using our phones as alarm clocks. We get this question so often that we decided it was time for us to share what alarm clocks we use instead of our phones.

Aro co-founder, Heath Wilson, joins The Plywood Podcast to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, his path to launching Aro, and the company's mission to help people put down their phones and engage in real life.

Aro cofounders Heath Wilson and Joey Odom joined Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman and Bob Safian to discuss ways to introduce an entirely new product category.

If a leader improves their relationship with their mobile device, will it improve their ability to lead? Chalk that up as a question you've probably never asked, right? Well, today that ends. Joey Odom joins Adam on the podcast to share his perspective on this question. One thing you need to know about Joey: he LOVES his phone and has no plans to ever stop using it. However, Joey would also say that for years, he didn't have the best relationship with his phone and it was starting to negatively impact his life. You're gonna love hearing his story, how he has worked to improve this relationship, and the positive impact it's having on his life.

Aro Technology, Inc. and Bolt Farm Treehouse have partnered together to create a magical space for visitors to reconnect with the people they love. Aro’s smart box and companion app will be available as a feature in all of Bolt Farm Treehouse’s units to allow visitors to fully immerse themselves in the amenities provided at Bolt Farm. 

The first morning I hopped into my car and wasn't automatically choosing a song to play on aux – it felt weird. Not checking my email and Instagram as soon as I woke up – it felt weird. Not snap-chatting friends while I hung out with my roommates – it felt weird. Not having my phone completely changed a lot of the things I do daily.

We talk a lot about Aro giving older kids a system to help manage their phone habits once they get a phone. While that is true, we may have overlooked the impact Aro has on younger kids. Young kids notice their parent's phone habits, notice when they are distracted by their phones and not present, and they will learn whatever phone habits their parents model for them.

We mimic other's behaviors, including checking our phones. With Aro, putting your phone down and focusing on what really matters is the thing that becomes contagious.

Introducing Aro: the first connected "smart box" that results in less screen time by helping users put down their phones and experience life uninterrupted. The Aro smart box holds up to four mobile phones, and paired with the Aro app, tracks time spent phone-free. The app measures trends and progress toward goals, helping users stay motivated to unplug by gamifying the experience. The Aro smart box even charges your phone while you recharge away from it.

Aro has had a huge impact on the amount of quaity time my faimly spends together. And it's not just for me. It's something our kids and I do as a family. We encourage each other to take some phone-free time. And yes, we even compete a little.

I've always slept with my phone next to me and end up scrolling myself to sleep. Aro was the system I needed to develop the habit of putting down my phone before bed.

It took a while, but I finally gave Aro a chance and realized I can't live without it.

We firmly believe, no matter your motivation, that ANY time is good time and that you should be the one to determine that. Everyone’s needs are different. It starts with making phone-free time a part of your daily routine, even if it’s just for a few minutes every day.

With a simple text exchange between close friends, Aro was born.