Meghan Kaul

Photo: The fact that high-tech tools can make adult life easier doesn’t mean they belong in kids’ hands. Photo: iStock Key takeaways: High-tech, always-connected devices often create more overstimulation, family conflict and mental health strain for kids than parents expect. Children usually don’t need the most advanced version of a device; simpler, offline tools often support independence, focus and skill-building better.

Photo: The hurdles parents must jump through to work and give our kids basic care are absurdly unfair. Photo: iStock The new-school-year rush has settled, and finally so has the scramble to patch together after-school care for our kids — not without its annual logistical and financial strain. At my child’s elementary school there’s the in-house after-school care program which costs several hundred dollars a month. And then there are after-school clubs, for which I am the coordinator.

Photo: iStock It’s September, and with it comes a huge envelope of forms from our elementary school to read and fill out. I was happy to see the technology agreement because I could make my non-consent official and documented. I left the school’s boxes unchecked — those that said I reviewed and accepted the expectations, responsibilities and safety documents. I penciled in my own statement, “We decline the student laptop,” made a box and checked it, and signed on the line.