Our Story
My 8-year-old came home and said her friend wants to add her on Roblox
She doesn't have it, and we don't allow it right now. But I didn't want it to feel like no, you can't have friends.
My daughter came home from school this week and said, "My friend wants me to add him on Roblox." She's 8. She doesn't have Roblox, and we don't allow it right now.
What I didn't want
But I also don't want every tech decision to feel like, "No, you can't have friends." Kids want to connect outside of school. That's normal.
So instead of stopping at no, we talked about the ways she and her friend can still connect without another app. A phone call, a playdate, time together after school. The friendship is the part that matters, and the platform is optional.
The takeaway
This is what I'm building The Digital Childhood for. The answer to a new app isn't always yes or no, sometimes it's here's another way to stay close to your friend.