Dodgers Delay Newsletter

December 2024

We are so excited that we have 125+ families “opting in” to our mission and receiving our first newsletter. Please share and continue to spread the word that as a community we can DELAY together!

DELAY access to fully-loaded smartphones

DELAY access to social media

DELAY unfettered access to the internet

For more info, visit our new website www.dodgersdelay.com or email us at dodgersdelay@gmail.com.

We were thrilled to be invited to participate in the Madison Junior School Centennial celebration. It was a wonderful day celebrating the history of our school and connecting with MJS families. We are so happy to be seen as a welcome partner by our schools!

We are so pleased that the schools have implemented “away for the day” policies at the elementary and junior schools. We would LOVE to see our current junior school-ers continue on a phone-free path when they enter high school.

Our Dodgers Delay numbers by school:

CAS- 39 families

KRS - 23 families

TJS - 44 families

MJS - 31 families

MHS - 8 families

We look forward to watching these numbers grow each month! Continue to spread the word and keep the conversation going!

“Australian Parliament bans social media for under-16s with world-first law”

-Associated Press, Dec. 1, 2024

“Kenilworth Public Schools to participate in its first Tech-Free Friday

Teachers will not be using any screens or devices of any kind in their instruction Oct. 25”

-TAPinto, October 16, 2024

January 11-12, 2025, exact timing TBD Dodgers Delay is excited to be participating in The Support Network of Madison’s upcoming “Wellness Weekend”, January 11-12, 2025. More details to follow!

March 12, 2025 @ 7pm - Speaker Series “The Impact of Screens & Social Media: What All Parents Must Know (And Do)”. Presentation by Lauren Muriello, LPC, Well Being Therapy Center @ Madison Junior School. Event sponsored by Project Community Pride of Madison Area YMCA. 

“Our kids were not happy we waited until 8th grade to give them phones. They reminded us frequently that they were the only ones in their class who didn’t have one…which was true.  But we knew as soon as they had that device in their pocket they would read fewer books, run around outside less, and miss out on those important opportunities for childhood creativity that stem from daydreaming and solitude. We wanted them to be old enough to remember life without a phone so they could recognize more easily when they were overusing them as teenagers. We also wanted to shield them for as long as possible from being exposed to the sexual and disturbing content we knew would inevitably find them despite our best efforts with monitoring technology. Today our college students thank us for making them wait. They’re grateful for their low-tech childhood and all the hours they spent playing with Legos, reading, and running outside with their friends and siblings rather than staring at a screen.”

-Madison parent of college, high school, middle school, and elementary school students

■ Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is a bipartisan bill that has already passed the Senate (91-3). This bill holds internet companies accountable for the harmful content they share with children due to the design of their platforms. This bill now needs to be passed by Congress. Contact your local representatives to help get this done!

■ The gift-giving holidays have arrived! As you start your shopping lists, we encourage gifts of games, toys, activities, etc. that inspire creativity, play, and family time, instead of tech gadgets and devices (particularly those that allow access to internet and social media). We love this gift guide from Better Screen Time, and this gift guide from Screenagers.