Parents are hiring coaches to help keep their kids off smartphones.

Parents are hiring coaches to help keep their kids off smartphones. Their advice to parents? Throw a ball, create a cape out of paper for superhero playtime, or even get a pet. As parenting coach Richard Halpern explains, “‘Show a screen to your cat.’ They don’t care. They’re fully present. They’re living. That’s a great role model.” Communities are taking action as well, signing pledges to stay unplugged until after adolescence, like Wait Until 8th or the Concord Promise. (NYT)