the research is in.

What the Research Actually Says.

We didn't make this up. The science has been building for years. Here's what researchers are finding, and what it means for your family.

There's a name for it.

Researchers call it technoference. The moment your phone gets between you and your child. Studies show that parents being on their phones around their kids has real consequences for everyone in the family. The Journal of Pediatrics

Your child notices. Even as a baby.

When a parent is focused on their phone, they miss the small signals their baby sends when they want attention. Over time that baby starts trying harder and harder to get it. Those attempts get louder and more distressed. That's not a tantrum. That's a child desperate to be seen. PubMed Central

It affects how they act today and how they'll use screens tomorrow.

A study of 170 families found that when parents mentally check out during time with their kids, children show more tantrums, anxiety, and emotional struggles. And it goes further than behavior. Kids who grow up with this are more likely to develop their own unhealthy relationship with screens.

We are watching that play out in real time with an entire generation. Gen Z grew up with this. The struggle is real. We have a chance to break that cycle right now, for the generation coming up behind them. PubMed Central

They are watching everything you do.

A 2025 study of 561 adolescents aged 14 to 17 found that parental phone use significantly predicted their children's phone use. Adolescents mirror their parents' habits. Gen Z is the first generation that grew up watching their parents on phones, the struggle is real. Anxiety, depression, loneliness, phone addiction. They didn't choose this. We have a chance to break that cycle for the generation coming up behind them. Taylor & Francis Online

The window is shorter than you think.

The ability to manage emotions, pay attention, and control impulses develops between ages 3 and 5. Those skills affect everything. School, friendships, handling stress, and even decisions as an adult. The early years are not a warm-up. They are the foundation. The Journal of Pediatrics

Other states and countries are already taking action.

New Jersey launched a statewide public awareness campaign urging parents to take a tech timeout and make phone-free time a priority for themselves and their children, sharing that 76% of parents report using their cell phone while at the playground with their child.‍ ‍Public Awareness Campaign

New Jersey Family Life Magazine New Jersey Urges Parents to Take a ‘Tech Timeout’ to Reconnect With Their Kids

San Diego Family Life Magazine What Parents Need to Know about Technoference

The Princess of Wales Kate Middleton warns about the impact of smartphones on family life and kids development. The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World.

Phone-free presence actually builds their brain.

When you are fully present with your child, playing, responding, and engaging without a phone in hand, you are helping build their brain in real time. That connection strengthens their confidence, critical thinking, behavior, and overall development. Harvard Center on the Developing Child – Serve & Return Parent–Child Interaction Therapy

A little play goes a long way. Can you imagine what one hour fully present, phone-free, together can do? The Importance of Playing with Your Child. American Academy of Pediatrics: The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds.

See it for yourself.

Seven minutes that will change how you see a phone in hand in front of a child forever.

How Every Child Can Thrive By Five. Watch now → a TED Talk by 7-year-old Molly Wright, co-produced by TED.

You feel it too.

Always on = mental overload. When parents are on their phones during time with their kids, they feel mentally distracted, emotionally drained, and disconnected from their children. You already know something is off. The research just confirms it. National Library of Medicine.

Putting your phone down isn’t always easy.

Let's be honest. These devices were built to keep you on them and research shows that smartphone addiction is not simply a willpower problem. It is the result of the interaction between genetics and environment. You were wired a certain way and handed a device specifically engineered to exploit it.

We can't change our genetics. But we can change our environment and that is exactly what The Perch does. We remove the variable entirely so presence can happen naturally. PubMed Central

The Perch can help.

We know putting our phones away is hard. Almost impossible at times. The Perch was built for exactly that parent and grandparent, the one who wants to show up fully and just needs a place that makes it easier. Where intentional presence happens naturally.

The research is clear, your relationship with your child is the single most important factor in their development right now. The American Academy of Pediatrics confirms that children need both structured and unstructured play for healthy development, and The Perch Practice™ is built around both. Play builds the brain, anchors executive function, buffers against stress, and develops the social, emotional, language, and cognitive skills children need for life.

Not a drop-off. No sidelines. We practice counterculture.

The Perch Practice™ is an experience unlike any other, focused on relationship strength, intentional growth, and setting a strong foundation for your family. Founded in faith. Built for such a time as this.

This isn't just an athletic play and creative arts studio. It's a faith-filled movement the new generation needs.