Technology

How Verge readers, and writers, are managing our kids’ screen time

Published

2 months ago

October 12, 2025

How Verge readers, and writers, are managing our kids’ screen time

This week the Pew Research Center published a study about how parents managed screen time for their kids 12 and under. The results were not particularly surprising (or enlightening, if we’re being honest). A full 90 percent of parents said their children watched TV, and 61 percent said their kids interact with smartphones at least on occasion. Somewhat surprisingly, only 50 percent said they let them play a game console of some kind. While 42 percent of respondents said they could do better managing their kids’ screen time, 86 percent did say they had rules around screens, even if they didn’t always stick to them.

What you won’t find in the Pew study, however, are what those rules are. That a certain percentage of parents “ever” let their kids watch TV doesn’t tell us useful information like, how long they watch, what they watch, or how parents are making sure they’re not watching anything inappropriate.

With my eight-year-old we’ve implemented a sort of barter system that I borrowed from Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism. They start each week with 10 tokens, worth a total of $5 or five-hours of screen time. They can earn additional time or money by reading. How they use that time is largely up to them, they can play Minecraft or watch shows on their children’s accounts on Disney+, Netflix, or Paramount+. They also have access to a few music making apps and games on their iPad. But we don’t allow them unfettered access to the iPad.

Lest you think that I rule my kids’ screen time with an iron first, my youngest gets an hour of (mostly educational) TV a day, just so we can help the oldest with their homework in peace. And every Saturday we have family movie night, and we take turns picking what we watch that week.

It also turns out that how much time kids spend in front of a screen isn’t the biggest concern. Time limits were common, but not universal.

That seemed to be parents’ biggest concern, what kids did with their screen time. Social media was a major concern, with 80 percent of respondents to the Pew survey saying it did more harm than good. Somewhat shockingly, 15 percent said their kids used TikTok, though usage of other platforms like Instagram and Facebook were much less common, only 5 percent. 74 percent did say they watched YouTube with their children, while only 15 percent said their kids didn’t watch YouTube at all.

In terms of tools for managing time, good old taking the device away or pressing the power button, was the most popular. Though some use Apple’s Screen Time tool to limit iPad usage specifically.

Phones weren’t common with younger kids. The Pew survey found that only 29 percent of parents allowed their 8 to 10 year-old to have their own smartphone. But, once kids hit their teens, they become more common.

Remember, there’s no right answer for how to raise your kids. What works for one parent, might not for another. We’re all just doing the best we can. Or at least 58 percent of us think we are, according to Pew.

Related Topics:health Report science Tech

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Technology

TikTok ban: all the news on the app’s shutdown and return in the US

Published

5 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

TikTok ban: all the news on the app’s shutdown and return in the US

After briefly going dark in the US to comply with the divest-or-ban law targeting ByteDance that went into effect on January 19th, TikTok quickly came back online. It eventually reappeared in the App Store and Google Play as negotiations between the US and China continued, and Donald Trump continued to sign extensions directing officials not to apply the law’s penalties.

Finally, in mid-December, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told employees that the agreements to create TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, which includes Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX as part owners, have been signed, and the deal is expected to close on January 22nd, 2026. His letter said that for users in the US, the new joint venture will oversee data protection, the security of a newly-retrained algorithm, content moderation, and the deployment of the US app and platform.

Read on for all the latest news on the TikTok ban law in the US.

Technology

Secret phrases to get you past AI bot customer service

Published

6 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Secret phrases to get you past AI bot customer service

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

You’re gonna love me for this.

Say you’re calling customer service because you need help. Maybe your bill is wrong, your service is down or you want a refund. Instead of a person, a cheerful AI voice answers and drops you into an endless loop of menus and misunderstood prompts. Now what?

That’s not an accident. Many companies use what insiders call “frustration AI.” The system is specifically designed to exhaust you until you hang up and walk away.

Not today. (Get more tips like this at GetKim.com)

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS SAY GO SLOW ON AI DEVELOPMENT — BUT DON’T KNOW WHO SHOULD STEER

Here are a few ways to bypass “frustration” AI bots. (Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Use the magic words

You want a human. For starters, don’t explain your issue. That’s the trap. You need words the AI has been programmed to treat differently.

Nuclear phrases: When the AI bot asks why you’re calling, say, “I need to cancel my service” or “I am returning a call.” The word cancel sets off alarms and often sends you straight to the customer retention team. Saying you’re returning a call signals an existing issue the bot cannot track. I used that last weekend when my internet went down, and, bam, I had a human.

Power words: When the system starts listing options, clearly say one word: “Supervisor.” If that doesn’t work, say, “I need to file a formal complaint.” Most systems are not programmed to deal with complaints or supervisors. They escalate fast.

Technical bypass: Asked to enter your account number? Press the pound key (#) instead of numbers. Many older systems treat unexpected input as an error and default to a human.

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“Supervisor” is one magic word that can get you a human on the other end of the line. (Neil Godwin/Future via Getty Images)

Go above the bots

If direct commands fail with AI, be a confused human.

The Frustration Act: When the AI bot asks a question, pause. Wait 10 seconds before answering. These systems are built for fast, clean responses. Long pauses often break the flow and send your call to a human.

The Unintelligible Bypass: Stuck in a loop? Act like your phone connection is terrible. Say garbled words or nonsense. After the system says, “I’m having trouble understanding you” three times, many bots automatically transfer you to a live agent.

The Language Barrier Trick: If the company offers multiple languages, choose one that’s not your primary language or does not match your accent. The AI often gives up quickly and routes you to a human trained to handle language issues.

Use these tricks when you need help. You are calling for service, not an AI bot.

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Long pauses and garbled language can also get you referred to a human. (iStock)

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Technology

The latest iPad Air is $400 for the first time and arrives by Christmas

Published

17 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

The latest iPad Air is 0 for the first time and arrives by Christmas

If you have $400 and want an iPad, your options are usually kind of limited to either just the base iPad, or better yet, the latest iPad Mini — if it happens to be on sale when you’re shopping (it is now, but that’s not always the case). But right now, you should consider getting the 128GB version of Apple’s 11-inch iPad Air with the capable M3 processor. At Target, multiple colors of this model are $399.99, beating the previous low of $449.99 we’ve seen during large-scale deal events. Currently, no other retailer is matching this price. This sale ends Saturday night.

$400 is a sweet price for this model, as it debuted in early 2025 for $600. In terms of how it stacks up to other iPad models, Verge editor-at-large David Pierce said in his impressions that the M3 Air is “exactly what you think it is. Which is fine.” I know, that sounds like a back-handed compliment, but it’s been a while since iPads peaked in terms of utility, design, and fast performance. This one carries the torch in Apple’s tablet dominance, and its M3 processor means it’ll be a fantastic tablet for longer than any other iPad at the $400 price point. Read our in-depth impressions.