Some of the best memories we have involve a dock, a rod, and a dad who had the patience to sit there with us.

That’s what this is about.

Getting your kid into fishing isn’t complicated. It doesn’t require a boat, a tackle collection, or years of experience. It requires a rod, some bait, a body of water, and showing up.

This guide covers everything. Gear, location, technique, what fish to target, how to keep kids engaged, and what to do when they inevitably get bored 20 minutes in. Whether you’ve fished your whole life or have never held a rod, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s get into it.

Why Fishing Is One of the Best Things You Can Do With Your Kid

Before the gear list, a quick word on why this matters.

Fishing teaches patience. Real patience, not the fake kind. The kind where you sit with uncertainty and learn to be okay with it.

It teaches cause and effect. Cast here, not there. Use this bait, not that one. Adjust the depth. Try again.

It’s screen-free time that doesn’t feel like punishment. Kids love it because something might happen at any second. The bobber might go under. There might be something on the line. That anticipation keeps them locked in better than almost anything else.

And it’s one of the few activities where a six-year-old and a 45-year-old can fish side by side and have the exact same experience. Same water. Same chance. No age advantage.

That’s the magic of it.

Start Here: The One Rule That Makes or Breaks the First Trip

Before we talk gear and fish, we need to talk about this.

The goal of your first fishing trip is not to catch fish.

The goal is for your kid to have fun and want to go again.

Keep the first trip short. One to two hours max. Pick a spot where fish are plentiful and easy to catch. Bring snacks. Bring patience. Celebrate every single thing, the cast that almost worked, the bite they missed, the tiny fish they threw back.

The first trip plants the seed. Every trip after that grows it.

If you push too long, pick a hard spot, get frustrated, or make it feel like school, you lose them. And you may not get a second chance.

One good hour beats a miserable four-hour marathon every time.

What Fish to Target First: The Beginner’s Best Friend

If you want your kid to actually catch something, start with bluegill.

Bluegill are found in virtually every freshwater pond, lake, and river across the United States except Alaska. They’re aggressive biters, they fight surprisingly hard for their size, and they’re absolutely everywhere. A public pond in a city park almost certainly has bluegill in it right now.

Here’s why bluegill are perfect for kids:

They bite constantly. No sitting for two hours waiting for a nibble. Bluegill will hit a worm on a hook within minutes of it hitting the water in a good spot. That constant action is everything for a kid’s attention span.

They’re small enough for kids to handle. A typical bluegill runs 6 to 10 inches. A kid can hold one, look at it, show it to dad, and release it without drama.

They’re basically everywhere. You don’t need to travel. You don’t need a boat. A local pond with a grassy bank is perfect.

Other great beginner species: crappie, sunfish, yellow perch, and small catfish. All easy to find, all aggressive biters, all manageable for small hands.

Save bass, walleye, and trout for later. They’re great fish, but harder to catch consistently, and a day of zero bites will end a kid’s fishing career before it starts.

Where to Fish: Finding the Right Spot

You don’t need to know a secret honey hole. You need to know how to find accessible public water near you.

Local ponds and lakes in city or county parks are your best starting point. These are often stocked with panfish by your state fish and wildlife agency. They have accessible banks, sometimes docks, and are designed for exactly this kind of casual fishing.

State park lakes and reservoirs are another great option. Most states have a system of public fishing areas with easy bank access.

Fishing piers and docks are ideal for young kids. Stable footing, easy casting, and fish tend to congregate underneath them naturally.

How to Find Spots Near You

Search “[your state] fishing license” and go to your state fish and wildlife agency website. Most states have a public fishing area finder that maps every accessible public body of water near you. The Fishbrain app is also solid for finding local spots and seeing what other anglers are catching there.

What Makes a Good Beginner Spot

Calm, accessible bank. Shallow water with some structure nearby like docks, fallen trees, or weeds. Easy parking. Ideally somewhere the kid can also run around a bit while you rig up, because they will not stand still and wait.

Fishing Licenses: Don’t Skip This

Every adult needs a fishing license. Kids under a certain age are usually exempt but this varies by state.

Get yours before you go. You can buy a fishing license online through your state fish and wildlife agency website in about five minutes. They’re typically $20 to $40 for an annual resident license.

If you’re not sure about regulations in your area, the state agency website has everything. Don’t wing it. Getting cited for fishing without a license is an annoying and preventable way to ruin a good trip.

The Gear: Keep It Simple

Here’s where a lot of dads overthink it. You do not need expensive gear to catch fish with a kid. You need gear that’s easy to use, hard to break, and appropriate for the fish you’re targeting.

For a first trip with a young kid, you need four things. A rod and reel, some line, a hook, a bobber, and bait. That’s it.

The Rod and Reel

For kids under 8: Zebco Splash Spincast Combo

The Zebco Splash is specifically designed for young kids and it floats if they drop it in the water. That’s not a joke. The floating design alone makes it worth having around docks and boats. Push-button spincast reel, no-tangle design, pre-spooled with 6-pound line. Around $20. This is a great starter rod.

For kids 8 and up: Ugly Stik GX2 Youth Combo

The Ugly Stik is a real rod, not a toy. It’s been around forever, it’s nearly indestructible, and it performs well above its price point. The GX2 Youth Combo comes with a solid spinning reel pre-spooled and ready to go. Around $40 to $50. This rod will last several years and multiple kids.

For older kids or teens ready to step up: Zebco Roam Spinning Combo

A step up in quality and length, the Roam is a legit rod that can grow with them from panfish to bass. Around $40 to $60. A great investment if your kid is genuinely hooked on the sport.

For dads who want their own rod: If you’re fishing alongside your kid and you want your own setup without spending a lot, the Shakespeare Ugly Stik Camo Spinning Combo around $35 to $50 is solid and reliable for pond and lake fishing.

The Tackle: What You Actually Need

Don’t buy a giant tackle box. For bluegill and panfish, here’s all you need:

Hooks: Size 6 or 8 Aberdeen hooks. Light wire, easy to bait, good for small fish. Buy a pack of 50 for a few dollars.

Bobbers: Round clip-on bobbers in red and white. The classic. Clip it on the line about 18 inches above the hook for shallow water, 2 to 3 feet for deeper water.

Split shot sinkers: Small weights you crimp onto the line between the hook and bobber to keep the bait down. Buy a small assorted pack.

That’s it. Seriously. Three items plus the bait below and you are ready to catch fish.

The Bait: Start With Worms

Nothing catches more panfish more consistently than a live worm. Nothing.

Pick up a container of nightcrawlers or red worms at any bait shop or Walmart sporting goods section. Usually $3 to $5. Thread a small piece of worm onto the hook, cast near structure like docks, fallen trees, or weedy edges, and wait for the bobber to go down.

When it goes down, that’s a fish. Set the hook with a quick, firm upward motion of the rod tip. Reel it in.

That is the entire technique. Your kid can absolutely do this.

If worms gross your kid out, try PowerBait Trout Nuggets or small pieces of hot dog. We’re not judging. A fish is a fish.

How to Teach Your Kid to Cast

This is where most first-timers struggle. Casting with a spinning rod takes some practice. That’s why we recommend a spincast push-button rod for younger kids first.

Push-button spincast casting (Zebco style): Hold the rod with your dominant hand. Press and hold the button on the back of the reel. Point the rod tip toward your target. Bring the rod back behind your shoulder (not too far). Push forward and release the button when the rod tip is aimed at where you want the bait to go. That’s the cast. Practice it in the backyard with the hook removed and a small piece of rubber as a casting plug before you ever get to the water.

Spinning reel casting: Hold the rod in your dominant hand. Open the bail (the wire loop) with your other hand. Hook the line with your index finger and close the bail. Bring the rod back, cast forward, and release your finger as the rod tip passes your target. This takes more practice but gives much better control and distance. Teach this to kids 8 and up who have the coordination for it.

Pro tip for teaching: Don’t just explain it. Stand behind them and guide their arm through the motion two or three times. Muscle memory beats verbal instruction every time with kids.

The Setup: Step by Step

Here’s the exact rig for catching bluegill on your first trip.

  1. Tie your hook to the end of the line using a simple improved clinch knot. There are YouTube videos that teach this in 60 seconds. Practice it at home the night before.
  2. Clip a round bobber onto the line about 18 to 24 inches above the hook.
  3. Crimp a tiny split shot sinker onto the line between the bobber and the hook to keep the bait sinking naturally.
  4. Thread a small piece of worm onto the hook. You don’t need to cover the whole hook. A piece the size of your thumbnail is enough.
  5. Cast near structure. Docks, fallen logs, weedy edges, shaded areas near overhanging trees. Bluegill love shade and cover.
  6. Watch the bobber.
  7. When it goes under, set the hook and reel.

That is a complete fishing system that will catch fish today in virtually any freshwater pond or lake in the country.

Keeping Kids Engaged: What to Do When They Get Bored

Kids will get bored. Accept it. Have a plan.

Keep a bucket of water nearby. Let them catch the fish and put it in the bucket to look at before releasing it. The up-close fish observation buys you another 20 minutes easy.

Give them a job. Let them bait the hook if they’re old enough. Let them cast. Let them hold the rod and watch the bobber. Ownership keeps them in it.

Set small goals. “Let’s catch three fish and then we’ll get ice cream.” Attainable targets keep kids motivated better than open-ended fishing sessions.

Let them roam a little. If there’s a safe area for them to explore, throw rocks, or catch frogs nearby, let them. They’ll come back when something bites.

Don’t force it. When they’re done, they’re done. Pack up cheerfully and talk about coming back next weekend. Ending on their terms means they’ll want to come again.

The Gear Checklist for Your First Trip

Print this out or screenshot it before you go.

  • Rod and reel (rigged and ready)
  • Extra hooks (size 6 or 8)
  • Bobbers
  • Split shot sinkers
  • Live bait (worms from any bait shop)
  • Small needle-nose pliers (for removing hooks safely)
  • Sunscreen
  • Bug spray
  • Snacks and drinks
  • A small bucket (to hold the catch for viewing)
  • Fishing license (for any adult)
  • A good attitude (non-negotiable)

A Note to Dads Who Don’t Fish

If you’ve never fished before, that’s okay. Better than okay, actually. Learning alongside your kid is one of the most connected experiences you can have with them.

You don’t need to be the expert. You need to be the guy who shows up, figures it out, laughs when it doesn’t work, and tries again.

The fish are secondary. The morning together is the whole point.

Get the Zebco, buy the worms, find a local pond, and go. You’ll figure out the rest on the water. Millions of people have done exactly this with no experience and come home with a kid who can’t stop talking about it.

That’s all this is.

There’s a moment every work-from-home dad knows. You’re sitting at your laptop, mid-task, and you hear little feet running down the hallway. That’s the tension Lucas Williams lives in every day.

Lucas is the founder of DeadLast and a dad to two boys, ages four and one and a half, living in Greenville, South Carolina.

He’s building something he genuinely loves. Which is exactly what makes it hard.

The Blur

For Lucas, the hardest part of parenting isn’t the schedule. It’s the overlap. When your office is at home, there’s no clean break. You can step into a meeting one minute and be playing on the floor the next. Sounds ideal, but it comes with a cost. It’s easy to drift.

Thinking about work while you’re with your kids. Sneaking in a quick hang during the workday that turns into a distraction. Letting one part of life bleed into the other. So he’s learned to anchor himself in something simple.

Focus on what’s in front of you.

Be Where Your Feet Are

Lucas doesn’t pretend to have perfect balance. Instead, he’s built structure. Wake up between 4 and 6am. Run with friends. If he misses it, it probably doesn’t happen that day. Pick up coffee for his wife. Make breakfast. Start the day as a family.

Then it’s work mode. Meetings. Product design. Content. Building DeadLast. If there’s time, a quick lift in the garage gym. By the afternoon, it shifts again. School pickup. Hanging with the boys. Dinner at 5. Cleanup. Bath. Books. Prayer. Then a couple hours with his wife before bed.

If he’s asleep by 10, it’s a win. The rhythm isn’t perfect, but it’s intentional.

The Shift You Don’t Expect

Before becoming a dad, Lucas didn’t expect how much it would change him. Not just his schedule. Him.

He says he’s not naturally a selfless person. But something shifts when you have kids. You start finding joy in their joy. Serving them becomes the reward. Watching them learn, grow, and develop their own personalities has been the most meaningful part.

You start to see pieces of yourself and your spouse in them. And you realize your role is to learn how to connect with each of them individually.

When things start to pile up, Lucas keeps it simple. Family first. Once that’s steady, everything else tends to fall into place. He leans on communication, making sure the people around him know where he’s at, and discipline, keeping a schedule so nothing bleeds into the wrong part of his day.

When he needs a reset, he goes back to the basics. Time with God. Prayer. Being intentional with his family. And moving his body. Running, lifting, getting outside. It clears his head and brings him back to what matters.

A non-negotiable for him is staying active with his boys. They’re wired to run, explore, and burn energy, so most days you’ll find them doing exactly that.

When he does get time alone, it doesn’t look all that different. Running, lifting, creating, designing. Most of his hobbies overlap with his work, which used to feel like a blur but now feels like a gift. Because when he stays present in each moment, that overlap stops being a distraction and starts becoming the life he actually wants to live.

Check out what Lucas is building over at DeadLast.

Nobody warned us.

They told us about the sleepless nights. The diapers. The feeding schedule. The way your life would “change forever.” We heard all of it. We nodded. We thought we understood.

What nobody told us is that you might look at your newborn for the first time and feel… not much.

Not the movie version. Not the flood of emotion and instant bond and tears streaming down your face while a nurse hands you this perfect creature and everything suddenly makes sense.

Just. Not much. Maybe a little shock. Maybe some relief that it’s over. Maybe a vague, bewildered sense that this screaming, purple, cone-headed stranger is apparently yours now.

And then, underneath all of that, a question you’re too afraid to say out loud:

What is wrong with me?

Nothing Is Wrong With You

Let’s get that out of the way first.

The instant bond story is real for some dads. It hits like a freight train the second the baby arrives and they’re done. Completely gone. Overwhelmed with love they didn’t know they had.

That’s great for those guys.

But it’s not the only story. And it might not be yours. And if it’s not, you are not broken, you are not a bad father, and you are not alone.

What we don’t talk about enough is how foreign a newborn actually is. They don’t know you. They can’t see you clearly. They don’t smile yet. They don’t respond to your voice in any way that feels personal. They cry, they eat, they sleep, and they need constant care from a person they have zero relationship with.

You are, for all practical purposes, a stranger to each other.

Connection takes time. That’s not a flaw. That’s just how it works.

The Biology Nobody Explains

Here’s something worth understanding.

For moms, the hormonal surge of labor and delivery triggers an immediate biological attachment response. Oxytocin floods the system. The bond gets a chemical jump start. It’s built into the process.

For dads, that doesn’t happen the same way. We don’t get the hormonal runway. The connection for us tends to build differently. Slower. More gradually. Through doing, not just holding.

Every diaper changed. Every 3am feeding where you’re half asleep and functioning on autopilot. Every bath. Every time you figure out the one specific way to get this specific baby to calm down. That’s how it builds.

It builds through repetition. Through proximity. Through time.

The dads who feel it immediately aren’t doing something different. Their brain just fires first. The dads who take longer aren’t doing anything wrong. Their brain fires later. Both are normal. Both end up in the same place.

What It Actually Feels Like

We’ve heard from a lot of dads on this. Here’s what they describe.

The first few weeks feel more like a job than a relationship. You’re solving problems. You’re executing tasks. You’re learning an entirely new skill set under extreme sleep deprivation. There isn’t a lot of room for feeling in between the feeding and the burping and the desperate attempt to get two consecutive hours of sleep.

Somewhere around week three or four or six something shifts. You’re not sure when it happens exactly. You just notice one day that when the baby cries, something pulls at you in a way it didn’t before. That you’ve started looking forward to the moments they’re awake. That the face that used to look like every other baby now looks unmistakably like your baby.

Then around two or three months, when they look up at you and actually smile for the first time because they see you specifically, because they know your face and they’re happy about it, something cracks open.

That’s usually the moment for dads. That’s when it lands.

It just takes a while to get there. And the wait doesn’t mean the love isn’t coming. It just means it’s loading.

The Danger of Faking It

Here’s the thing we want to say clearly.

Don’t perform the bond you don’t feel yet. Not for your partner. Not for your family. Not for anyone.

Performing it creates distance. It makes you feel like a fraud in your own home, in what should be one of the most significant periods of your life. And it prevents you from actually being present for the real thing when it arrives.

What we’d say instead: show up for the work even when the feeling isn’t there yet. Change the diapers. Do the night shift. Hold the baby even when they’re screaming and nothing is working and you’re not sure why you’re even doing it.

Because the feeling follows the work. It almost always does.

The dads who disconnect, who check out in those early weeks because they’re not feeling what they expected to feel, those are the guys who look back years later and realize they missed the window. Not because the bond never came. But because they weren’t there when it did.

The Part Your Partner Needs to Hear Too

If you have a partner reading this alongside you, here’s something worth saying out loud.

Dads who don’t immediately lose their minds over a newborn are not indifferent. They’re not cold. They’re not going to be bad fathers. They’re just wiring differently and on a slightly longer timeline.

The worst thing that can happen in those early weeks is a dad feeling like something is wrong with him, pulling back out of shame or confusion, and the distance becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Give him the grace to get there. He’ll get there.

It’s Coming

If you’re in the middle of it right now, here’s what we want you to know. The love you’re waiting to feel is real. It exists. It’s on its way.

It’s just getting built right now, one 3am diaper at a time, one bottle at a time, one completely unreasonable crying session at a time.

Keep showing up. Do the work even when the feeling isn’t there yet. Stay in the room. One morning you’re going to look at this kid and it’s going to hit you like a truck and you’re going to wonder how you ever didn’t feel it.

That morning is coming.

Like this?

Make sure you sign up for our free weekly newsletter. 

Picture this.

You’re 45 minutes from home. Your kid is in the backseat. You hit a nail. Tire goes flat. You pop the trunk and realize the only thing back there is a reusable grocery bag, a soccer cleat with no partner, and a granola bar from 2022.

That’s a bad day. And it’s completely preventable.

We’re not saying you need a survivalist bunker on wheels. We’re saying five things. Five things that cost less than a nice dinner out and will pay for themselves the first time something goes sideways.

Here’s the list.

1. A Portable Jump Starter

The old way: dead battery, call a friend, wait 45 minutes, feel like an idiot.

The new way: pull a brick out of your glove box, clamp it to your battery, start the car in two minutes. Done.

Portable jump starters have gotten genuinely excellent in the last few years. They’re compact, they hold a charge for months, and they work. No second car needed. No flagging down a stranger. No calling roadside assistance and sitting on the shoulder while your kid asks “are we going to be okay?” seventeen times.

Our pick: NOCO Boost Plus GB40

This is the one. Under two pounds. IP65 water resistant. Handles gas engines up to 6.0L. Has reverse polarity protection so you can’t accidentally hook it up wrong. Built-in LED flashlight. USB port to charge your phone. Around $100 on Amazon.

If you have a larger truck or SUV with a bigger engine, step up to the NOCO GB70 ($180) which handles up to 8.0L. But for most dads driving a sedan or crossover, the GB40 is the move.

Charge it when you get it. Top it off twice a year. Keep it in the car. That’s the whole plan.

2. A Portable Tire Inflator

Here’s something most dads don’t realize. Most roadside tire situations aren’t full blowouts. They’re slow leaks. A nail. A valve stem issue. The kind of thing where your tire isn’t flat flat, it’s just low enough that driving on it is a bad idea.

A portable tire inflator handles that in about three minutes. Get the tire up to a safe pressure, drive to a shop, get the nail pulled, go on with your life. No tow truck. No drama.

It’s also just genuinely useful. Tire pressure changes with temperature. Cold mornings will drop your PSI. Your TPMS light comes on. You no longer have to hunt for a gas station air pump that works and takes your payment in quarters.

Our pick: Fanttik X8 APEX

Compact, cordless, 7800mAh battery, auto-shutoff when it hits your preset pressure, LED display, built-in flashlight, and an SOS beacon. Around $70. Fits in your center console. Works on car tires, bike tires, sports balls, and whatever inflatable thing your kid is currently obsessed with.

If you want a plug-in option that runs off your car’s 12V outlet and never needs charging, the AstroAI Portable Air Compressor is around $30 and has been reliable for years. Put it in the trunk, forget it’s there, use it when you need it.

3. A Compact First Aid Kit

This one sounds obvious. And yet most dads have either nothing or a kit that’s been in the car so long the bandages have fused together.

We’re not talking about a full trauma kit. We’re talking about the stuff that handles real life: the kid who scrapes both knees at the same time, the cut from the tailgate, the bee sting at the baseball field, the headache you get from sitting in summer traffic.

A good kit in the car means you handle it in the parking lot and keep moving. No convenience store detour. No hunting for napkins.

Our pick: My Medic MyFAK (Standard)

This is the gold standard for a car first aid kit. 115-plus supplies. Soft-sided case with clear compartments so you can actually find things when your hands are shaking. Includes hospital-grade trauma shears, a CPR mask, gloves, and a solid range of bandages and wound care supplies. Around $175.

If that feels like overkill for your situation, the Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose First Aid Kit is a solid, affordable option for around $20 that covers the basics and fits in your glove box. It’s not fancy. It does the job.

Whatever kit you get, check it once a year. Restock what’s been used. Replace anything expired. That’s it.

4. A Multi-Tool

The number of times a multi-tool has saved us from a situation that would have otherwise required a phone call is genuinely embarrassing.

Loose screw on a license plate. Kid’s bike needs a quick adjustment. Box that needs opening at a job site. Random wire that needs cutting. Emergency bottle opener situation at a tailgate. The use cases are endless.

A multi-tool is one of those things where if you carry it, you use it constantly. If you don’t carry it, you spend half your life wishing you had one.

Our pick: Leatherman Wave+

The Leatherman Wave+ has been the benchmark multi-tool for years and it’s earned that status. 18 tools including pliers, wire cutters, multiple knife blades, screwdrivers, a file, a saw, scissors, and more. Built in the USA. Comes with a 25-year warranty. Around $110.

If you want something more budget-friendly, the Victorinox Swiss Army SwissChamp comes in around $65 and has 33 functions in a compact package that rides easily in a car door pocket or center console.

Either way, get one. Put it in the car. Stop borrowing things from people.

5. A Car Emergency Kit With Jumper Cables and Road Flares

Here’s the scenario. You get a flat. You can’t change it yourself. Or you’re in a breakdown situation on a highway where you need to be visible. This is where the last piece of the puzzle matters.

A proper roadside emergency kit handles the stuff the other four items don’t cover: getting yourself seen, getting towed, and being able to flag down help safely.

Our pick: Thrive Roadside Emergency Car Kit

This kit is well thought out. It includes heavy-duty jumper cables (yes, keep them even if you have a jump starter), road flares, a reflective safety vest, a tow rope, an emergency hammer for breaking windows and cutting seatbelts, a multi-function tool, and a compact first aid pouch. Rigid carrying case that stands on its own. Around $60.

The emergency hammer is the one thing most people never think about until they need it. If your car goes into water or your doors won’t open after an accident, that thing could save your life or your kid’s. It costs about $10 on its own. Just get it.

The Quick List

In case you need the shopping tab version:

  1. NOCO Boost Plus GB40 Jump Starter | ~$100 |
  2. Fanttik X8 APEX Tire Inflator | ~$70 |
  3. My Medic MyFAK First Aid Kit | ~$175 |
  4. Leatherman Wave+ Multi-Tool | ~$110 |
  5. Thrive Roadside Emergency Car Kit | ~$50 |

Total damage: around $500. That’s one tow truck call avoided, one ER visit for a cut that needed a bandage, one missed meeting because your battery died. These things pay for themselves fast.

One More Thing

The best emergency kit is the one you actually have in your car. Not the one you’ve been meaning to put together. Not the one in the Amazon cart you haven’t checked out. The one that’s actually there.

Do it this weekend. Future you will be glad you did.

Let us save you the 15 hours of reading we just did. The research is not subtle. It is not mixed. It is not “well, it depends.”

Screens are doing real damage to kids. And the younger the kid, the worse it is.

We know that’s not what you want to hear when you’re trying to get through a flight or survive a restaurant dinner or just finish one phone call without someone losing their mind. We get it. We’ve been there. We’ve all been there.

But “it’s convenient” is not the same as “it’s okay.” And it’s time we stopped pretending they’re the same thing.

Here’s everything you actually need to know.

The Numbers That Should Wake You Up

Before we get into the research, let’s just talk about where things stand right now.

  • Toddlers aged 2 to 5 are averaging about 3.5 hours of screen time per day. Kids aged 8 to 10 average 6 hours. Eleven to fourteen year olds are hitting 9 hours a day. Older teens clock around 7.5 hours.
  • Forty percent of 2-year-olds already own their own tablet. By age 4 that number climbs to 58%.

Read those sentences again.

We’re not talking about kids occasionally watching a movie on a rainy Saturday afternoon. We’re talking about screen exposure on par with a part-time job. Starting in diapers.

And somehow we’re surprised that anxiety, depression, and attention disorders are at generational highs.

Jonathan Haidt Said the Quiet Part Out Loud

If you haven’t heard of Jonathan Haidt, he’s a social psychologist out of NYU who spent years researching exactly this. His 2024 book “The Anxious Generation” sat on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list for over 52 consecutive weeks. It topped the list five times. Oprah endorsed it. Governors sent copies to each other.

His argument is simple and devastating.

Somewhere around 2010 to 2015, we made a collective decision as a society. We handed kids smartphones. We gave them Instagram and TikTok and YouTube and gaming. And in doing so, we replaced what Haidt calls the play-based childhood with the phone-based childhood.

We didn’t think about it much. It happened gradually and then all at once.

The results showed up almost immediately. Anxiety rates surged. Depression rates surged. Self-harm rates among teenage girls went up. Loneliness went up. Sleep went down. Close friendships went down.

And this wasn’t just a self-reporting issue. The behavior changes showed up in hospitalizations, in emergency room visits, in actual clinical data. It happened in the United States. It happened in the UK, Canada, Australia, and across Europe. All at roughly the same time. Right when smartphones hit mass adoption.

Haidt’s line that stuck with me: “We have overprotected our children in the real world and underprotected them online.”

We won’t let them ride their bikes around the block alone. But we’ll hand them a portal to the entire internet at age 7 and call it fine.

What the Research Actually Found

Okay. Let’s go through what the science says is happening to kids’ brains and bodies. Category by category.

The Brain

New research published in late 2025 followed children for more than a decade and found that high screen exposure before age two was linked to accelerated brain maturation in some regions and slower decision-making later on. Kids with more screen time in infancy showed premature specialization in brain networks involved in visual processing and cognitive control.

Which sounds good until you realize premature specialization reduces flexibility. Those kids had slower reaction times at age eight and higher rates of anxiety at age thirteen.

The critical window here is under two years old. Screens before age two predicted long-term brain changes. Screens at age three or four did not show the same effect. That’s how sensitive those early years are.

A separate study in Psychological Medicine found that infant screen time altered brain networks that govern emotional regulation. But here’s the hopeful part: parent-child reading could counteract some of those changes. Shared reading provided the kind of back-and-forth engagement, language exposure, and emotional connection that passive screen consumption just doesn’t deliver.

More screens equals less of that. Less screens equals more.

Attention and ADHD

Multiple studies have now linked excessive screen time, especially fast-paced interactive media like social media and video games, to shortened attention spans and ADHD-related behaviors.

The mechanism isn’t complicated. Fast-paced content constantly rewards the brain with novelty. Dopamine gets triggered. The brain starts to expect that level of stimulation. Real life, school, conversation, reading, can’t compete. So the brain checks out.

Haidt identifies attention fragmentation as one of four core harms of the phone-based childhood. And it’s not theoretical. Teachers across the country have been saying for years that kids can’t focus the way they used to. Now there’s biology behind the complaint.

Sleep

Screen time before bed disrupts melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone that tells your brain it’s time to sleep. Blue light from screens suppresses it.

The result? Kids who use devices in the evening take longer to fall asleep, sleep fewer total hours, and wake up less rested. And poor sleep in kids does not just mean a cranky morning. It compounds across time into mood disorders, cognitive impairment, and behavioral problems.

The same research Haidt cites shows that between 2010 and now, the number of teens getting less than seven hours of sleep per night has increased significantly. That’s not coincidence. That’s causation wearing a very thin disguise.

Anxiety and Depression

This is the big one.

The correlation between smartphone adoption and adolescent mental health decline is one of the most consistent findings in recent research. Across dozens of studies, across multiple countries, the trend is the same.

Mental health among young people started getting measurably worse right around 2012. That’s when smartphone penetration hit the tipping point. That’s when Instagram got going. That’s when the phone-based childhood began in earnest.

Girls are hit harder by social media. The comparison loops, the constant social evaluation, the exposure to image-based content that warps body image, it compounds in ways that are uniquely brutal for adolescent girls.

Boys are hit differently. Gaming and pornography and digital entertainment gradually crowd out real-world relationships, ambition, and the motivation to do hard things. Haidt describes it as a slow creep that changes behavior without the kid even realizing what’s happening.

Both are bad. Just bad in different directions.

Heart and Metabolic Health

A 2025 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that screen time in childhood and adolescence is associated with cardiometabolic and cardiovascular disease risk. Not just mental health. Actual heart health.

More screen time means less movement. Less movement means higher BMI, worse metabolic markers, and greater cardiovascular risk down the road. The research on the more-than-two-year-old who watches a lot of TV already showed a correlation between screen time and higher BMI.

Kids who are on screens are not outside. They are not moving. They are not building the physical foundation that will carry them into adulthood.

iPads and Phones Are Not the Same as TV

Here’s where we need to draw a clear line. And Haidt actually makes this distinction himself, which is important.

Passive storytelling, a movie, a TV show with a beginning middle and end, is different from interactive, reward-based, variable-schedule content. Variable-ratio reinforcement is the same mechanism behind slot machines. You don’t know when the reward is coming so you keep going. Social media likes. YouTube autoplay. Game unlocks. Swipe. Pull down to refresh. Repeat.

That’s what an iPad in a young kid’s hands delivers. Not a story. A slot machine.

A movie has a narrative arc. It ends. It can be a shared experience. A family sits around and watches a film together and that’s actually a bonding moment. Haidt explicitly gives this a pass.

The iPad alone in a room? Different animal entirely. The phone? Don’t even start.

This is not about being anti-technology for the sake of it. It’s about understanding that these products were designed by rooms full of very smart people whose entire job was to make them as addictive as possible. They did their job well. Our kids are on the receiving end of that.

The Opportunity Cost Nobody Talks About

Here’s Haidt’s most underrated point and it’s the one I think about most as a dad.

The harm of screen time isn’t only what the screen does to the brain. It’s what the screen replaces.

Every hour a kid spends on an iPad is an hour they are not:

Building something. Figuring something out. Getting bored and then solving their own boredom. Playing with other kids and navigating actual social dynamics. Reading. Climbing something. Getting scraped up and learning they can handle it. Using their imagination in a way that nobody else can script or optimize for them.

Play is not optional for kids. It’s not a reward for finishing homework. Play is how children wire their brains.

Mammals have played for 200 million years. It’s the mechanism. And we’ve quietly been replacing it with a screen because it’s easier in the short term.

“We have outsourced the entertainment of our children,” Haidt says, “to the cheapest, most addictive solution we could find.”

That’s what an iPad is. Cheap entertainment designed to keep kids occupied so adults can get things done. I’m not judging. I’m just being honest about what it is.

So What Do You Actually Do

Here’s where I give you the practical part instead of just leaving you feeling terrible.

Under two: zero screens. This is the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation and the research supports it hard. Video chatting with grandparents is the one exception most experts allow. Everything else can wait. Their brain is in a critical wiring window. Protect it.

Two to five: less than one hour on weekdays, slightly more on weekends. And the content matters. Slow, narrative, age-appropriate shows. Not YouTube autoplay. Not games. Not anything with a variable reward schedule. Sit with them and watch it together when you can.

Six and up: set firm limits and stick to them. The research does not show a cliff where screens suddenly become fine. The problems just become different as kids get older. Keep limits. Keep phones out of bedrooms. Keep mealtimes screen-free.

No smartphones until high school at the earliest. Haidt recommends waiting until high school or even 8th grade at minimum. The “Wait Until 8th” pledge is a real thing. Thousands of families have signed it. The idea is collective action because no kid should have to be the only one without a phone. Do it together with other families in your school or neighborhood.

Replace the screen with something real. This is the part parents skip. You can’t just take away the iPad without filling the void. Get outside. Build something. Have them help cook dinner. Let them get bored. Boredom is not a problem. Boredom is where creativity lives. If they say there’s nothing to do, you’re doing it right. Give it twenty minutes and watch what happens.

Hold the line even when it’s hard. Every kid who doesn’t have a smartphone thinks they’re the only one. They’re not. More parents are drawing this line than you think. The number is growing. The culture is shifting. You’re not weird for protecting your kid. You’re paying attention.

The Honest Bottom Line

The research is not complicated.

Screens mess with developing brains. They disrupt sleep. They fragment attention. They replace play. They wire kids for anxiety and comparison and the need for constant stimulation. The younger the child, the more damage is done. The more interactive and reward-based the screen, the worse it is.

TV, in reasonable amounts, with good content, watched together as a family? That’s fine. That’s always been fine.

An iPad handed to a toddler to keep them quiet? That’s a different thing entirely. That’s borrowing against your kid’s future for a few minutes of convenience today.

You already knew this. The research just confirms what your gut has been telling you.

Put the iPad away. Go outside with your kid. That’s the whole article.

Most parents tell their kids: “Don’t talk to strangers.”

Scott Galloway does the opposite. He forces his kids to talk to strangers. Seriously. And sometimes it takes an hour.

Watch the Clip

The Big Idea: Confidence Is a Repetition Game

Most adults struggle with one simple thing:

Talking to people they don’t know.

  • Networking
  • Job interviews
  • Asking for help
  • Starting conversations

For a lot of us, those situations trigger the same feeling: social anxiety. Galloway’s idea is simple. Confidence comes from exposure. Not theory. Not lectures. Reps. The more uncomfortable conversations you survive, the less scary they become.

Why This Matters for Kids

Here’s the trap modern parents fall into. We engineer friction out of our kids’ lives.

We order their food. We talk to the coach. We schedule the playdates.

But every time we do that, we accidentally send a message: “You can’t handle this.”

Kids don’t need protection from every awkward moment. They need practice navigating them.

The 30-Second Challenge

Galloway’s rule is brilliantly simple. Before leaving somewhere, his kids must talk to one stranger.

That’s it. Not a speech. Not a long conversation.

Just something small like:

  • “Can I pet your dog?”

  • “What kind of dog is that?”

  • “Is this line for coffee?”

Tiny reps. But powerful ones. Because those reps stack.

Why It Works

Kids feel the same fear adults do. That tight chest. That hesitation.
That voice that says:

“This might be embarrassing.”

When they push through that feeling once, something clicks. Nothing bad happens. The stranger smiles. The dog gets pet. Life moves on. And their brain rewires:

“Oh… I can do this.”

What This Looks Like for Dads

You don’t need to copy the exact Starbucks rule. But you can borrow the principle.

Look for small opportunities to nudge your kids out of their comfort zone.

Have them:

  • Order their own food

  • Ask the store employee for help

  • Introduce themselves to another kid

  • Thank a server directly

It might feel awkward. That’s the point.

The Long Game

One day your kids will have to:

  • Ask for a job

  • Introduce themselves to a future spouse

  • Pitch an idea

  • Make a friend in a new city

Those moments all require the same skill: Talking to people you don’t know. It’s not talent. It’s practice.

Dad Day Takeaway

Confidence isn’t something you teach. It’s something kids earn through uncomfortable reps. So next time you’re in line at Starbucks…Don’t speak for them. Let them sweat a little. Then let them go ask if they can pet the dog.

What happens when you walk away from a safe job to build something you actually love?

Most people think about it. Few actually do it.

In Episode 2 of Go West, we follow Richie, founder of Daylight Burrito, as he makes that leap. The kind that keeps you up at night. The kind that makes you question your sanity. Leaving a stable path to open a burrito shop might sound simple. It’s not. It’s long hours. Financial risk. Sacrifice.

And a voice in the back of your head asking one question on repeat:

“Is this actually going to work?”

For Richie, the answer was clear. Yes. But clear doesn’t mean easy.

Watch Episode 2

The Story Behind Daylight Burrito

Opening a restaurant is one of the hardest businesses in America. Margins are thin. Hours are brutal. And the work never really stops.

But for Richie, it wasn’t about chasing the “safe” option anymore. It was about building something his kids could watch him build. Something real. A place where early mornings smell like fresh tortillas and green chile.
Where regulars become friends. Where a dad can say, “Yeah, I made this.”

That’s what Daylight Burrito is becoming, one burrito at a time.

What Go West Is About

Go West is a Dad Day film series about fathers carving their own paths.

Not the highlight reels. The real stuff.

The builders. The entrepreneurs. The dads trying to create something meaningful while raising a family.

Because the truth is, kids are always watching. They see whether we play it safe. Or whether we try.

And sometimes the most important thing a dad can do is show them what it looks like to bet on yourself.

Follow Richie + Daylight Burrito

If you want to see what Richie’s building:

Website:
https://www.daylightburrito.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/daylightburrito/

Want More Stories Like This?

If you like stories about dads building things, chasing ideas, and figuring it out in real time, that’s exactly what we cover at Dad Day.

Join the newsletter here:

https://www.dadday.co/subscribe

There’s a moment most dads know well. You open the fridge at 6:07 pm. The kids are hungry. Your partner asks, “What’s the plan for dinner?”

And the answer is… vibes.

Maybe there’s half a pack of ground beef. Maybe there’s chicken that might still be good. Maybe you’re ordering pizza again. Modern family life runs fast. Work, school pickups, sports practice, bedtime routines. Dinner is often the one thing that gets squeezed. But lately a lot of dads have discovered a simple solution: have the meat show up at your door. Meat delivery isn’t just a luxury anymore. It’s becoming a practical tool for families who want better food without adding another errand to the week.

And that’s where companies like Good Chop come in.

The Modern Dad’s Grocery Problem

Let’s be honest about grocery shopping.

It’s rarely the quick errand we imagine.

  1. You drive there.
  2. You navigate crowded aisles.
  3. You compare labels.
  4. Then you get home and realize you forgot the one thing you actually needed.

For dads trying to cook more at home, meat is often the sticking point. Good meat matters. It’s the centerpiece of most family dinners. Burgers. Tacos. Steak night. Sunday chili.

But finding quality cuts at the store isn’t always easy. Labels are confusing. Prices fluctuate. And depending on the store, selection can be hit or miss. That’s why a growing number of families are switching to subscription-style meat delivery.

The idea is simple: better meat, sourced well, delivered regularly.

What Good Chop Actually Is

Good Chop is a U.S.-based meat delivery service focused on high-quality beef, pork, and chicken sourced from American farms. The company emphasizes three things dads tend to care about:

Quality. Transparency. Convenience.

Their products include:

  • Grass-fed beef

  • Humanely raised pork

  • Antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken

  • Seafood options in some boxes

Everything arrives frozen, portioned, and ready for the freezer. Instead of making a grocery run every few days, families stock up once and cook throughout the month. It’s basically the modern version of buying meat from a local butcher, just with better logistics.

Why It Works Well for Busy Families

When dads cook, they usually want three things:

  1. Good ingredients

  2. Simple meals

  3. Less hassle

Meat delivery quietly solves all three.

1. You Always Have Dinner Options

One of the biggest dinner problems is decision fatigue.

If you’ve got a freezer stocked with steak, chicken, and ground beef, dinner becomes easier.

  • Tacos
  • Stir fry
  • Grilled burgers
  • Sheet pan chicken

Half the battle is just having ingredients ready.

2. The Quality Is Consistent

Good Chop sources meat from American farms and focuses on standards like:

  • No antibiotics or added hormones in chicken

  • Responsibly raised livestock

  • Traceable sourcing

That consistency matters. When you’re feeding your kids, you want to know what’s on the plate.

3. It Encourages Cooking at Home

Cooking at home is one of the easiest ways families improve their diet. But convenience food wins when ingredients aren’t available. A stocked freezer flips the equation.

When the protein is already handled, dinner becomes a 20-minute problem instead of a takeout decision.

The Dad Bonus: It Makes Grilling Way Easier

Every dad eventually becomes the grill guy. It’s practically in the job description.

But great grilling starts with great meat. When you’ve got good steaks, burgers, or pork chops ready to go, spontaneous grilling nights become easy.

Kids playing outside. Cold drink in hand. Dinner on the grill.

That’s a pretty solid Tuesday night.

A Small System That Makes Family Life Easier

There’s a lesson in all this that goes beyond meat delivery.

Good dads tend to build small systems that make life smoother.

  • Meal planning
  • Sunday prep
  • A stocked pantry
  • A freezer with real food inside

These tiny systems remove friction from everyday life. And fewer daily decisions means more time actually enjoying dinner together.

Which, when you think about it, is the whole point.

The Takeaway

Family dinners don’t have to be complicated. But they do require ingredients. Services like Good Chop simply remove one of the biggest barriers: getting good meat consistently. For busy families, that small shift can make cooking at home a whole lot easier. And that’s a win for everyone at the table.

Special Offer for Dad Day Readers

Good Chop is offering Dad Day readers their first box for $99 when you sign up using this link.

There’s a subtle mistake a lot of us make on family adventures. We become the cameraman.

The hike starts, the beach day unfolds, the birthday candles get lit, and we’re behind a screen trying to capture it all. We tell ourselves we’re preserving memories. And we are. But we’re also missing pieces of them. There’s a better move.

Buy your kid a camcorder. Then make them the official family documentarian. It sounds simple. It is. And it changes more than you’d think.

The Problem With Dad Holding the Camera

When Dad runs the camera, Dad disappears from the footage. You get great clips of your kids jumping off docks and chasing waves. What you don’t get is you — laughing, wrestling, cannonballing, being fully present.

And if you’re honest, when you’re filming, you’re only half in the moment anyway. You’re adjusting angles. Checking focus. Making sure you “got it.” Hand the camera over, and something shifts.

You stop managing the memory. You start living it.

A Camcorder Changes How Kids See the World

Give a kid a camera and a normal Saturday becomes a mission.

They don’t just walk through the woods, they look for shots. They notice light coming through the trees. They film the dog shaking off water in slow motion. They zoom in on things you’d never think to capture. It trains attention. It builds awareness.

Instead of passively consuming the day, they start actively observing it. That’s a skill most adults are trying to relearn through meditation apps and productivity books. Kids can build it with a camera.

You’re Not Buying a Gadget — You’re Giving Responsibility

This isn’t about tech. It’s about trust.

When you hand your kid a camcorder and say, “You’re in charge of documenting today,” you’re sending a message:

  • I trust you with something valuable.
  • Your perspective matters.
  • You’re part of telling our story.

That’s a different level of ownership than just tagging along on a trip Dad planned. Kids rise to responsibility when we give it to them. Not perfectly. But meaningfully.

The Hidden Win: You Get to Be in the Frame

Here’s the part most dads don’t realize until later.

If you’re always filming, you’re rarely in the footage. Years from now, your kids won’t care about 4K resolution or cinematic angles. They’ll care that you were there…in the water, on the trail, at the table. When they’re the one holding the camera, you get to wrestle in the grass. You get to jump off the dock. You get to sit back at the campfire without thinking about storage space and battery life.

You get to be Dad, not the production crew.

Watching It Back Is the Real Magic

The best part happens later.

You sit down together and watch the footage. It’s shaky. The framing is off. There are 30 seconds of someone’s forehead. And it’s perfect. Because you’re seeing the day through their eyes.

What they chose to film says something about what mattered to them. What they ignored says something too. It’s a time capsule of their perspective at that exact age, something no perfectly edited highlight reel can replicate.

A Few Rules So You Don’t Ruin It

If you try this, keep it simple.

  • Don’t micromanage the shots.
  • Don’t critique the footage.
  • Don’t turn it into a film class.

Let it be messy. Messy is honest.

If they drop it or forget to hit record, that’s part of the learning. The goal isn’t perfect documentation. The goal is participation and ownership.

The Bigger Lesson

Modern parenting often swings between control and anxiety. We try to manage every detail, optimize every experience, preserve every memory. Giving your kid the camera is a small act of letting go.

You’re handing over control of the narrative, just a little. And in doing that, you gain something better: presence. You’ll end up with a collection of imperfect videos. But more importantly, you’ll have been fully inside the moments they captured.

And one day, when you watch those clips years later, you won’t just see what your family did.

You’ll see how your child saw you.

There is a difference between being present and being reachable. Ben O’Meara is learning that in real time.

Ben lives in Austin, Texas and serves as Chief Brand Officer at Huckberry, a brand many of us have been fans of for years.

If you have watched Huckberry’s 72 Hour Challenge series on YouTube, you have seen Ben in action. Two teams. 72 hours. Over 100 challenges. Toyota 4Runners. Mountains. Rivers. Gear pushed hard in the real world.

It is durability under pressure. Performance in motion. Real field testing. But the most important tests do not happen in the Rockies. They happen at home.

The Downshift

Ben describes his work world as fast paced and high output. Campaign launches. Creative reviews. Big wins. Big stress. The hardest part of parenting for him is not logistics. It is the transition. Leaving that frequency at the front door.

He protects family time. He is physically there. But often his brain is still spinning on a project or deadline. His wife said something that stuck.

It is one thing to be in the room. It is another thing to be reachable.

That is the work now.

Adventure Is the Reward

The most rewarding part of fatherhood for Ben has been watching his daughters fall in love with adventure. His family travels often. They spend time outside. They test gear with him. They sit in on video edits. They show up to his sandlot baseball games.

He used to think balance meant clean separation. Work in one box. Family in another. Now he believes integration beats isolation. The more he brings his girls into his world, the more connected they feel. Instead of building walls between passions and parenting, he invites them in.

He hopes that by showing them what lights him up, they will learn how to find their own spark.

Community Matters

Growing up, his mom always told him that you are who you hang with. That advice hits differently as a dad. You cannot raise great kids in a vacuum. You need other fathers. Other families. Community that fills your cup and challenges you.

Your kids are not just listening to your advice. They are watching your friendships.

And in classic Ben fashion, he has one practical tip for new dads. Skip the fancy diaper bag. Buy a great outdoor backpack with real pockets. You will use it long after the diaper days are over.

The Daily Rhythm

Ben wakes at 5am. That window before the house wakes up is sacred. Movement. Exercise. Reset.

Breakfast with the girls. School drop offs. Full workday. Pickups around 5. Dinner together. Bedtime routine. His wife works full time too, and he calls her the glue. They hold weekly meetings after the kids go down. Tea or sometimes something stronger. They talk through schedules and remind each other to find joy in the chaos.

Reset Button

When things feel loud, Ben runs. Short run. Long run. It does not matter.

Running clears the mental clutter and creates momentum before a big day or after a heavy one. Add the right playlist and it works every time.

Non Negotiables

Saturday morning pancakes with music blasting in the kitchen. Morning workouts. Community. He plays on an Austin sandlot baseball team called the Moontowers. The friendships built there will last a lifetime.

Fatherhood for Ben is not about separating life into neat boxes. It is about integration. Bring your passions home. Slow the frequency. Be reachable.

Follow Ben here.