Introducing Tech Ready: the Driver's Ed for the Digital Age.
For Tweens & the
Parents Who Love Them.
A 5-module course that moves families with 5th–8th graders from anxiety and arguments about devices to clarity, confidence, and connection by building skills and practices that support the whole family.
of 10-year-olds report having their own smartphones — most without any preparation
average daily entertainment screen time for 8–12 year olds, yet most families have no plan
required curriculum hours teaching kids how persuasive tech design actually works
We don't hand kids the keys to a car without teaching them how to drive.
So why are we doing this with smartphones — the most powerful devices they've ever held?
We invest months — sometimes years — preparing our kids to drive. Rules, practice, consequences. Then we hand them a smartphone — the most persuasive device ever created — and say: "Be careful online."
That gap between handing over a device and actually preparing a child to use it well is exactly why Tech Ready exists.
Introducing Tech Ready
A research-based 5-module course for families with 5th–8th graders who want to feel prepared, connected, and confident when it comes time for devices.
5 Modules. Parent + Child Together.
Each module covers a topic your family actually needs — 20–30 minutes of teaching, interactive activities, and scripts to use in your every day life. In addition, you get access to Dr. Rupa through the Circle community, so you can ask her questions and problem-solve with her.
The Digital World. What changes when you get a phone, the attention economy, and grounding your family in shared values.
Your Brain on Technology. Why it's hard to stop — and why that's not your fault. Dopamine loops, infinite scroll, and building a Pause Plan.
Safety, Privacy & Digital Judgement. Protecting personal information, digital footprints, group chat dynamics, and when to involve an adult.
Social Media, Identity & Resilience. Comparison culture, FOMO, digital identities, and handling exclusion and cyberbullying.
Balance, Sleep & Graduation. How the device fits into your life — and building a Family Media Plan you'll actually use.
Your child won't just hear "be careful online." They'll understand why — and have the skills to think for themselves.
Everything you need to know
5 Modules. You will receive access to one module a week for 5 weeks, giving you ample time to complete each one.
Each module includes a 20–30 minute lesson, an activity for parents and tweens to do together, and scripts to use in your everyday life.
Bonus videos will be available on AI, video games, and other requested topics.
You can chat with Dr. Rupa throughout the 5 modules on Circle.
The 5-module course is $99.
Dr. Rupa Robbins
Child Psychologist · Researcher · MomHi, I'm Dr. Rupa. When my daughter was born, I started asking the same questions you're probably asking: Is this okay? How much is too much? So I did what psychologists do — I dug into the research.
What I found was far more nuanced than the headlines. Technology itself isn't the problem. What matters is how, when, and why it's used. I never really stopped researching — and Tech Ready is the result.
I'm a licensed child psychologist, founder of Spark Psychology, and hold a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and a B.A. from Stanford. I don't believe in tech panic. I believe in preparation.
"Tech Ready is the roadmap I will use with my own children. I believe families flourish when they learn alongside one another."
Tech Ready is for families who want to lead — not just react.
Whether your child is asking for a phone daily, just got one, or you want to partner with your child to create systems, connection, and skills related to technology — this course meets you exactly where you are.
Families with 5th–8th Graders
Your child is at the exact age when digital habits form and the stakes are getting real. This is the window to get ahead of it — together.
Parents Preparing for "The Phone"
You're weighing whether your child is ready — or you already said yes and want to make sure you do this right. Either way, you're in the right place.
Families Who Want to Be Proactive
You believe preparation beats panic. You want your child to understand why tech can be challenging, not just receive a list of rules they'll ignore.
Parents Who Want Shared Language
You want to talk to your child about technology in a way that actually lands — without eye rolls, pushback, or a lecture that goes nowhere.
If you've ever thought...
Tech Ready was made for you.
Most courses focus on what not to do.
Tech Ready focuses on what to do.
Fear-based digital safety talks don't build skills. Tech Ready does.
Fear-based digital safety
- → "Be careful online" — with no practical skills to back it up
- → Lists of rules kids don't understand or own
- → Focus on threats and what to avoid
- → Parents and kids in separate conversations
- → No shared plan for when things go wrong
Research-backed preparation
- → Teaching kids how persuasive design actually works
- → Building emotional awareness and self-regulation
- → Practicing real digital dilemmas before they happen
- → Parents and children learning together
- → A written family agreement with a real game plan
How social media and games are engineered to keep us hooked
Group chats, exclusion, and navigating online social drama
Digital footprints, privacy, and long-term consequences
Tech's impact on mental health, sleep, focus, and self-worth
Active vs. passive screen time — and why the difference matters
Creating a family tech agreement that everyone actually agrees to
5 Modules. Parent + Child Together.
Each module includes 20–30 min of research-backed teaching, interactive activities, and take-home resources including scripts to use in your everyday life.
Each module will give you practical tools you can implement immediately.
Goal: Understand the many facets of a mobile device and identify individual and family values — and how tech facilitates or hinders them.
- What changes when you get a phone?
- The Attention Economy
- Grounding Ourselves in Our Values
Values Exercise — the values portion of the Mindful Media Plan
Goal: Understand why it's hard to stop — and why that's not your fault.
- Dopamine + reward cycles
- Infinite scroll, streaks, notifications
- Personal overuse "red flags"
- Building a Pause Plan
Personalized Pause Plan + Addictive Design Exercises
For parents: watch the video on parental controls and discuss with your partner what feels right for your family.
Goal: Understand the importance of maintaining privacy, protecting information, and setting boundaries.
- Personal information
- Digital footprint
- Group chat dynamics
- When to involve an adult
- Practicing exit scripts
"Call me if" agreement
Goal: Understand how the digital world impacts real-life social interactions.
- Comparison culture
- FOMO
- Digital identities
- Online disinhibition effect
- Handling exclusion and cyberbullying
How do we handle digital conflict exercises
Goal: Understand how the device fits into your life — and build the tools to keep it there.
- Screens + sleep
- Screen-free zones
- Charging stations
- Earned trust
- What happens when things go wrong?
- Repair
Family Media Plan created + weekly tech check-ins scheduled
Bonus Videos — each with a PDF conversation starter guide
Parental Controls
+ PDF guideSocial Media 101
+ PDF guideAI 101
+ PDF guideGaming 101
+ PDF guideEvery module includes:
20–30 min research-backed teaching
Interactive activities for kids + parents
Take-home resources & conversation prompts
By the end of Tech Ready, your family will:
A clear, shared set of tech values
Not rules handed down from a parent — but values your family builds together, so your child actually owns and believes in them.
A written family tech agreement
Including a real game plan for when things start to go wrong — so you're not scrambling or arguing in the heat of the moment.
Real understanding of persuasive tech
Your child will understand why apps feel so compelling — and have the critical thinking to make their own empowered choices.
Deeper connection around what matters
Because you learned this together — a shared language and shared values around your child's digital world.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my child already has a phone? +
This course will still provide knowledge, skills, frameworks, and conversation starters that are important and relevant. It will help you identify current pain points and problem solve around them. It will also help you and your child build skills that will serve both of you as you move forward on this journey.
How long do we get access to the materials? +
You have access to the material for 1 year.
What makes this course different than other courses out there? +
So many things! First, Dr. Rupa is a clinical professional with a background in child development. She has a deep understanding of children and adolescents and how their development interacts with technology. In addition, you get access to Dr. Rupa through Circle throughout the course. As you work on your routines and systems, you can ask questions and learn from her expertise.
Deeper connection around what matters
Because you learned this together — a shared language and shared values around your child's digital world.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my child already has a phone? +
This course will still provide knowledge, skills, frameworks, and conversation starters that are important and relevant. It will help you identify current pain points and problem solve around them. It will also help you and your child build skills that will serve both of you as you move forward on this journey.
How long do we get access to the materials? +
You have access to the material for 1 year.
What makes this course different than other courses out there? +
So many things! First, Dr. Rupa is a clinical professional with a background in child development. She has a deep understanding of children and adolescents and how their development interacts with technology. In addition, you get access to Dr. Rupa through Circle throughout the course. As you work on your routines and systems, you can ask questions and learn from her expertise.