TLO Newburyport

Our community brings together local parents, educators and professionals in Newburyport who care about healthy and safe technology use by our children. Through this community, we can support each other by sharing information, resources and our best tips that empower community members to make healthy choices about technology use. Together we can inspire positive change around technology use in our families and community.

A message from your local champions

Hello Newburyport!  We are so excited to share this initiative and connect it to the city’s YOUTH THRIVE campaign.  Youth Thrive is a community-wide campaign to foster positive youth development through the 5 to Thrive commitments to youth: Value, Engage, Empower, Support and Inspire. 

Turning On Life is a perfect fit to help support our young people by helping to foster the interpersonal skills and connections made through time spent with friends & family and protecting them from some of the harms of screen time as well.  We are partnering with Newburyport Youth Services, the Essex County Asset Builder Network and the Newburyport Public Schools to support this project.

The goal of TLO Newburyport is to unite our community around healthy approaches to the digital and virtual worlds in which our kids live, learn, and play. We have three levels of participation; please join us at whatever level fits your family's choices. We know not everyone feels like they can make a promise for something several years off.  If you're on Facebook, please join follow the Youth Thrive page or the TLO Newburyport Parent Group here.

TLO Newburyport is here to connect parents with resources to support our kids healthy development -- it’s all about coming together to set healthy boundaries, creating a village of support with real-life friends and neighbors. Thank you again for joining us. You are doing a wonderful thing for your child with your involvement in and loving concern about their digital life. Welcome!

TLO Newburyport Champions; Kristen Donahue, Tasha Cough, Andi Egmont and Kathleen Petrie

Joining TLO NewburyPort

Public Promise Members by Child’s Year of Graduation: Parents listed as Promise Members have taken a public promise to delay giving their child a smartphone until at least 8th grade as smartphones easily provide access to the Internet, social media and gaming. Our public promise helps to reduce the social pressure to have a smartphone by making smartphones the exception, not the rule.

Public Supporters: Healthy and safe technology use is about more than just smartphones in middle school. That’s why we support all parents. Members listed as “Supporters” publicly support and join our community even though they are unable or unwilling to make the promise.

Private Supporters: Private Supporters will be added to our mailing list and will have access to our local closed discussion groups but will not be publicly listed on our website.

To join TLO Newburyport, please complete this form.

To get more involved or to be a local partner, contact your local champions, Kristen Donahue, Andi Egmont and Kathleen Petrie. Please also complete this form so we have your info!

*We add names manually so sometimes it can take up to 24 hours to see your name on the list. If your name is missing, misspelled or mis-listed, just reach out! We are human and we make mistakes.*