…and other FAQs answered
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1. Can I still do the screen-fast if my work requires I be on a computer?
Some didn’t participate in last year’s screen-fast because they figured their job just didn’t allow for it – they had to answer texts and calls, or type away on a keyboard most of the day.
But everyone can join in on the fun! For kids an entirely screen-free fast is probably best, just to help them reset. For mom and dad, it’d be about stretching ourselves as much as we realistically can. To paraphrase Andy Crouch, the screen-fast isn’t about becoming Amish; it’s just about becoming a lot more Amish than we might be comfortable with. Go without Instagram, Facebook, or checking the sports scores… because that can so easily go from the seconds you intended to the minutes you didn’t. It’s about drawing a line. So sign up, note your exceptions, and then stick to them.
2. Can I still Facetime with Oma during the screen fast?
If your children do regular Sunday Facetime or Messenger video calls with their grandma, should they skip those for RP’s 10-day screen-fast challenge? No siree, for at least a couple of reasons.
First, the you from the future wants you to call. A good way to evaluate decisions is to consider what the you from ten years hence might have wished you’d have done now. We know that the us from then would really appreciate it if we’d kick our screen-addiction… which is a reason to get at it now. But that same future you would love it if you’d call your mom more often (and more importantly God does too – Ex. 20:12). Even during a screen-fast. So you should.
Second, not all screen usage is the same. Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, has spoken to how face-to-face communication, even over a smartphone, is entirely different from a kid swiping through a video roll. One destroys our ability to focus, and the other helps stretch it. One involves interaction and intention, while the other is simply consumption and the abdication of deliberate decision-making. One harms us, and the other builds us up. And we all know which is which.
3. Can I watch a movie during my screen-fast?
The screen-fast shouldn’t be just another time to watch the latest that Hollywood offers.
But as mentioned, not all screen usage is the same, and Haidt also speaks to how watching a long-form movie – not a half-hour sitcom but one single story told over a couple of hours – is very different from viewing TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. Those mediums’ seconds-long clips erode attention spans, making us unable to deal with moments or minutes of boredom. But even the best movies aren’t going to be one long action scene, and sticking with the story through the lulls will actually help build up our ability to focus.
So, for some families captivated by YouTube shorts, watching a film could be part of taking back control. The key is intentionality. Don’t fall onto the couch and see what’s on. Watching “just something” is like eating “just something” – God gave us a brain, and we need to use it to meal plan. If you’re going to do it, deliberate so that you, and not the algorithm, decides. Pick a challenging film that will spark conversation, and get you and your family thinking and then watch it with the pause button at the ready so you can make this interactive and not simply consumptive. A movie could be an exception in your screen-fast… if it’s a movie (and not ten) and a certain sort (and not just any). I’ve offered one nominee, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which will stretch young viewers’ attention-spans, but will certainly reward all who make it to the end.
4. What is the screen-fast actually for?
First off, this isn’t about legalism and creating some 11th commandment that must be woodenly followed. It really isn’t even about screens so much as it is about regaining self-control.
What we’re doing now is damaging ourselves and our kids in ways that are both obvious, and not so. When every ding has our hand flinching toward our phones, we’re never fully present – we’re always distractible and we can all feel our attention span frittering away. And it doesn’t take a genius to know screens are impacting our kids all the more so, and will cripple their ability to buckle down and just learn.
But our out-of-control screen usage is also impacting us in ways we might not have even considered. In Ps. 63:6, King David spoke of how:
“…I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night…”
Do any of us use our insomnia like that anymore? We leave no room for long unhurried conversations with God when we fall asleep staring at our devices instead.
The problem isn’t our deliberate, intentional usage, but our loss of self-control, and with it the loss of minutes going on hours, with nothing to show for it. The screen-fast is about a reset to put our screens in their place, as our tools and not our masters. And more so, it is about reorienting our lives to properly recognize God’s place as the Lord of our lives, our time and our priorities.
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Join us for our 2026 screen fast from July 13-22! Sign up here.
Put on a games night, and invite your friends to bring along their favorites. Invite someone you might not normally interact with. Focus on games that allow for conversation (the less intense sort). Search 
While your local library likely has too much weird stuff to want to take your kids there, you can reserve books to pick up. Before you turn off your computer to start your screen fast, be sure to check out RP’s recommendations for picture books, graphic novels, biographies, and novels for all ages. We have hundreds of nominees for you at 
or family, come up with a list of 20 questions to ask them. How did they meet their spouse? Was there an important lesson they learned the hard way? How have they seen God acting in their life? If they could go back in time, what would they tell their 15-year-old self? Etc.
Everyone loves a competition so create a challenge a day and recruit your family and friends. Examples could include doing 100 of anything (push-ups, squats, etc.) over a day. Or going 24 hours without saying anything negative (do a pushup/squat when you blow it). Track how many times you reach for or pine for your screen using a communal tick – maybe a sheet of paper on the fridge. See how you compare to your friends, and how your first day compares to day 10. Challenge your kids to find 10, 20, or even 100 things in their room (or the house) to throw out or give away.