One-pager
Manifesto-lite + what to try this week.
Welcome & guidelines
Thank you for helping families and schools talk about attention—in plain words, without scare stories. You are a local ambassador: a parent, teacher, neighbour, or community leader. You are not a social-media influencer for this movement. We grow through conversations, parent nights, and shared habits.
Please do
- Host or co-host a short parent night, PTA talk, or neighbour circle.
- Share kit materials with permission from the organizer.
- Model phone norms in your home and group settings (meals, meetings, sleep).
- Point people back to the website and newsletter—our real home.
- Escalate press, partnership, or sensitive cases to the founder.
Please don’t
- Harass or shame parents or children, or diagnose anyone’s mental health.
- Use conspiracy content, panic framing, or “the kids are ruined” scare talk.
- Collect children’s data, scrape profiles, or build contact lists of minors.
- Use Mind Reclaim branding to sell products or push unrelated politics.
- Speak as if you are staff or the founder without agreement.
How we sound: warm kitchen-table honesty. Prefer “we can still choose” over doom. Hero imagery of presence and ordinary life—not distressed teens.
See talk outlines
Print-friendly · reads well on paper
Twin pressures
When you speak for Mind Reclaim, you may name two pressures that often travel together:
- Social feeds — built to hold attention; time and what kids put in (likes, text, photos, videos) help the system keep them there and sell ads—even when they spend $0.
- Default AI use — tools that write, draw, or answer on demand. Used with care, they can help. Used as a first resort before skills are strong, they can take the practice that builds thinking and creativity.
Feeds steal time and focus. Default AI can skip the work of learning.
Same reclaim. Two doors. Kitchen-table tone—not panic, not “AI makes kids dumb,” not a ban on all technology.
How to say it (keep it careful)
- Prefer: skills first, tools second · sequence and honesty · explain the work in your own words
- Avoid: “destroys the brain,” conspiracy stories, diagnosing anyone, shaming parents or teens
- If you only have a minute, use the brave couplet above, then point people to the site
Add to a 5-minute talk (about 30–45 seconds)
One more pressure: AI that writes or answers for them. Used with care, it can help. Used as the default, it can skip the practice that builds real understanding. Same reclaim: protect attention—and protect the work of learning.
Add to a 15- or 40-minute talk (about 1–3 minutes)
- Name both pressures after you explain the feed
- Give one kitchen-table example: a page that looks finished but the child cannot explain
- Offer three norms: try alone first; spoken explanation of AI-helped work; clear no-AI zones (e.g. first draft)
- Send people to AI & learning and How it works
Volunteer page teaser (for /volunteer)
We talk about two pressures: social feeds that hold attention, and default AI use that can take the practice of thinking and creating. Your local talks can cover either—or both.
One-pager optional line (back / this week)
For homework: try alone first; be ready to explain in your own words; use AI only if family rules allow.
Full family page: /ai-and-learning · Manifesto chapters: /manifesto · Do not invent “studies show” lines until Research adds sources.
Your talks
Pick a length that fits the room. Same story arc; different depth. Use a calm voice. Cite sources lightly (Surgeon General, APA). Invite questions. Never diagnose a child in the room.
5 minutes — “Why this matters”
- Open: “Many of us feel uneasy when a child stays on a phone for hours. That feeling is useful — these apps are built to hold attention.”
- Design, not blame: Platforms earn from time and engagement. Children are still growing focus, sleep, and self-image — so they are easier to pull in.
- One fact: U.S. Surgeon General (2023): more than 3 hours/day on social media is linked with double the risk of depression/anxiety symptoms.
- Fear of missing out: Limits can feel scary (“my child will be left out”). Shared family/school norms reduce that pressure.
- Close + ask: “This week: one phone-free meal, and one honest talk about how the app is designed. Want the one-pager and newsletter?”
- Optional 30–45 sec (twin pressure): “One more pressure: AI that writes or answers for them. Used with care, it can help. Used as the default, it can skip the practice that builds real understanding. Same reclaim: protect attention—and protect the work of learning.” Point to /ai-and-learning.
15 minutes — parent circle / PTA warm-up
- Welcome (1 min): Who you are; this is not a ban lecture; we practice together.
- What’s happening (3 min): Attention as product; Path A (child spends $0, ads still pay) vs Path B (buys / “ask parents”). Point to how-it-works sheet.
- What we protect (3 min): Sleep, mood, body image, homework, real friendship. Short Surgeon General / APA cites only.
- What families can try (4 min): Explain design; protect sleep/meals/homework; delay accounts when possible; strong privacy; change one adult habit where kids can see it; agree norms with other parents.
- What schools/communities add (2 min): Phone-free times; parent nights that explain design; age guidelines; offline clubs/sports.
- Optional twin pressure (~1 min): After the feed: name default AI use; kitchen-table example (page finished, cannot explain); skills first, tools second; send to /ai-and-learning.
- Close (2 min): Hand one-pager; invite newsletter; offer volunteer path for anyone who wants to host next time.
40 minutes — full parent night
- Arrive & norms (5): Phones face-down optional; no shaming; questions welcome.
- Story of the problem (8): “Just the times” vs design; attention as product; Path A / B with diagram.
- Evidence, lightly (7): Engagement design; sleep review; body image stat; APA note that adult product design is not always right for youth. Emphasize: not every child is affected the same; some find community online — our focus is excess and what families can do.
- Fear of limits (5): Left-out fear is real; shared rules; offline belonging.
- Practice block (8): In pairs: one adult habit to change; one family limit; one person to invite to the next circle.
- School & street (4): What to ask of PTA/school; neighbour agreements.
- Close & kit (3): Newsletter, how-it-works page, volunteer apply, office hours mention.
Speaker reminder: you are a guide, not a clinician. Stick to kit language. Leave time for questions.
What’s in the kit
We list the kit so you know what you’ll get. Full PDFs are sent after you apply and we welcome you in.
Parent-night slides
8–12 slides for a short evening talk.
Talking points
5 / 15 / 40 minute versions.
How it works one-sheet
Diagram + Path A / Path B.
Poster / handout (A4)
Leave-behind for boards and tables.
Brand do’s & don’ts
Warm hero; no scare-teen imagery.
After welcome: private Signal/Telegram group for vetted volunteers, monthly 45-minute office hours with the founder (optional), and a growing shared FAQ. Full PDFs after apply and welcome—so the pack stays with people who agree to the guidelines.
FAQ
Do I need to be an expert?
No. You need curiosity, kindness, and willingness to use our talking points. We coach before your first talk.
How much time is this?
As little as one short talk a season, plus reading the kit. Monthly office hours are optional.
Will I get the PDFs right away?
We list the kit publicly. Full PDFs come after you apply and we welcome you — so the pack stays with people who agree to the guidelines.
Can I post about this on social media?
Lightly, and always point back to the website and newsletter. We do not grow by feeding the attention machine.
What if press contacts me?
Thank them and escalate to the founder. Don’t speak as official spokesperson unless agreed.
Is this anti-technology?
No. We care about design that captures children’s attention — and about building a fuller life offline.
How to apply
Tell us a little about yourself on the Volunteer page. We’ll reply with next steps and kit access.
- Name (required)
- Email (required)
- City / region (required)
- Role — Parent / Teacher / Neighbour / Other (required)
- Languages (optional)
- Optional: idea for a first talk or circle
- Checkbox: I agree to the volunteer guidelines (required)
Until a form backend ships, the public page uses mailto:hello@attentionreclaim.org. Success microcopy: Thanks — we’ll reply with next steps and kit access. Privacy: we use your details only to run the volunteer program; we do not sell data.
Website & form notes (for builders)
Demoted from the public handbook so paste-specs don’t dominate the volunteer reading experience.
Access / PDF gating
- List kit on Volunteer page; full PDF pack after apply and welcome.
- Do not ship open PDF downloads in this pass.
One-pager text (for later PDF)
- Front title: We can still choose · Mind Reclaim — plain talk for parents and communities
- Social media apps are built to hold attention… We are here to talk honestly, share simple steps, and help families and schools act together — starting with our own habits too.
- Remember: You are not the customer. Your attention — and the trail of what you do and share — is the product.
- Back — weekly actions: Explain design; protect sleep/homework/meals; delay accounts when you can; talk with other adults; change one of your own habits where your child can see it; optional 6th: for homework—try alone first; be ready to explain in your own words; use AI only if family rules allow.
- Footer: Website · Newsletter · Volunteer · hello@attentionreclaim.org (placeholder)
Parent-night slides 1–12
- Title: We can still choose
- Why we’re here
- Attention as product
- Two paths (A / B)
- What we protect
- One careful note (not every child the same)
- Fear of missing out
- Family starts (five actions)
- Adult habits
- Schools & streets
- Practice: one habit · one limit · one ally
- Next step: newsletter · how-it-works · volunteer
Public page paste notes
- Hero + What you’ll do + What we provide + Kit table + Apply + FAQ already live at /volunteer
- Link “Read the volunteer toolkit” in leaf/linkish style to this page
Keep this block collapsed by default.
Tip: this handbook prints cleanly—use your browser’s print view for a paper copy.