Finding the Balance: Helping Families Navigate the Digital World Together 

Juliana Lozano is one of nine rising community leaders who took part in Aspen Digital’s Community & Tech Leaders Initiative. Over the course of a year, the cohort. deepened their understanding of emerging technologies and explored how community perspectives could shape the innovation ecosystem. This blogpost and accompanying resource was produced at the conclusion of the Initiative. 

Technology is deeply woven into the lives of young people. It is where they connect with friends, learn, laugh, explore their identities, complete schoolwork, and discover new interests. As a parent of a 14-year-old and an 8-year-old, I know firsthand that navigating this digital world can be scary, but I also recognize that technology is necessary and, when used well, can be an incredible asset. I often think back to when I was in elementary school and my family got our first desktop computer. We were all figuring out the internet together, but there were natural limits—the computer stayed in one place, and parents had much more control over when and how we accessed it. Today, technology follows our children everywhere. As a parent, I have had to learn alongside my own children how to set limits and healthy boundaries—and, of course, my kids have not always been happy about those boundaries. But I have learned that our responsibility is not only to protect our children from technology; it is also to prepare them to navigate it. 

As a social worker and the Founder and Executive Director of Despierta, I work closely with young people and families. I often ask students, “What is one thing you wish adults understood about how you use technology?” One of the most common responses I hear is connection and communication. For many young people, technology is not simply entertainment or “screen time.” It is how they communicate with friends, maintain relationships, share experiences, and feel connected. At the same time, I have sat with mothers and caregivers who genuinely want to protect their children but do not know how to begin these conversations. They may not know what questions to ask, how to establish healthy boundaries without shutting their child out, or how to talk about social media, algorithms, artificial intelligence, online safety, and the emotional impact of what their children encounter online. The concern is there. The love is there. What is often missing is accessible information and practical tools. 

That disconnect inspired me to create Balance Digital en la Familia, a Spanish-language digital wellness toolkit designed to help families navigate technology with greater knowledge, confidence, and balance. I wanted to create something practical, simple, and easy for families to follow—not another lengthy resource filled with information that could feel overwhelming. My goal was to give caregivers tools they could actually use at home: questions to start conversations, information to help them understand what their children may be experiencing online, and simple strategies for setting healthy boundaries together. I also did not want the resource to focus only on limiting screen time or everything that can go wrong online. Technology can help young people connect, learn, explore, and create, and I wanted families to understand those benefits while also recognizing potential risks. The toolkit encourages families to find balance through opportunities to laugh, learn, and live, while making room for sleep, movement, family time, and meaningful connection away from screens. Most importantly, it reinforces that listening to young people, staying involved in their digital lives, and creating clear boundaries together can be more effective than relying on punishment alone. 

The toolkit provides practical guidance on social media and algorithms, online safety, artificial intelligence, deepfakes and misinformation, social media and appearance, and sextortion. It

also gives caregivers questions they can use to start conversations and includes a family digital agreement that families can complete together to establish expectations around phone-free time, where devices are charged at night, online behavior, communication, and what to do when something goes wrong. Creating the resource in Spanish was intentional. The families and communities we serve deserve information that is understandable, culturally responsive, and practical. Language should never be the reason a parent is left out of important conversations about technology, mental health, or their child’s safety. 

My hope is that Balance Digital en la Familia helps caregivers move from feeling afraid or overwhelmed by technology to feeling more confident asking questions, setting boundaries, and learning alongside their children. My own journey as a parent has taught me that finding balance is not about having all the answers. Technology will continue to change, and our children may learn about new platforms before we do. What matters is staying engaged, educating ourselves, listening to our children, and creating relationships where they know they can come to us when something happens online. Ultimately, we cannot protect young people from every difficult experience they may encounter online, nor should our goal be to remove them entirely from a digital world that offers real opportunities. We can teach them how to navigate it safely, critically, and confidently. The message at the heart of the resource captures what I have learned both as a social worker and as a parent: “La protección empieza con la conversación, no con el castigo.” Protection begins with conversation, not punishment.  

The views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Aspen Institute, its programs, staff, volunteers, participants, or its trustees.