Featured in The Washington Post
"

When parents feel like they've lost control of their children's tech usage, they can call up Daniel Towle.

The Washington Post, November 2025

Meet Your Screen Time Expert: I've Been Where Your Child Is

I'm Daniel Towle — screen time specialist, Washington Post featured, and the only expert who's lived both sides of this story.

I'm not going to pretend I understand screen addiction because I read a textbook. I understand it because I lived it. Gaming consumed me. Social media hijacked my attention. I know the anger when someone tries to set limits — and I know how to break free.

12 Years in Schools Recovered Gaming Addict Available This Week
Daniel Towle - Screen Time Specialist
★★★★★

"Daniel understood our ADHD son immediately. The strategy he created actually works."

— Eva, London
The Expert

Who is Daniel Towle?

Daniel Towle is a screen time specialist and digital parenting coach featured in The Washington Post. A recovered gaming and phone addict himself, he spent 12 years as Head of Technology in London schools. He helps families navigate gaming addiction, phone addiction, iPad dependency, and social media battles through personalised video consultations worldwide.

📰
Washington Post
Featured Expert
🎓
12 Years in Schools
Head of Technology
🎮
Recovered Addict
Gaming & Social Media
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
1,000+ Families
Helped Worldwide
The Role

What Does a Screen Time Coach Do?

A screen time coach helps families create healthy relationships with technology — whether that's phones, iPads, gaming consoles, or social media. Unlike apps that just monitor usage, I work with parents to understand WHY their child can't stop and implement boundaries that actually stick. I handle both prevention (first devices) and intervention (phone addiction, gaming addiction).

✓ What I Do

  • Diagnose the real problem (not just "too much screen time")
  • Create personalised family strategies
  • Help parents have conversations that work
  • Set up devices properly from the start
  • Rebuild trust damaged by screen battles

✗ What I Don't Do

  • Give generic "limit screen time" advice
  • Sell monitoring software
  • Provide clinical therapy (I'll refer if needed)
  • Judge your parenting decisions
  • Suggest banning technology completely
Neurodivergent Expertise

Do You Help Children With ADHD and Screen Time?

Yes — and I understand it from the inside. I'm currently awaiting my own AuDHD assessment, but I already know. This gives me unique insight into why screens affect neurodivergent children and adults so intensely. Combined with years working in SEN settings, I create strategies that work WITH neurodivergent brains, not against them.

Why Neurodivergent Brains Struggle More With Screens

→ Instant rewards match the need for immediate feedback
→ Hyperfocus makes stopping feel physically painful
→ Standard "time limit" advice ignores executive function differences
→ Transitions need different strategies than neurotypical approaches
The Generation Nobody Warned

I was the experiment.

In September 2000, I started secondary school with a Nokia 3210 in my pocket. I was 11. Sound familiar?

My parents had no idea what they were handing me. There was no research. No warnings. No parental controls. No one had ever raised a child with a mobile phone before. We were the first generation. We were the experiment.

2000
Age 11
Nokia 3210
First phone for secondary school — the same moment parents face now
2000
Age 11-16
MSN Messenger
The anxiety of away messages. The drama of blocking. The inability to log off.
2001
Age 12
Tibia
First online gaming addiction. Lost hours, then days. Stopped noticing.
2003
Age 14
MySpace
First social media. Top 8 drama. Learning that online image mattered more than reality.
2006
Age 17
Facebook
Everyone migrated. The comparison engine began. Everyone's life looked better than mine.
2010
Age 21
Instagram
Visual comparison culture. The highlight reel era.
2012
Age 23
Started in Schools
Began watching the exact same pattern repeat in a new generation of children.
2018
Age 29
TikTok Era
Watched algorithm-driven addiction capture the next generation — even more powerful than what hooked me.
2025
Age 36
Digital Family Coach
After 12 years in schools, I set up Digital Family Coach to help any parent navigating the same challenges mine faced.

My parents couldn't help me because they didn't understand what was happening. Neither did I — not until I was deep into gaming addiction, losing weekends, damaging relationships, feeling rage when anyone tried to intervene.

No one warned us. There was no playbook. We figured it out alone — or we didn't.

Now I watch parents hand their children devices that are 10x more addictive than what hooked me. And those parents face the exact same impossible situation mine faced: how do you set boundaries for technology you don't fully understand?

"I got my first phone at 11 — the same age children ask for theirs now. I was the first generation to experience social media as a teenager. I got addicted to gaming before anyone knew that was possible. I recovered. I've also spent 12 years in schools watching the next generation fall into the same patterns.

Find another expert who's lived both sides of this story. You can't.

The Truth

I was that child.

Gaming wasn't just something I did — it was everything. I'd lose entire weekends. I'd lie about how much I played. When anyone tried to stop me, I felt genuine rage.

I remember sitting 5 meters from my partner while she worked. But I wasn't there — not really. I was in a completely different world. That's what screens do. Your child isn't ignoring you because they don't love you. They're somewhere else entirely.

Years later, I downloaded TikTok to understand what children were experiencing. Within two weeks, I was checking it constantly. The algorithm learned what captured my attention faster than I could recognise what was happening. I got hooked on social media trying to help others avoid it.

"Games hijack a children's sense of progression. I progressed in so many games — days, weeks, months — but it doesn't lead to anything in real life."

That experience taught me something crucial: this isn't about willpower. Your child isn't weak. They're facing technology designed by thousands of engineers specifically to be irresistible.

The Transformation

Now I help families at every stage.

I eventually escaped both gaming and social media addiction — not once, but twice. First cold turkey (which failed). Then using my own Digital Balance Method. The second time stuck. It became the happiest year of my life.

I've also spent 12 years in schools — including SEN settings working with children with ADHD and autism — watching these same patterns in hundreds of children. Now I help families at every stage — whether you're setting up a child's first phone, tired of daily screen time battles, worried it's gone too far, or want your child to genuinely thrive with technology.

The Question That Changes Everything

Most parents ask: "How do I stop my child?"

The real question is: "Why can't they stop themselves?"

Once you understand that, everything changes.

Ready to understand why your child can't stop — and what actually works?

Book a Session

£75 • 45 minutes • Available this week

From My Research in Schools

What parents don't realise

I surveyed children across my 12 years in schools. The results explain why nothing you've tried has worked.

Based on surveys conducted across London primary schools, 2012-2024

50%
of 10-11 year olds

wouldn't tell their parents if something worried them online — because they're scared they'll be in trouble.

83%
of 10-11 year olds

believe they know more about technology than their parents. They probably do.

59%
of 10-11 year olds

hear their parents say "kids these days are better at tech." This undermines your authority.

"This is what we're not talking about. Your child doesn't see you as someone who can help — they see you as someone who doesn't understand and will just punish them."

The Difference

Why Work With a Screen Time Specialist?

Most advice tells you WHAT to do — I help you actually DO IT. As someone who recovered from gaming addiction and spent 12 years in schools, I understand both the brain science and daily reality. A 45-minute session gives you personalised strategies, not generic tips from someone who's never lived it.

❌ What You've Tried

  • Time limits that lead to arguments
  • Parental control apps they bypass
  • Taking devices away (meltdowns)
  • Lectures they tune out
  • Hoping they'd grow out of it

✓ What Works With Me

  • Understanding WHY they can't stop
  • Getting their buy-in on boundaries
  • Gradual transitions (not cold turkey)
  • Systems designed for YOUR family
  • Prevention AND intervention
The Journey

How I got here

From struggling with addiction myself to helping families find their way through.

🎮

Gaming Addiction

The Beginning

Like your child, I couldn't stop. Weekends disappeared. Relationships suffered. I felt the rage when anyone tried to intervene. I know exactly what's happening in your child's head.

🎮
🎓
🎓

12 Years in Schools

Head of Technology

State schools. Private schools. SEN settings. I've seen every bypass method kids use. I know which controls actually work — and which are a waste of time.

🧠

ADHD & Autism Specialist

Understanding Neurodiversity

Children with ADHD are particularly drawn to screens — the dopamine hits match how their brains work. I create strategies that work WITH their neurology, not against it.

🧠
✨
✨

My Own Recovery

The Turning Point

I escaped gaming and social media addiction — not once, but twice. First cold turkey (failed). Then using my own Digital Balance Method. The second time stuck. It became the happiest year of my life.

12+
Years in Schools

Including SEN settings

WaPo
Featured

Washington Post

2M+
YouTube Views

I understand algorithms

0
Waiting List

Available this week

The Difference

Why this isn't like anything else you've tried

Most advice comes from people who've read about addiction. I've lived it.

✕

What You've Tried

  • Generic "set time limits" advice that leads to meltdowns
  • Parenting books written by people who've never been addicted
  • Apps that your child bypasses within a week
  • Long waiting lists while things get worse
  • Information without anyone to help you implement it
  • One-size-fits-all rules that don't fit your child
vs
✓

What I Provide

  • Prevention AND intervention — whether you're setting up a first phone or fixing years of bad habits
  • Strategies built for YOUR specific child and situation
  • Personal experience with addiction — I've been there
  • Controls that actually stick (I've seen every bypass)
  • Available this week — no waiting while things escalate
  • Hands-on implementation support, not just advice

Get help that actually works — from someone who's been there.

Book Your Session

£75 • 45 minutes • No waiting list

Real Results

Families like yours

★★★★★

"We wanted some advice on how to get ahead with teaching our son technology. Dan is great at coming up with creative ideas that our son loves to do. Highly recommended."

P
Parent London
★★★★★

"We'd tried setting limits ourselves but nothing stuck. Daniel helped us find an approach that actually worked for our family."

M
Parent Via video call
★★★★★

"One session gave us more clarity than weeks of trying to figure it out ourselves. We finally understood what was actually going on."

J
Parent Via video call
Insights

What I've Learned in 1,000+ Families

Parental Controls Create False Security

If there was a parental control that actually worked, there would just be one. Instead, kids bypass them within weeks, and parents think they're protected when they're not.

Meltdowns Aren't Defiance — They're Withdrawal

When you take devices away suddenly, you've removed the dopamine hit without explanation or preparation. The brain responds exactly as it would to any addictive substance being withdrawn.

The Relationship Often Needs Repair

Years of screen time battles damage the parent-child relationship. Many parents feel they've "lost" their child. Part of what I do is help families reconnect — not just manage devices.

Kids Often Don't Want the Phone Either

From my research with primary school children, most kids aren't that fussed about getting a phone. It's often parents pushing WhatsApp groups because they "need it for school." The pressure to give devices early comes from systems, not children.

Recognition

Why Was Daniel Featured in The Washington Post?

In November 2025, Washington Post technology reporter Heather Kelly featured Daniel in an article about screen time experts. The Post described him as someone parents call "when they've lost control of their children's tech usage." His combination of lived addiction experience and professional expertise stood out in a crowded field.

📰 The Washington Post

"When parents feel like they've lost control of their children's tech usage, they can call up Daniel Towle."

— Heather Kelly, November 2025

Questions

You're probably wondering...

Here's what parents ask before booking.

Yes — and I understand it from the inside. I'm currently awaiting my own AuDHD assessment, but I already know. This gives me unique insight into why screens affect neurodivergent children and adults so intensely. Combined with years in SEN settings, I create strategies that work WITH neurodivergent brains, not against them.
Apps tell you there's a problem. I help you fix it. After 12 years in schools, I've seen every bypass method. Real change requires understanding WHY your child can't stop, creating buy-in so they don't want to bypass, and implementing strategies that work for YOUR family.
I typically have appointments available within the same week. Sessions are via video call so families worldwide can access support. When you're dealing with daily battles, you shouldn't have to wait.
Whether you're setting up a first phone or worried about addiction, I help families at every stage. There's no "serious enough" threshold — if it's causing stress in your family, it's worth addressing. Prevention is always easier than intervention.
We start by understanding YOUR specific situation. Then I help you understand the psychology behind your child's behaviour. Finally, we build a concrete plan: specific boundaries, exact words to use, how to handle resistance. You leave with clarity and a plan you can implement that day.
It's £75 for a 45-minute session. We'll focus on your specific situation and leave with practical next steps. That's less than a month of in-app purchases — and you'll walk away with clarity on what's actually happening and what to do about it.
In a 45-minute session, we'll diagnose the real problem (not just "too much screen time"), understand the specific patterns and triggers, and create a personalised action plan. You'll leave with specific strategies for YOUR family — not generic advice. Most families see improvements within days because we focus on implementation, not just information.
A child therapist addresses clinical mental health conditions requiring diagnosis and ongoing treatment. As a screen time specialist, I focus on the practical: understanding why screens are so compelling, implementing boundaries that work, and creating family systems that prevent daily battles. If I identify concerns that need clinical support, I'll tell you directly.
Daniel Towle

Ready for things to be different?

Whether you're setting up a first device, tired of daily battles, worried it's gone too far, or want your child to thrive with technology — I can help. One 45-minute session. Concrete strategies. A plan built around YOUR family.

Personal addiction recovery 12 years school expertise Available this week
Book Your Session

🔒 100% confidential • Video calls worldwide • No commitment required

£75 per session • As Featured in The Washington Post