Launch week, Oct 12 to 18. Join by Sunday and Darren's hardcover The Digital Fast ships to you free. Start Phone License →
The 2027 season is coming. Two summits, one workshop. Get first access →

You wouldn't hand your kid car keys without training. Why hand them a phone without it?

A parent + teen course that turns phone access into earned trust — with quizzes, a family agreement, and a real certificate.

Start Phone License See what's inside →
2-hour commitment over 6 weeks Built for ages 13–18 Certificate included
Watch the trailer

The problem isn't the phone. It's that nobody taught them how to use it.

What the course actually looks like — and why families finish it saying the fight finally stopped.

The Trailer 0:58

Made for parents who are tired of guessing.

Start Phone License — $99Not sure? Take the free quiz →

Be honest

Do you feel like you’re losing them to a screen?

Like there’s a whole world in their pocket — and you’re not in it?

Like every rule turns into a fight you’re too tired to have?

You're not failing. The terrain changed — and nobody briefed you. That's exactly what Phone License is for.

Opens Monday, Oct 12 at 7 AM CTLaunch week · Oct 12 to 18

This week, the book is on us.

The Digital Fast by Darren Whitehead, hardcover

Free gift · launch week only

Join by Sunday, Oct 18 and we mail you Darren Whitehead's hardcover, The Digital Fast. On us.

It's a $24.99 hardcover, and it's free. Premium Kit families get 5 copies, $125 of books: one for you, four to hand to friends. Church licenses get a case of 50 for Phone License Sunday.

00days
00hours
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Ships free in the US. Gift ends Sunday, Oct 18 at 11:59 PM Central. The price never changes.

Start Phone License — $99

Two doors, one path

Two kinds of families end up here. It works for both.

First phone

The path to a confident yes.

You haven't handed it over yet — and you want the first phone to start on trust, not guesswork. Phone License gives you the agreement, the settings, and the handoff conversation so you can say yes without second-guessing.

A fresh start

Start over without taking it away.

They've had the phone a while and the boundaries slipped. Here's the relief: nothing gets confiscated. The phone gets re-issued under a new agreement they earn — calm, clear, and mutual.

Start Phone LicenseSee what's inside →
The middle path

You don't want to overreact. You don't want to under-parent it. You want a plan you can actually enforce.

01 / The fight

"Get off your phone."

Same argument every night. Vague rules. Constant negotiation. Nobody wins.

02 / The fear

What they're seeing — and not telling you.

Group chats, late-night spirals, content you can't unsee. The stakes feel high and the playbook is missing.

03 / The plan

A shared framework, not a power struggle.

Phone License gives families a structured path. Same team, same rules, same finish line.

Cars require licenses. Marriages require licenses. Guns require licenses.

A phone is the most powerful device most teenagers will ever own. It's the only one we hand over with no training, no test, and no agreement. Phone License fixes that.

Cars

Permit. Practice. Test. Real consequences for breaking the rules.

Marriages

License. Vows. Witnesses. A public agreement to a shared standard.

Firearms

Background check, training, registration. Power deserves preparation.

Phones ?

The gateway to everything. Until now: no test, no training, no plan.

The phone is next

You already know the why. Here's the how.

Start Phone License — $99Is your kid ready? Take the free quiz →

Launch week: join by Sunday, Oct 18 and Darren Whitehead's $24.99 hardcover ships to you free.

How it works

Watch. Pass. Sign.

Three steps, repeated for six weeks. Designed to feel like Driver's Ed — structured, practical, and impossible to fake your way through.

STEP 01

Watch short videos together

Six modules, each 6–12 minutes. Parent and teen watch side-by-side. No lecture, no panic — just real situations and clear rules.

STEP 02

Pass quizzes & road tests

Micro-quizzes prove they got it. Road Tests prove they can do it — turn on Screen Time, set downtime, build a no-phone zone. Parents click "verified."

A friend asks you to keep a secret account. What do you do?
Keep it, don't tell parents
Tell parents the same day
Wait and see what happens
STEP 03

Sign agreement & get certified

Final week: family signs the agreement. Teen takes the situational final exam. Parent reads the issuance statement. The phone is officially handed over.

Issued to: Jordan W.
PL-2026-04881
What's included

Tangible, not theoretical.

You get the videos, yes. You also get the assets that turn it into a real rite of passage — the kind of thing your kid will remember, not click through.

The Road Test

Demonstrate readiness, don't just answer questions.

Each module ends with a hands-on checklist your teen completes on the device — and you verify. No more "I get it, I get it."

✓
Turn on Screen Time + set limits
✓
Set downtime & bedtime schedule
✓
Charging station outside bedroom
✓
Set up Emergency Contacts + Medical ID
✓
Define no-phone zones at home
Video lessons

Six modules, studio-shot.

Fast-paced. Specific. Non-preachy. Built so parents feel supported and teens feel respected.

License ID

Earned, trackable, renewable.

Digital certificate with a unique ID. Optional printed wallet card.

Jordan W.
PL-2026-04881 · ISSUED 04/2026
Family Agreement

Signed, not just talked about.

Articles I–V, signed at the Issuance Ceremony — sleep, school, content, conflict, repair, and parent commitments.

Article II · Core Rules
Phone is off / docked at: 9:30pm. No phone in bedroom after dinner. School: silent, in locker.

Section 7 · Repair Plan
If the agreement is broken, consequences are predictable and restorative…
Student signature
Issuance Ceremony

Cross a threshold, don't just buy a course.

Script, parent statement, optional spiritual covenant. The handoff your kid actually remembers.

Week 6 · Issuance
Renewal

90-day check-in built in.

Short re-test, agreement review, privilege adjustments. Trust earned, then renewed.

DAY 30
Pulse
DAY 90
Renew
1 YR
Review

Earned, not handed over

Give them something worth earning.

Start Phone License — $99See the six weeks →

Launch week: join by Sunday, Oct 18 and Darren Whitehead's $24.99 hardcover ships to you free.

Live events · The 2027 season

A few days a year, we get in a room.

Two online summits and one in-person workshop, every year. Nothing to buy yet. Join the list and you'll hear first, at a founding-family price.

Spring 2027 · OnlineThe Parent Summit: AI, chatbots & what’s comingThe annual briefing on what changed.Get first access →Summer 2027 · OnlineThe Summer ResetThe plan for the three months the phone has no schedule.Get first access →Fall 2027 · Franklin, TNThe Workshop: Raising Kids in a Digital WorldBoth of you in one room, then supper in Leipers Fork.Get first access →
See the whole season →
The curriculum

Six weeks. Driver's Ed for the device that actually drives their life.

Set expectations together. Parents learn the framework. Teens get the phone in week 0 — locked down — and progressively unlock features as they pass each week.

Checkpoint
Baseline assessment for parent and teen. Establish the starting line before any privileges open up.

The ground rules. What the phone is for, what it isn’t, and how privileges unlock week by week — agreed together, not imposed.

Road Test
Walk through the starter settings and sign the week-one rules together. Parent verifies before Week 2.

Everything posted, searched, and sent leaves a trail. Permanence, reputation, and the version of you the internet keeps — written on purpose, not by accident.

Road Test
Search yourselves together. Audit accounts and privacy settings — see what a stranger could learn in five minutes.

Attention, habit loops, and notification strategy. The phone is a tool, not a slot machine. Includes a short theology of attention for families who want it.

Road Test
Configure notifications and Focus Modes together. Parent verifies setup before moving on.

Who they are vs. who the feed says to be. Group chats, face-to-face vs. text, resisting teen phone culture — and the social cost of being the one who logs off.

Road Test
Establish group chat rules and a "pause before posting" practice. Document together.

Pornography, predators, sexting, scams, bullying. What to do in the moment, who to tell, how to recover without shame.

Road Test
Configure safety settings. Build a written "if something happens" plan with steps and contacts.

Sleep, secrecy, late-night scrolling, and the emotional spiral. Phone-free mornings, a charging station outside the bedroom, and a life the phone serves instead of runs. Then the finish line: family agreement, situational final exam, and the issuance ceremony — the moment your kid will remember.

Final + Issuance
15–25 question situational final. Parent issuance statement. Certificate & License ID delivered.
The shift

From power struggle to shared plan.

Before

Same fight. Different night.

  • · Constant arguments about screen time
  • · Vague, inconsistent rules
  • · Anxiety about what they're seeing
  • · Parents and teens on opposite teams
  • · No plan for when something goes wrong
After

One team. One playbook. One license.

  • ✓ A signed agreement everyone refers back to
  • ✓ Rules earned, not imposed
  • ✓ Clear protocols when things go sideways
  • ✓ Parent and teen facing the problem together
  • ✓ Renewable trust, on a 90-day cadence

Ready when you are

Six weeks from now, the phone fight is over.

Start Phone License — $99Take the free readiness quiz →

Launch week: join by Sunday, Oct 18 and Darren Whitehead's $24.99 hardcover ships to you free.

Meet your guides

The voices behind Phone License.

Two decades of work on family rhythms, digital formation, and what it actually takes to raise kids in a screen-saturated world — distilled into one course.

The Expert Dr. Darren Whitehead with his wife and daughters

Dr. Darren WhiteheadD.Min.

Pastor · Author · Researcher

Darren is the founding pastor of Church of the City, one of the largest churches in Tennessee, with multiple campuses across Nashville. His doctoral dissertation examined the future of the Western Church — and his book The Digital Fast has become the playbook thousands of families and churches now use to detox from their phones and reclaim what matters.

D.Min., Capital Seminary Founder, Church of the City Featured: Fox News, Christianity Today
Selected works
→The Digital Fast— 40 days to detox your mind
→Rumors of God— with Jon Tyson
→Holy Roar— with Chris Tomlin
The Family Builder Jefferson Bethke and family

Jefferson Bethke

NYT-Bestselling Author · Husband · Dad of 4

Jeff has spent the last decade writing and teaching on what it takes to build a strong, intentional family in a noisy world. He and his wife Alyssa have built a home rooted in intentionality with devices and tech — favoring rhythms over hustle — and now help thousands of parents do the same through their books, podcast, and the family movement they lead from Leipers Fork, Tennessee.

#1 NYT Bestselling Author 30M+ readers / listeners Family-formation podcast host
Selected works
→To Hell With the Hustle— reclaiming rhythm from digital noise
→Take Back Your Family— the family as a team, not a daycare
→Love That Lasts— with Alyssa Bethke

The research meets the rhythm.

Darren brings the framework from The Digital Fast. Jeff brings a decade of building family rhythms that actually stick. Phone License is what happens when those two finally sit in a room together.

Co-created · 2026

You're not doing this alone

We walk you through all six weeks.

Start Phone License — $99Not sure yet? Take the free quiz →

Launch week: join by Sunday, Oct 18 and Darren Whitehead's $24.99 hardcover ships to you free.

Fall 2027 · in person · once a year

Spend one day with us. Parent the whole year on purpose.

Raising Kids in a Digital World is the annual, in-person briefing for parents: both of you in one room in Franklin, TN, then a long-table supper in Leipers Fork. It's the day couples talk about on the drive home. The list picks the weekend. Founding families sit first.

Get first access →
Pricing

Three ways in. One outcome.

Perfect for a first phone moment, or a reset for a phone you've already given. Gift it to a niece, a youth group, your future self.

Core

Phone License

$99once, yours forever
Launch week giftDarren Whitehead's $24.99 hardcover The Digital Fast, mailed to you free.
  • ✓ The full six week course
  • ✓ Weekly checks and the final road test
  • ✓ Digital Family Agreement
  • ✓ Road Test checklist (real settings)
  • ✓ Digital certificate and License ID
Start with Core
Best for: a first phone, or a reset on the one they already have.
Most chosen Premium Kit

Phone License + Kit

$149once, yours forever
Launch week gift5 hardcovers of The Digital Fast, $125 of books. One for you, four to give away.
  • ✓ Everything in Core
  • ✓ Printable certificate and wallet card
  • ✓ Issuance Ceremony script and assets
  • ✓ Conversation Guide pack
  • ✓ 90 day Renewal mini course
  • ✓ Social Media Readiness module
Get the Premium Kit
Best for: families who want the night they hand it over to mean something.
Churches

Church License

$495a year
Launch week giftA case of 50 hardcovers, $1,250 of books, for your Phone License Sunday.
  • ✓ Your church's own link and QR code
  • ✓ Families join at $49 instead of $99
  • ✓ Phone License Sunday kit: talk, run sheet, table cards
  • ✓ Group Issuance Night ceremony
  • ✓ Unlimited families, nothing to administer
Get your church link →
Best for: pastors who want every family on the same six weeks.
For churches & ministries

Pastor families through a major modern milestone.

Phone License gives churches a turnkey, theologically thoughtful framework for a conversation every parent in your congregation is already losing sleep over.

  • ✓ Your church’s own link + QR code — families join at $49, half off
  • ✓ Phone License Sunday: a 45-minute talk, run sheet, table cards, promo copy — one volunteer can run it
  • ✓ The Group Issuance Night ceremony + church-edition certificates
  • ✓ Optional 4-week small group plan + facilitator guide
  • ✓ Unlimited families — nothing to count, nothing to administer

$495 a year. Everything above is included, and your link is live the moment you check out.

Bring it to your church

License your church in a few clicks. Your link, QR code, and the full Phone License Sunday kit appear the moment you check out.

Get your church link → See what’s included →
FAQ

Honest answers.

Built for ages 13–18, but families with 11–12 year olds preparing for a first phone use it too. The "Road Test" assignments scale to whatever device and freedom you're granting.

Yes. The whole point is shared language and a shared agreement. Each module includes a 10–15 minute guided conversation, and the Road Tests require a parent verification.

Most of our families are in this exact spot. Phone License works as a reset — a way to install structure, an agreement, and a shared vocabulary on a phone that's already in the house. Nothing about the course requires you to "take it away first."

Yes. Road Tests include step-by-step setups for both iOS Screen Time and Android Digital Wellbeing / Family Link.

Week 4 (Social Media and Your Identity) and the Premium Kit's bonus module both go deep on this. The Family Agreement includes specific sections for allowed platforms, posting rules, and shared-account commitments.

Frame it the way you'd frame Driver's Ed: it's not a punishment, it's the price of admission. The course is intentionally not preachy — teens consistently tell us it felt respectful, fast-paced, and worth their time.

Yes. Your church licenses Phone License for $495 a year, gets its own link + QR code, and every family joins at $49 instead of $99. Phone License Sunday — the parent-night kit — is included. See how it works for churches →

Earn the phone.
Keep the trust.

Six weeks. One agreement. A rite of passage your kid will actually remember — and you'll actually enforce.

Start Phone License Church licensing →