The BRO Code for Phones and the Internet

Put your phone away at the dinner table.

Stack them in the middle. First one to reach for theirs does the dishes.

Think before you post.

Would you say it to their face, in front of your mother? Then post it.

Call instead of texting when it matters.

Sorry, congratulations and bad news all deserve a voice.

Use a real password.

"Password123" is not a lock. It is a welcome mat.

Check before you share.

If it made you angry in two seconds, give it two minutes before you pass it on.

Turn off notifications for most apps.

Your phone should work for you, not tap you on the shoulder every four minutes.

Leave your phone in the kitchen at night.

Buy an old-fashioned alarm clock. Your sleep will send a thank-you note.

Look up when you walk.

The lamppost will not move for you. It was there first.

Be kind in the comments.

There is a person on the other end, and they have a mother too.

Keep your private life private.

Your address, your vacation dates and your kids' school do not need an audience.

Have phone-free hours.

Try the first hour of the morning. The world will survive without you checking it.

Say "excuse me" and step away before you take a call.

The whole restaurant does not need to hear about your cousin's gallbladder.

Back up your photos.

A dropped phone should not take ten years of birthdays with it.

Don't text and drive.

No text is worth a life. Put it in the glove box.

Don't argue with strangers online.

Nobody in the history of the internet has changed their mind in the comments.

Don't look at your phone while someone is talking to you.

You are telling them who matters more.

Don't put everything online.

Your breakfast is lovely. The world will be fine without seeing it.

Don't click links from strangers.

The prince does not actually need your help moving his fortune.

Don't use your phone in the movie theater.

That glowing rectangle can be seen from space.

Don't use speakerphone in public.

Nobody wants to hear both halves.

Don't scroll the bad news before bed.

It will be the same in the morning, and you will be better rested to handle it.

Don't text anything you'd hate to see screenshotted.

Assume every message will someday be read aloud at a family reunion.

Don't make your phone the first thing you touch in the morning.

Say good morning to a person first, even if it is the dog.

Don't post photos of other people's kids without asking.

Don't film strangers to mock them.

That is not content. That is cruelty with a ring light.

Don't forget the people in the room.

The best connection is the one sitting across the table.