Digital parenting can look very simple.
A child in the Netherlands sits with a smartphone, plays a bright monster-truck driving game, and asks how to reach the finish line.
An adult opens WhatsApp, sees the call history and short messages, and sends a question to someone who might know how to help.
This article looks at that small moment and links it to a wider story about children, games like the physics-based Hill Climb Racing series, and new Dutch advice on screens and social media.
Key Takeaways
Main points
- A short WhatsApp chat about a monster-truck game shows how families use phones to care, teach, and stay close.
- Simple driving games with just an accelerator and brake can help children practise timing, patience, and balance, but they also bring ads, in-app purchases, and long screen time.
- Dutch experts and officials now give clear guidance on social media and screen use for children, so parents are not left alone with these choices.
- Online safety groups encourage adults to sit with children, talk about games, and make smart settings on devices instead of letting screens take over family life.
Story & Details
A tiny drama on a messaging screen
On an ordinary day in late December 2025, a smartphone screen in a Dutch home fills with green and white chat bubbles.
Missed calls sit in a row.
Short video calls appear with their lengths in seconds and minutes.
In the middle of this, one message stands out.
It explains, in a hurry, that a young girl is playing the little truck game on the phone and wants to know how to get to the goal at the end of the level.
The contact who reads the message can see a picture from the game inside the chat.
A yellow monster truck with four huge wheels flies across a blue sky full of small stars.
The truck hangs in the air above a white strip that looks like a road on ice.
It is the kind of design seen in many physics-based driving games on mobile phones.
In these games, the player taps one side of the screen to accelerate and the other side to brake.
Too much gas, and the truck flips over.
Too little, and it rolls back down the hill or falls into a gap.
The adult wants to answer the child’s question in a kind and helpful way.
So the reply explains, in very simple words, how to press the accelerator gently, speed up on the climb, slow down on the way down, and try to land on the wheels after a jump.
It mentions that in many games the gas and brake buttons also tilt the truck during a jump, so a little touch can bring the nose up or down.
The advice is meant for a beginner.
The goal is not a high score but a happy child who feels in control of the game and proud of reaching the finish line.
A bigger debate behind a small game
Behind this tiny family scene, a much larger public debate is running.
Games like the Hill Climb Racing series are popular around the world.
Reviews from media-literacy organisations note that they are fun, simple to learn, and free to download, but they also warn about in-app purchases, ads, and the risk that play can stretch on for a long time if no adult sets limits.
These reviewers suggest that parents talk about money inside apps, help children understand that real cash sits behind the colourful coins, and agree on rules for when to stop.
In the Netherlands, the question of how children use phones and apps has moved onto the political stage.
In June 2025, the caretaker government advised that children under fifteen should stay away from social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
The same advice said that screen time should remain low for young children and that teenagers should not spend more than a few hours a day in front of screens.
Other reports described how Dutch schools that banned smartphones from classrooms saw better focus and calmer breaks.
Researchers and ministers linked these steps to worries about sleep, mood, and constant distraction.
Experts do not all agree on strict bans.
Some Dutch academics argue that social media and games can also help young people feel connected and learn new skills, as long as adults give strong support.
They suggest a middle road: less time alone with screens, more time with parents, carers, and teachers sitting nearby, asking questions, and staying curious about what children do online.
What caring looks like in practice
The small WhatsApp story shows what this support can look like.
The adult does not simply tell the girl to stop playing or take the phone away.
Instead, the adult tries to understand the game and gives tips in clear language that a child can follow.
There is no complex talk about “algorithms” or “online risks”.
There is a simple question: “How can this girl enjoy her game and still stay safe and calm?”
A gentle answer can open more doors.
Once the child feels heard and helped, it becomes easier to add a few more ideas: to take breaks, to put the phone away at night, to ask an adult before spending money, and to talk about any ads or chat messages that feel strange.
The same phone that carries fast games and bright colours also carries care, rules, and family love through its call and message icons.
By December 2025, many parents in the Netherlands and across Europe face similar moments every day.
A short message from a child can create a long line of questions in an adult mind.
Is this game safe?
How long has the child been playing?
Should social media wait a few more years?
Public guidelines, school rules, and expert reviews cannot answer every case.
But they can give adults more confidence when a bright monster-truck icon pops up on a small screen and a young voice asks for help.
Conclusions
A soft landing after the jump
The image of a yellow truck flying across a blue mobile screen is more than a cute game scene.
It is a picture of how childhood and parenthood now share the same device.
One side of the screen holds the game.
The other side holds calls, messages, and links to advice.
When adults join a child in that space, even for a few minutes, a simple level in a driving game can become a small lesson in trust.
The child learns how to judge speed, distance, and risk inside the game.
The adult learns more about what the child likes, fears, and hopes.
Public guidance on social media and screen time can then sit in the background, supporting choices instead of replacing them.
The finish line in the game is just a line of pixels.
The real goal is something quieter: a home where screens are part of life but do not rule it, and where a quick message about a small game can always bring a warm, thoughtful reply.
Selected References
Sources for further reading
[1] Australian Council on Children and the Media. “Hill Climb Racing – App Review.”
https://childrenandmedia.org.au/app-reviews/apps/hill-climb-racing
[2] Common Sense Media. “Hill Climb Racing – App Review.”
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/hill-climb-racing
[3] DutchNews.nl. “No social media for under-15s, Dutch government tells parents.”
https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/06/no-social-media-for-under-15s-dutch-government-tells-parents/
[4] NL Times. “Dutch gov’t advises no screen time for toddlers; No more than 3 hours per day for teens.”
https://nltimes.nl/2025/06/17/dutch-govt-advises-screen-time-toddlers-3-hours-per-day-teens
[5] NSPCC. “How To Keep Your Kids Safe When Online Gaming | Parenting Online.” Video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI9wSVjl7I0
Appendix
Dutch government guidelines
Official advice from Dutch authorities on how much screen time and social media use is suitable for children of different ages, including strong warnings about social media before the age of fifteen.
Hill Climb Racing
A popular series of simple mobile games where players drive cartoon vehicles over steep hills using only accelerator and brake buttons while trying not to flip or run out of fuel.
Online safety organisation
A charity or public body that gives advice, tools, and campaigns to help keep children and young people safe when they use the internet, apps, games, and connected devices.
Physics-based driving game
A game that uses simple versions of real-world rules such as gravity and friction so that vehicles bounce, tip, and fall in ways that feel natural when the player accelerates or brakes.
A messaging service for smartphones that lets people send text messages, pictures, videos, voice notes, and make voice or video calls over the internet, often used by families to stay in touch during daily life.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 