Healthy Screen Habits Podcast: Recent Episodes
Hillary Wilkinson
Parenting is hard. Technology can make it tricky. This podcast helps bring these areas together to help all families create healthy screen habits.
Parents aren’t just worried - they are ready to act. Four Norms empowers local parent groups to get things done through the use of collective action. It’s never been easier to fight for new norms around kids and technology that you want to see in your community. Four Norms acts as a bridge between organizational expertise and community impact. Specifically designed for grassroots parents' organizations, Four Norms makes stepping into activism as easy as meeting friends for coffee (so you can save/change the world!).
Listen now!
Dan and Dave Gray are the father-son co-founders of BridgeCamp. On this episode we talk about the power of human and relational connection, particularly between parents and their kids. The stronger the connection is between parents and their teens, the more likely the teen will make better and healthier life decisions, especially as they transition into adulthood. Dan and Dave help create oppotunities for connection with BridgeCamp - a unique experience that brings parents and teens together. Want to go to summercamp and come home with a happier, healthier family life? Learn how by listening now!
Director Ryan Huh has a fantastic new short documentary for you to explore. Starting Over is the story of four young men engaged in recovery from digital addiction. It is set in the ReSTART Life residential program and can serve as a great conversation starter for families looking to have a good talk about tech.
On this episode, Ryan told me what he learned along the way while creating Starting Over. Spoiler: It’s got nothing to do with tech and everything to do with empathy. Listen now!!
Explore momfluencer culture and be entertained with a great new book! This week, we do something a little different and just for fun on Healthy Screen Habits Podcast. Follow Me: A Thriller is the story of sisterly love and a murderous momfluencing group who will stop at nothing to keep up appearances and provide perfect pictures of happy holidays.
I chat with the author, Elizabeth Rose Quinn who lived in Los Angeles for fifteen years while working in production and writing for television. Her novel Follow Me: A Thriller was optioned by Amazon MGM Studios and is currently in production as a feature film. We talk about the book, motherhood in the age of influencing and so much more! Listen now!
Educate and Empower Kids is an organization determined to strengthen families by teaching digital citizenship, media literacy, and healthy sexuality education—including education about the dangers of online porn. On this episode, I talk with Dina Alexander, the founder and author of 30 Days of Sex Talks, helpful books written for all ages of childhood and teenage years designed to help parents talk about difficult topics and sensitive subjects.
With over 30 years in the video game industry and as the creator of GameTruck, Scott Novis has entertained more than 14 million gamers. He’s on a mission to help families build connections through play. On this episode, find out how to end games without a fight, bond with your kids in new ways, and have a great time doing it all!
Listen now!
May is short for MayHEM! We are all trying to get through performances, culminating activities, teacher appreciations, prom, graduations, etc…
The last thing I want to do is give you one more thing to stress out over!! Instead, this season on the pod, I am talking to camp directors who run experience camps that focus on parent-child bonding, great summer reads that are about momfluencer life, and some directors of movies that will be great to watch with your kids to foster discussion.
In short, you got this! We are all careening towards summer, let me help ease the path!!
As we wrap up another season of Healthy Screen Habits, it’s the perfect time to unplug and recharge for Spring Break! This season, we’ve learned so many great ways to balance screen time with real-world activities. Whether you’re exploring the outdoors, diving into a new hobby, or simply enjoying time with loved ones, now’s the chance to create memories away from the screen. Plus, have fun practicing a little digital decluttering with a spring cleaning challenge! Here’s to taking the lessons from Season 12 and bringing them to life this Spring Break. Listen now.
Overcoming a challenging childhood in the South, Michael was inspired by a transformative teacher to unlock his potential. He served 22 years in the U.S. Navy, developing advanced cybersecurity algorithms. With over 25 years of cybersecurity experience, Michael is now a Ph.D. candidate in Cyberpsychology at Capitol Tech University. He created MindfulBytes.io, a groundbreaking K-5 curriculum enhancing digital well-being. The program boasts an 85.7% student engagement rate and a 40% reduction in cyberbullying incidents. His mission is to safeguard the digital well-being of the youngest generation, ensuring every child can thrive in our increasingly digital world.
Erin Walsh is a parent, speaker, and author who helps families and educators navigate the complexities of adolescents, parenting and technology. As co-founder of Spark and Stitch Institute, she translates research into practical strategies. She is also the author of It's Their World: Teens, Screens, and The Science of Adolescence, a great new book. In this episode, we talk about ways to reduce friction and create happy boundaries for our teens.
Devon Kuntzman started Transforming Toddlerhood with the mission to dispel the myth that toddlerhood is terrible and empower parents and caregivers to overcome the challenges while nurturing their little ones' development. She does this by creating confidence in parenting skills and embracing this magical time period. In this episode, we talk about the additional challenge that technology can bring, how to get your toddler off of a screen, and how to find better screen options for your toddler.
Jack Hughes is an expert in talking to parents about tech support because he has literally grown up in this digital age. As the president of Parent Tech Support, an organization whose mission is to help parents protect their kids online. He does that by providing free, straightforward content that educates parents.
By using videos and establishing a personal connection, he helps parents set up parental controls and provide support. In today’s episode, he shares informative tips and provides explanations for all of us who are trying to figure it out. Listen now!
Kathleen Barlow is a mom of 6 and grandmother of 3, as a former middle school and high school French teacher she had a front row to watch the increasingly negative impact of phones in schools and their effects on connection. She has dedicated her time to helping schools develop better cell phone policies and families build better connections.
Kathleen has created a great tool and resource for families looking to participate in screenfree fun. It has 52 ideas, one per week for a whole year! She shares some of these ideas and so much more in this episode. Listen now!
Richard Freed is a psychologist and author of the new book "Better Than Real Life: How Silicon Valley's Secret Science of Persuasive Design Is Stealing Childhood.
Dr. Freed has devoted his career to revealing how Silicon Valley industry is using psychology—a discipline that we associate with healing—as a weapon against kids in order to pull them online and keep them there. This is achieved through the virtually unknown science of persuasive design, which is concealed in social media, video games, and online video. Freed believes that the knowledge of persuasive design should no longer be the domain of a handful of tech elite but should be put in the hands of all parents and others who care for kids. In this episode we talk about this and the 2 things kids need most to grow and succeed. Listen now!
Sam Chapman is the father of Sammy Chapman (forever 16) and CEO of The Parent Collective Inc., a California non-profit operating in the areas of social media harm and fentanyl poisoning education and activism. The Parent Collective also provides grief support for those left behind. Sammy Chapman died the night he took a counterfeit pill that was laced with fentanyl. He bought this pill on Snapchat. More and more drug dealers are using Snapchat as their preferred platform to sell. The conversation has never been more critical - talk to your kids about only using medication prescribed by their own doctor and purchased from a licensed pharmacy.
This episode should be heard by all teens, young adults, and parents - it could save lives.
Dr. Rebecca Wallace became a mental healthcare provider because she wanted to fill in the gaps. She goes the extra mile to support the mental and emotional health of patients with medical conditions as they go through the process of diagnosis, treatment, and life. In this episode, we talk about how to balance tech time when you have an ill child as well as how to manage media overwhelm. In these uncertain times, we are all feeling the pinch of too much emotion-fed media. Listen to today!
A former social media executive turned social media reform advocate, Nicki Reisberg, hosts Scrolling to Death, a podcast for parents who are worried about social media. It's a safe space to amplify stories of harm while educating parents on how to keep their kids safe in a world that is trying to addict and manipulate them.
In this episode learn all about social media, the broken system of tech in our schools, and the new threat of Character AI. Listen now!
Dr. Ashley Harlow is a dad of four who definitely understands the complexities of parenting with healthy boundaries around screen time. As a licensed child and adolescent psychologist at Children's Nebraska in Omaha, he has practical tips that can empower families to create a balanced approach. On this episode we talk about social media, chatbots and warning signs of depression to look out for.
Listen now!
Since losing her son Alexander, Amy Neville has dedicated her life to educating and spreading awareness of the dangers that killed him. If you are familiar with her work, you know that she cannot say enough about the pain of losing her baby, but she points out that this is bigger than one fourteen-year-old. So many more adolescents and people of all ages are having their lives cut short through no fault of their own. The mission of the Alexander Neville Foundation is to educate youth and communities on teen mental health and the dangers of fentanyl and social media. This episode is packed with resources and tools to help families. Listen now!
Sarah Gallagher Trombley is on a mission to help parents navigate the digital world with and for their kids by providing insight, advice, and practical tips. Her work and messages cover a wide range of digital topics, including social media, new tech, and apps. As a former Snapchat executive, she saw firsthand how tech companies make decisions about child safety. (spoiler alert: it’s dismal)
On today’s episode she shares what she knows about parental controls, setting them up, and finding good solutions for families in our digital age.
KOSA, the Kids Online Safety Act — lifesaving legislation that would ensure social media platforms have real protections for young people — did not pass Congress. For the last few years, there has been bipartisan support across the political spectrum to legislate for safer spaces online, but ultimately House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise sided with Big Tech at the expense of America's children and refused to let KOSA advance.
I’m gonna be honest - I had to take a few days to get thru it. But then something happened - something that showed me….proved to me….that despite this gaping loss, people are making healthy tech changes.
As always, the Healthy Screen Habits Podcast crew is going on a holiday hiatus as we walk our talk and spend time with our own families during these very fun festive days. Thank you so much for spending time with us and learning more Healthy Screen Habits together. The Podcast will be back and exploring more in 2025! Listen to this to hear all about tech free gifts and why perfection is completely overrated. ;)
Featured in Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of 2023. The Bark phone continues to expand and deliver upon the reliability and safety needs for kids as they explore their online life. On this episode, listen to Bark's Chief Parenting Officer, Titania Jordan, to learn more about the Bark phone, the Bark for Schools app, and so much more.
Tweens and teens are flooding beauty counters after watching skinfluencer skin care regimens and make up tutorials. With over 15 years in the natural product and nutrition industries, Kimberly Grustas has an advanced knowledge of the dangers of even trace levels of estrogenic chemicals during the delicate transformation from girlhood to adult, AKA: puberty. On this episode, we talk about skinfluencers, young girls and best skincare practices.
As parents play key roles during childhood and adolescence, child-parent relationships, parenting styles and home environments have been identified as factors that may contribute to children's screen use patterns. Listen as the lead author/researcher, Dr. Jason Nagata, of an article titled, Associations Between Media Parenting Practices and Early Adolescent Screen Use published in a recent article in the Journal of Pediatric Research, explains how parents' tech use can affect their kids' use of tech.
It’s very interesting and incredibly important. Listen today!
With a mission to create a safer internet for everyone and huge celebrity endorsements in Hollywood, Aura has taken the digital safety sphere by storm. Dr. Scott Kollins joined Aura @aura_protects as its Chief Medical Officer. Wielding a robust background in clinical psychology and digital health, his career includes significant contributions to the development of digital therapeutics and mental health solutions. Kollins role at Aura is critical in shaping the company's approach and parent understanding of youth safety and mental wellness in the digital era.
Listen today to see what you think - will you be interested in trying out Aura?
The UnPlugged Hours is the story of one woman’s journey to creativity, self, and family. After recognizing how much tech was affecting her creative process and stripping her imagination, Hannah Brencher committed to intentionally taking a 1,000 hour break from technology. She did not intend to write this book - her process started as a commitment to self-improvement and became so much more. Hannah is a writer, TED speaker, and entrepreneur. Named as one of the White House’s “Women Working to Do Good,” she works to encourage tech-less connection and creativity. Listen now!
Todd and Mia Minor are parents who have become a powerful force in awareness building and education of online challenges. The Minor's lives changed forever when Matthew, their 12-year-old son, died accidentally through participation in a social media challenge known as the Choking Challenge.
In this episode, learn about online challenges and how kids are perceiving them. Listen now!
Pam Tudin is very familiar with the struggles and triumphs of the human condition as a clinical and forensic psychologist. She's an international speaker on all matters teen and tween and the co-founder of KLIKD, an organization committed to providing, can-do solutions for families to use social media happily, safely, and responsibly. In this episode we talk about the importance of being the soft place for your child to land when they make an online mistake and so much more. Listen today!
Just as you wouldn't let a new driver take the wheel of a car without proper training, using smartphones requires instruction. Healthy Screen Habits now has a workbook designed for tweens and teens to help them navigate the rules of the road for smartphone use.
Healthy Screen Habits Workbook for Tweens and Teens is what we, the founding members of Healthy Screen Habits, wish we had when our oldest kids were getting their first devices. Learn all about it when you listen to this week’s podcast with the authors: Amy Adams and Jeannie Ondelacy Sprague.
Wendy Waddel is the program manager of Safety Net Smart Cyber Choices, a collaborative program of the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the San Diego Police Foundation. @sandiegopolicefoundation She has all the details about laws and legal ramifications surrounding online predators, nude selfies, and more. I learned so much about what to do about online scams & hacks and a great tip to employ when telling your kids you legally need to check their phone! This episode is a must listen!
On this episode learn about Screens Away, Time to Play! It is the picture book that belongs in every waiting room, classroom, and teacher library. Written by Kailan Carr M.Ed, this book has hidden pictures, invitations for offline play, and teaches kids about the brain science behind persuasive design. Written in a fun rhyme scheme with engaging illustrations it is truly the book that is needed by all. Listen to this episode for information about the science behind the book as well as how play builds brains.
Four decades of research have shown that pornography undermines the whole person's health of young people. It impacts every facet of their developmental wellness; social or emotional, cognitive or physical. When (not if) your child gets exposed to pornography it can shape how they think about sex and relationships, including respectful behavior and consent, and things like equality and their understanding of their own bodies
Porn has inundated so many areas of our media and our culture that it behooves us to provide sex education that provides a porn-critical lens. Listen now and learn how.
Recognizing that being on social media felt like an unwanted requirement for him to socialize as a teen and young adult, Sean Killingsworth created: Reconnect Movement. Looking to combat what Killingsworth calls the “social wasteland” created by a generation’s overuse of tech, ReConnect Movement builds in-person communities to detox from distractions, make friends, and just hang out.
Reconnect Movement provides offline balance for those who don't want to be on social media. Listen and learn more now!
Healthy Screen Habits had an amazing summer filled with family adventures, shared memories, and - most exciting of all: the publication of our first workbook! Healthy Screen Habits for Tweens and Teens - A training workbook to help you use your phone wisely is now available. Whether your child is new to owning a phone or even if they've had one for a while, chances are they're still figuring out the DOs and DON’Ts of using a smartphone wisely. This workbook is here to help you and your child navigate life in the digital world! We’ve put together all the information, tips, hacks, and rules to ensure that their phone is a useful tool that THEY CONTROL, not the other way around.
Listen to hear how to order your copy today!
Get your summer kicked off right and remain screen intentional by setting clear boundaries around technology and brainstorming lots of fun! In this week’s episode Hillary shares the Healthy Screen Habit free tool she has used to put kids in charge and keep summer tech-intentional.
Playing outside is so much more than physical activity. Some of the many benefits include fitness, vitamin D and sleep. Being in nature also enhances focus and attention, it improves problem solving, reduces stress, increases empathy, improves mood. The influence of nature is dramatic and pervasive for all of us. There was a study that said that hospital patients, who have views of greenery outside their windows have shorter stays and fewer complications.
Reducing screen time, increasing time in nature has the potential to change lives. Listen to Jean Rystrom of the Screen Time Action Network introduce an amazing and FREE resource: The Children & Family Inspiration Guide. It’s got everything you need to encourage your kids to get offline and outside. Listen today!
Erin Loechner is a former social media influencer who walked away from a million fans to live a low-tech lifestyle and is now teaching others how to do the same! As the founder of the global tech-free movement The Opt-Out Family, Erin has authored The Opt Out Family - How To Give Your Kids What Technology Can't. This book is written in a way that is part guide, part interactive and best of all it’s written in Erin’s friendly encouraging voice.
In this episode we talk about how to talk to schools, coaches and other parents, set intention in your home and so much more. Listen today!
The FBI is warning parents, caregivers, and teens about increased sextortion crimes across the country.
The primary target is boys ages 14-17 and sadly, suicide rates due to sextortion are on the rise.
Sextortion is a kind of scam where the suspect gets children to share some sexually explicit material usually by coercing them, making them think that they're also someone that age and they're going to be exchanging nude images. Once the suspect has that image, then they extort the child/minor for money or more images of sexually explicit content. Listen to this episode to find out the best ways to educate your family about sextortion.
Autumn McKay is a childhood educator, author, parent, and founder of The Best Mom Ideas! She has navigated the challenges of screen time management with her own kids and faced the very familiar scenario of dealing with tech tantrums and the “10 more minutes” meltdowns. In short, she's one of us! She's in the trenches.
In this episode we talk about steps to take in early child development to foster lifelong success.
Listen today!
Michael Jacobus figured out how to combine digital wellness with his experiences as a camp director for over 40 years. In the summer of 2018, he started the world's first clinical summer camp program for teens and adolescents suffering from unhealthy screen time, social media use, and gaming addiction.
Reset Summer Camp is a camp for digital detox and life skills. Michael’s book: UnHappy Campers is a great read and a fantastic resource for families who want to implement more structure around tech in their home. In this episode we discuss the book, the camp and the ReSet app.
Listen today!
On March 28th of this year, Children and Screens, Institute of Digital Media and Child Development announced the release of a landmark report unveiling the significant impacts of the UK's Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC) on digital platforms.
The Institute's review identified an unprecedented wave of 91 changes made across leading social media and digital platforms. Find out what they are when you listen to this episode
Listen now!
Tessa Stuckey, AKA:The Mom Therapist, works with families navigating the digital, tech-filled world that our kids are growing up in. Tessa takes on today’s negative cultural effects on our kids’ mental health from the perspective of a therapist but with the heart of a caring mother.
In this episode we talk about creating a healthier and positive lifestyle for the whole family through anxiety management, understanding online harms, necessary limits of screen use, and the need for healthy connection. Listen now!
After her oldest son dropped out of college due to his video game addiction, Melanie Hempe put her nursing degree to good use and founded Screen Strong, a nonprofit that empowers families to prevent screen problems and reclaim their kids from toxic screens.
Listen to this episode and learn how your family can stop fighting over screens, kids can gain more life skills and everyone can benefit!
Healthy Screen Habits was founded by a group of 4 moms who find it imperative to practice what we teach! Next week, the podcast will take a break as we enjoy Spring Break with our own families.
During Spring Break, take some time to do some digital spring cleaning! Delete unused apps and revisit memories of the past year by organizing photos. The act of revisiting memories brings about reminiscence which it turns out is one of the best ways to increase language with younger kids and strengthen memory.
Enjoy all of these memories and create new ones this Spring Break.
Andi Smiley is a mom of three littles 6 and under and podcasts have saved her sanity. Now she wants to help other moms find podcasts without getting overwhelmed so she started her own podcast about podcasts. She’s the host of The Friendly Podcast Guide, a podcast that helps moms find podcasts for themselves and for their kids.
No more screen zombies!! Build strong imagination muscles by exposing your kids to some of the great kid podcasts out there.
Listen today!
Jo Piazza failed at being a momfluencer.
She is a bestselling author, journalist and creator of Under The Influence podcast. Her hilarious, and frankly a little horrifying take on how social media influences so much of our lives and how the commodification of every single aspect of our lives is driving everyone ( but mostly girls, women and mothers) a little insane is on point. We dive into all of the good things in this episode- including the screen practice that Jo says she’ll never give up…..like, ever.
Lenore Skenazy is no stranger to doing hard things and sitting in the discomfort of letting your child explore their independence. In 2008 she wrote an article about allowing her 9 year old son to ride a New York City subway all the way home, by himself. The backlash from the public and media was swift…to say the least.
Lenore says our kids are smarter, safer, and stronger than our culture gives them credit for and encourages us to get our kids outside, offline and let them grow. Listen now!
Kris Harrison, PhD is an expert in the relationships families have with media. As the Richard Cole imminent professor in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, she studies children and media in a family context. Recently, Kris focused on children's use of media devices and content for sensory regulation and how this is connected with parent-child conflict around the child's media use.
Our conversation in this episode centers around neurodivergent children and how their needs for sensory input can vary hugely from their siblings and friends. Many ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) adults and children are finding success with using technology as a portable control device for overwhelming environments.
It’s a really good conversation - one that changed the way I see restaurants and other public areas. I hope you’ll listen!
Christina Crook is a pioneer and leading voice in digital well-being.The award-winning author of The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in a Wired World, harbinger of the global #JOMO movement, and Good Burdens: How to Live Joyfully in a Digital Age, Christina shares her insights about technology and our daily lives.
Listen and learn about living joyfully, managing tech and more!
KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act) provides families with the tools, safeguards, and transparency they need to protect against threats to children’s health and well-being online. The legislation would require social media platforms put the interests of children first by requiring these platforms to make safety the default.
Contact your Senators to urge Senate Majority Leader Schumer to bring KOSA (The Kids Online Safety Act) to the floor for a vote. Do it today!
Tiffany Shlain (@tiffanyshlain) was living life online to the fullest when a series of life-altering events led her to value being present with the people in front of you over digital distraction.
As her father lay dying of brain cancer while she was experiencing a high-risk pregnancy, Tiffany took to turning off all digital connections one day a week. Calling upon the ancient observance of Shabbat helped her regain peace, creativity and connection.
As an Emmy nominated filmmaker, founder of the Webby Awards, creator of Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring, and author of the national best-selling book: 24/6: Giving Up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity and Connection, Tiffany Shlain provides interesting outlooks at the challenges of parenting today.
This is an amazing encore episode from our first season. It continues to be one of our most listened to episodes.
Heed the Children is committed to the protection of children from destructive effects of smartphones and social media and the effects that they're having on kids’ mental and physical health.
This petite powerhouse has passion, dedication and a blueprint for you to set up your own parent group in your community! Learn all about it in this episode.
Dr. John S. Hutton is a pioneer in the realm of brain development. His JAMA published MRI research showed the results of screen overuse in the brains of young children: disorganized white matter. This is concerning for a variety of reasons.
Today we discuss the best ways to start healthy brain growth and development with babies and toddlers….hint….it’s easier than you think...and it doesn't involve screens!!
As Healthy Screen Habits continues to grow and learn with all of you we see so many great things happening. Around the country I am wanting to hand out gold stars to parents who I see are choosing to use screens intentionally. They are packing toys, hot wheels and coloring pages for traveling - I see parents in waiting rooms who are using their phones in the best possible way to connect with their littles. Want to know this recommended trick for when you have hit the bottom in your bag of tricks?
Check out today’s quick episode! Each week I bring you experts and healthy screen habits to employ in your own home.
The remembrances of perfect events are lovely - but the ones that bring down the house with laughter? I gotta say - those are the ones that involve ill timed stomach flus, ½ lit Christmas trees, and misunderstood ingredients….I’m saying this because I’m reminding you AND ME that mistakes are where the memories are made.
Please don’t make the mistake this year of gifting fully loaded smart phones to your children. There are many alternative, safer devices that help you maintain guardrails and steplightly into the world of tech with your kids - for a list of devices and companies we support please visit our website at healthyscreenhabits.org and look under Tools for Products we Endorse.
And now - both in the spirit of giving a little levity to the season as well as standing by my message of embracing mistakes….some of this past seasons bloopers and blunders…. Enjoy!
Since 2013, the Children and Screens Institute @childrenandscreens has been a leading curator of experts in the field of digital media and children's health. This week, I got to talk to the Executive Director: Kris Perry.
If you use technology, if you have any interaction with children, if you are interested in the effects of digital media, you need to hear this episode!
Since 2018, Bill Brady has focused on providing children with healthier solutions for using technology. He is the co-founder and CEO of Troomi Wireless, @TroomiWireless, a mobile phone platform designed to improve kids’ mental health through a safe and balanced relationship with technology. As a husband and father of 5, Bill gets it! He understands the challenges of parenting today.
Bill and his co-founder have designed a fantastic company that provides devices that are:
- Hip (they use Samsung design so it looks like any other Android - important if you’re a teen.)
- Safe (parents control the apps via a Troomi vetted KidSafe App zone in the parent portal)
- Affordable - even more so when you use the code HSHabits and get $50 off your purchase
Listen now!
As the current National Advisor for Health Education and Media Literacy at Media Literacy Now, Tamara Sobel is deeply committed to helping parents and schools gain healthy screen habits. The founder of the Girls Women and Media Project, she led one of the first organizations focused on activism and education to raise awareness and improve images of girls and women in the media. She's a certified sexuality educator and a regular columnist for Psychology Today. Our conversation covers a variety of topics surrounding Media Literacy and a great healthy screen habit.
Listen now!
When you install an app on your phone - you know the “permissions” setting? The one that says you don’t want this app to track your movements across all platforms? Meet the guy who brought that to you: Javier Aguera. He's currently working on something new, a method and set of highly practical tools that will create a journey toward a child's ownership of their first smartphone. It is is rooted in giving kids agency and trust paired with skill and habit built in. It’s fascinating - and so is he….you want to hear everything this guy has to say. Listen now!
Alex Basche is a psychotherapist (LMFT) based in the SF Bay Area (ie: the heart of Silicon Valley). He works mainly with adolescents and young adults, specializing in the treatment of tech-related behavioral addictions such as gaming, social media, pornography, online gambling & shopping in addition to substance use disorders.
In this episode we discuss how to bridge online gaming with offline tabletop games as a way to ease kids into in person socializing, the concept of Game Transfer Phenomena (a condition in which gamers can experience auditory and visual hallucinations) and much more. Listen now!
Aniko Hill made a career of mastering marketing and social media. Fast forward to pandemic times when we all were living online and she recognized that the same techniques she used professionally were keeping her son hooked on tech. Aniko took a deep dive into the digital wellness pond and co-founded DopaMind, an upcoming non-profit whose mission is to educate kids about brain science and let them be their own heroes.
Listen now to learn about the science behind the “turn it off” meltdowns and more!
We know that what kids see on screens or the content they consume can have serious effects on offline living. Dr. Jon-Patrick Allem is an Associate Professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, he is also a core member of the Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies.
Jon’s research shows the different ways that corporations influence adolescent health with current projects focused on identifying sources of exposure to tobacco marketing among adolescents and young adults through product placement in social media and influencers. Listen now!
Jessica Spear is the author of The Phone Book. Stay Safe, Be Smart, and Make the World Better With the Powerful Device in Your Hand. It is just the latest of books she has written that help tweens and teens become their best selves. We talk about all of the fun things included in her book (think puzzles, code breaking, trivia and more!) as well as why tweens and teens make amazing teachers. If you have kids, you’re going to want to listen to this episode…and probably buy the book…you can find a link in the shownotes ;) Listen today!
How is pornography affecting our kids sexual development?
Dr. Gail Dines has been researching and writing about the harms of pornography for over 30 years. Using scientific studies and data as the backbone to her organization; Culture Reframed, Gail explores behavioral and mental problems that arise with early/ongoing exposure to pornography. On this episode, Gail shares parenting tips on how to talk about pornography with children and shares resources to combat this huge public health crisis.
Those baby days can be rough - everything we see in the media tells you “these are the moments you live for” yet…it’s so lonely. If you have enjoyed other pursuits or had a fast paced career you might find yourself wondering what comes next?Typically - we reach to our device to reconnect with our friends and look for help with the millionth question you have that day. This can get tricky… we can find ourselves spending way more time online than we intended and spiraling down the hole of social media. Alex Fales, found herself struggling with all of the new mom things and was unsatisfied with her relationship with tech so she founded Mindful With Media @mindfulwithmedia. In this episode we talk about screen habit pitfalls and some relatively easy practices you can put in place to design the relationship with tech that you want to have.
You are going to want to listen to this one!!
Andy Murphy founded The Secure Dad in 2016 realizing that every parent is a protector. Andy’s passion is to help families live safer, happier lives. The information Andy provides is based on proven methods, experience, and study.
In this episode Hillary and Andy discuss the Dark Web, what parents should know about it and a current scam that is rumored to use AI duplication of your child’s voice.
Andy provides actionable tips and information that every parent can employ. Listen now!
As the source behind the Wall Street Journal's Facebook Files, Frances Haugen exposed Facebook's awareness, complicity, radicalization in political violence around the world, plus their disregard to users' mental health.
Her new book: The Power Of One: How I Found the Strength to Tell the Truth and Why I Blew the Whistle on Facebook, (available in our Amazon Marketplace) tells the backstory and more.
I had the opportunity to speak with Frances. She was incredibly generous with her time…so generous that I did something I never have before – that is: create a 2 part episode.
Enjoy listening to Part 2 of this fabulous conversation as Frances Haugen talks about ways we can fix social media….not kill it.
The Facebook Whistleblower, Frances Haugen deserves a seat in the High Court of Heroes in the “Do The Right Thing” Justice League ( I just made that up but it should absolutely be a thing.). A data scientist, Harvard graduate, expert of algorithmic product management and an Iowan daughter of two professors, Frances truly moved the needle for humanity when she recognized wrongdoing and stood up for the world.
The source behind the Wall Street Journal's, Facebook Files, Frances exposed Facebook's awareness, complicity and radicalization in political violence around the world, plus their disregard to users' mental health.
When I had the opportunity to speak with Frances she was incredibly generous with her time…so generous that I am going to do something I never have before – that is: break this episode into 2 parts. Enjoy listening to Part 1 of this fabulous conversation today!
Emma Lembke is a young adult who is the founder of the Log Off Movement, an activist for better legislation for online protections, and a student at Washington University in St Louis.
Emma is passionate about leaning into the creativity and resourcefulness of other young people who are interested in choosing their best path forward with technology. Her intergenerational work has created space for dialogue between lawmakers and youth for policy changes that favor protection over profit. Her tips on managing screentime and involving teens to take control of their screen use will help all families.
This season on Healthy Screen Habits I am going to be talking to Healthy Screen Habits Heros from all ages, stages and walks of life. These are people who are making a mark, moving the needle on what it means to be a healthy technological society. We will hear from Francis Haugin - the Facebook Whistleblower who single handedly has changed the course of social media - for the good of humanity. We will also hear from young adult heros who are just starting their journey with tech and the role they want it to play in the lives of the upcoming generations. People like Emma Lembke founder of the Log Off Movement who has had to balance college course work with trips to testifying in front of the US Congress.
Its a really exciting season and I’d like to ask you for help. Is there anyone you know who would qualify as a Healthy Screen Habits Hero? I’d love to talk to them and hear what they are doing.
Get your summer kicked off right and remain screen intentional by setting clear boundaries around screen time and scheduling lots of fun! In this week’s episode Hillary shares personal plans and experiences she has used to keep summers tech-intentional.
Julie Lythcott-Haims is the New York Times bestselling author of the anti-helicopter parenting manifesto, How To Raise An Adult, which gave rise to a popular Ted Talk and is also the author of Your Turn - How To Be An Adult. She served as Stanford’s Dean of Freshman and Undergraduate Advising before pursuing opportunities in writing and advocacy. Julie is the mother of 2 and has many real life connections to young adults. She’s got the wisdom and experience that we are all looking for! Listen to this episode to gain insight, compassion, and hope.
This is an ecore episode which first aired in Feb. 2022.
The mission of Healthy Screen Habits is to empower families to create healthy habits for screen use, while maintaining technology as a tool, never a replacement, for human connection.
Heath Wilson is one of the co-creators of Aro, a tool that can help families achieve their relationship & connection goals. Aro is a device and system that leverages the science of habit formation and motivational design by helping families reclaim time spent on their phones.
By gamifying OFF time spent on a phone Aro helps to reset your families connectivity, build memories, and create intention surrounding time on technology. Learn more about this new tool to support intentional use of technology and how to start a free trial today by listening to this episode!
Tech is tricky. Some platforms can be helpful and expansive in creating our views of the world, others create an echo chamber or a “vortex of views”. It is important that we teach our kids the difference between the two. Equally important is our support of teachers in helping them navigate the areas of tech to find the best educational practices.
EverySchool.org is an organization that strives to do both of these things, the EdTEch Triangle can give educators a framework of research based decision making when creating lesson plans and intentionally adding tech to their curriculum.
Blythe Winslow is the co-founder and executive director of Everyschool.org. She's also the co-author of the Ed Tech Triangle - a tool that can educate, inform and support all teachers who want to use tech intentionally.
In this episode we talk about the importance of print versus the digital screen, the EdTech Triangle and Everyschool.org Parent Groups.
Johanna Renoth is the founder of Log Off Live More. She wants to help people navigate the digital world in a healthy, empowered way. Johanna does this by teaching and sharing resources about digital wellbeing and helping entrepreneurs market themselves without relying on social media.
Above all, she's here to help you find ways to break out of falling into social media holes and live the life you want with technology.
As a life coach for the parents of teenagers Jeanine Mouchawar helps make parenting teens easier. By teaching new communication strategies that reduce conflict and create calm, Jeanine believes that the more we connect with our teens on technology, the greater our influence will be when they are making choices online.
In this week’s episode of the Healthy Screen Habit’s Podcast, Jeanine and Hillary talk about the importance of connection, relationships and boundaries around technology.
Teaching body boundaries and online safety is what We Stand Guard does best.
We Stand Guard is a training program designed to educate everyone about preventing child sexual abuse and exploitation in all its forms, whether that be physical or non-physical contact abuse.
Kimberly Perry is the brains behind the program. Author and elementary school educator, with over 15 years experience working with children across the country, Kimberly has a master of arts and teaching and has taught boundaries and personal safety to over 1000 elementary school students.
In this episode she teaches us about body boundaries and online safety for kids.
Madi is an 18 year old girl who is passionately spreading awareness about LDS women struggling with pornography. As a young woman growing up, developing a bad habit of porn consumption, and living as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as LDS, Madi felt shame and loneliness. Part of her healing came through consulting members of her faith. She hopes to help others find their own path forward and develop new, healthy screen habits.
In this episode we talk about her path to recovery, various approaches to stop viewing porn, as well as an on-campus organization seeking to help others connect.
Live More Screen Less is a Minnesota based organization that uses best practices from education, public health, and positive youth development to engage with family, schools and organizations to promote balanced, intentional, and effective use of technology.
That is the total trifecta! the best of all possible uses of technology! Listen to this episode as I talk to the co-founders Maree Hampton and KK Meyers.
They are dynamic women who are changing the way Minnesota does tech in schools.
Spring forward for a fresh start with Season 7 and digital wellness!
Sometimes a fresh start can look like revisiting some old practices, other times it can look like trying something new. This season I will be exploring both of these practices and talking with people who put their plans to action and have developed tools, systems and even helped design legislation to get digital wellness and healthy screen habits into classrooms and homes.
Plus - learn about Screen Free Week 2023 with Jen Kane!
Healthy Screen Habits was founded by a group of 4 moms who find it imperative to practice what we teach! For the next few weeks the podcast will take a break as we enjoy Spring Break with our own families.
During Spring Break, take some time to do some digital spring cleaning! Delete unused apps and revisit memories of the past year by organizing photos. The act of revisiting memories brings about reminiscence which it turns out is one of the best ways to increase language with younger kids and strengthen memory.
“My kid can’t have ADHD because he can play video games for 3 hours.”
“Screens help my child focus.”
Both of these statements are ones that we have been told by parents of kids with ADHD. I went to the experts at The Childhood Collective to figure out what’s going on with screens and ADHD. The Childhood Collective is a team of two child psychologists (Lori Long, Ph.D. and Mallory Yee, Ph.D.) and a speech language pathologist (Katie Severson, M.S., CCC-SLP). Most importantly, they are three moms who are dedicated to supporting parents of children with ADHD.
ADHD brains are designed to be hyper focused on novelty, something tech has perfected. We need to equip our ADHD kids with extra skills and tools to learn how to regulate and transition.
In this episode we learn about all of it!
Lauren Paer and Mindy Holohan discuss a fantastic FREE new product from the Screen Time Action Network at Fairplay!
The Screen Aware Early Childhood Action Kit provides:
- Guidance for prioritizing healthy child development in a screen saturated world
- Strategies for managing screen use (for children and adults)
- Research-based information on impacts of screen technologies
- Resources for promoting screen awareness at home and in the classroom
We all want our little ones to flourish, it can be hard to know how to help them, especially around screen time. The new Screen Aware Early Childhood Action Kit has all you need to help your 0-5 child thrive.
Listen to today’s episode and get your own kit today!
Talk More. Tech Less. is a digital wellness organization providing tools and resources for families and communities to #TechResponsibly by learning to be healthy and safe on screens.
Founder, Dawn Wible is a certified digital wellness educator and mom of 3 who trains school districts and communities through in-person and online courses.
In this episode we talk about the importance of secure attachment and connecting with our kids to build their best digital filters. Listen and learn!
Sarah Szuminski runs the wonderfully fun and helpful Instagram channel and website called "Simplifying Play". She is a wife, mom of two, and an advocate of play for all children. Sarah is passionate about the power of play and helping parents discover their role in playful learning.
Real life play (offline play) is critical for kids to make lasting connections with their world, themselves and others. In the process of play kids experiment, problem solve, and practice perseverance.
True to her website "Simplifying Play," Sarah advocates “less is more” when it comes to toy management and organization. Keeping it simple will result in longer periods of independent play and deeper learning. Listen to this episode for tips on simplifying play, life, and enjoying the results.
TechWise Littles is on a mission to help create confident, tech wise parents raise healthy, tech wise littles from birth. Co-creators, Kay De Veer and Jennifer Strube, have decades of experience in education and are mothers of littles themselves. Their content is relevant, engaging and readily applicable in your own home.
In this episode we talk about how to put boundaries around screens, enjoy video chatting with full benefits and put the safest, healthiest screen habits into place with your littles!
Jenna Greenspoon, Head of Parenting at Kidas, has a background in education and working with families. She is a mom of 4, all of whom are avid gamers. She is passionate about keeping children safe and working with families to educate them on how to do so. (So are we!!)
In this episode to learn more about Kidas and how to keep the PC gamers in your house safe.
Patricia Parker is the founder of Tools for Children, an organization whose mission is to help parents reduce passive screen time by encouraging creative play and opportunity. Originally from the Washington DC area, she holds a BS from LaSalle University and was deeply entrenched in corporate America before starting her family. Tools For Children provides actionable suggestions for families of all ages and stages.
Listen to this episode to get more tools for your parenting with tech toolbox!
Susan Linn is a psychologist, and award-winning ventriloquist, and a world-renowned expert on creative play and the impact of tech, media, and commercial marketing on children. She was founding director of the children’s advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (now called Fairplay), and is currently Lecturer on Psychiatry at Harvard Medical school.
On today’s episode we discuss her newly published book, Who’s Raising the Kids? Big Tech, Big Business, and the Lives of Children, reminisce about her time spent working with Mr. Rogers, and dive into understanding why our kids are targeted by big tech.
Carly Tulloch and Katie Sterbenz are pediatric speech language pathologists and the founders of Wee Talkers, (@WeeTalkers) a developmentally based program for speech and language development. Through courses, memberships, and social media, they share parent-friendly tips that families can put into use during their daily routines to help their toddlers talk and communicate more.
In this episode we explore the role tech plays in the increasing rates of speech therapy referrals as well as what an overuse of screen time can look like with behavioral issues.
Kailan Carr is a former teacher with a Masters in Literacy, she founded Quiet Book Queen & Crafts in Between to help parents and grandparents provide screen-free activities for their little ones in an easier, more cost effective way. She loves to encourage independent play, share easy and engaging activities, and help you create memory making moments to connect as a family.
Kailan believes in promoting play in a screen-free way. Sounds like fun? Listen to this episode to learn how to start today!
The American Academy of Pediatrics gives some pretty strong guidelines for technology and littles.
0-18 months : no screen time except for video chatting with loved ones
18 months - 2 years: minimal screen time and only with an adult
2-5 : no more than 1 hour per day of screen media entertainment
WHY such strong restrictions? WHAT should we be doing with our babies and littles to give them the best path of growth?
HOW do we pull all of these things together while working, caregiving and maintaining a home?
Learn all of these things and some healthy screen habits that you can put in place in your own life by listening to this season of the Healthy Screen Habits Podcast! I am taking a deep dive into "Tech, Tots, and Littles" to find out the very best parenting practices as well as some of the research that drove these guidelines.
New episodes drop Wednesdays on any of the podcasting platforms.
Chris Stedman is a writer, activist, and professor who teaches in the Dept. of Religion and Philosophy at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN. Previously the founding director of the Yale Humanist Community, he also served as a humanist chaplain at Harvard University. He is the author of a new book titled: IRL: Finding Our Real Selves in a Digital World.
In this episode we discuss why people are leaving religious institutions in pursuit of finding connections online and what it means to be real in a digital space.
Kathy Van Benthuysen spent nearly 30 years as a fourth grade teacher and had a front row seat to watch the impact technology had on children. As the Chief Product Officer of Converlation, a business that works to provide the exchange of thoughts, ideas, and feelings that build and strengthen family relationships, Kathy has suggestions on where to start building relational health.
Your relationship with your child is the best filter you have for online protection. Listen to this episode to learn how to strengthen it today!
Healthy Screen Habits Chief Operating Officer Jeannie Sprague talks about her own journey with social media as well as how she approached getting her teen ready for his own account. As a mom of 4, Jeannie understands that different children need different approaches to teaching. With a degree in Educational Psychology and over 25 years of experience working with children, Jeannie’s goal is to help people find balance in how they use their media, especially as it relates to family interactions. In this episode we talk about the training period before getting an account as well as teaching consent with online posting.
There are 2 major bipartisan bills that need your support. KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act) and COPPA 2.0 (an update of the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act) are making their way through the legislative process and we need your help to get them all the way there! On this episode, members of the legal team at FairPlay explain both bills and why these important next steps are needed to keep our kids safe online. We also talk about how you can contact your Senator to make it happen.
Cece Hawley is the President of the Live More Screen Less Youth Council. She’s a Gen Zer who has a passion for digital wellness and change. Cece has an inside perspective of growing up with social media and the tricky relationship between tech and teens. On this episode we talk about what it’s like to grow up with tablets in school and what makes an influencer.
For the past 49 years Barbara Coloroso has been speaking, educating and teaching on parenting, creating positive school climates, bullying, explaining nonviolent conflict resolution and more. She has appeared on the BBC, Oprah and CNN. In this episode we discuss cyberbullying, it’s far reaching ramifications and what tools our kids need to have to combat this growing problem.
Kristin Bride is mother who has become a FORCE of awareness building and education of online bullying and the role that social media plays. This is not by choice. Kristin's life changed immeasurably on June 23, 2020 when her 16 year old son, Carson, died by suicide following vicious cyberbullying thru Snapchat and the use of anonymous apps. On this episode we discuss Carson's story and legacy.
Sarah Siegand is a parent educator, tech consultant, and mom of 2 teenage boys. She and her husband Jesse founded Parents Who Fight in 2015. With this season’s focus being placed on Social Media, she is the perfect person to ask ALL the questions about what type of boundaries we need to put in place for healthy habits with social media.
Sarah Siegand is a parent educator, tech consultant, and mom of 2 teenage boys. She and her husband Jesse founded Parents Who Fight in 2015. With this season’s focus being placed on Social Media, she is the perfect person to ask ALL the questions about what type of boundaries we need to put in place for healthy habits with social media.
Charlotte Markey Phd is uniquely qualified to talk about the effects social media is having upon our youth's developing self image. Actively doing research, examining eating behaviors and body image for 25 years, she has applied this knowledge to newer issues cropping up surrounding social media and self image. In this episode we explore all of these things and talk about how our own kids have been affected by tech.
Joann Bogard is a parent who did everything right and her son still died participating in a dangerous social media challenge. The “Choking Challenge” is an ongoing killer and Big Tech is failing to put up guardrails. In this episode learn about 15 year old Mason Bogard, his life, and how we can support legislation that will provide youth protection from being exposed to dangerous online challenges.
Richard Culatta is the CEO of ISTE (International Society for Technology and Education) and author of the book Digital For Good - Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World. In this episode we discuss how the digital citizenship curriculum needs to be updated and how to become an upstander when seeing cyberharm occur.
This Trailer for Season 5 of the HSH Podcast teases a a few of the upcoming episodes. I also talk about the focus of this season : Social Media.
Is sound editing to podcasts as filters are to photos? Decide for yourself while hearing bloopers and outakes of the Healthy Screen Habits Podcast! Also gain insight into Gen Z perspective with a conversation with our sound editor.
Summer is barreling down on us and while some are ready for the lazy mornings and unscheduled days, others are already starting to agitate over how to navigate these coming weeks without succumbing to the allure and ease of too much screen time. This week we get the full collective knowledge of the moms of Healthy Screen Habits to share their tips, tricks and hacks on how to have a balanced summer with tech.
Summer is coming! How do we teach kids to self-regulate around time spent video-gaming? Tracy Foster from the organization START teaches all about their tool called the “video game decision tree”. In this episode we talk about the founding philosophy and components of START as well as go over this invaluable tool to help parents maintain summer sanity!
Jesse Hildebrand is the VP of Education at Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants, an organization committed to bringing exploration, travel, and adventure into your home and classroom! With live opportunities to talk to astronauts, Arctic explorers, and more, Jesse is at the forefront of bridging offline experiences and online learning and it’s all FREE! Listen and learn more!
Sean Clifford is the founder of Canopy, an organization committed to empowering families to enjoy a customized and healthy internet experience. On this episode we speak specifically about how to talk to kids and teens about sexting and pornography.
Temple Grandin has the distinction of being named one of Time Magazine's most 100 influential people as well as an author, educator, and inventor. Her life’s work of understanding her own autistic mind and sharing that with the world has led her to a uniquely qualified position in which to explore technology, autism, and behavior.
In this episode we explore things all families can do, both on and offline, to provide educational, enriching experiences. Temple discusses personal experiences with video gaming, lessons from her childhood surrounding engagement with others, and shares a pandemic plumbing frustration.
Sandi Schwartz is the founder and director of the Ecohappiness Project; author of the parenting book Finding Ecohappiness: Fun Nature Activities to Help Your Kids Feel Happier and Calmer; and journalist specializing in parenting, environmental, and wellness topics. Her mission is to inspire and educate families to build a nature habit to feel happier and calmer. In this episode we discuss how to create a nature habit and support a healthy balance of screentime and greentime.
Get ready, get set! Next week is Screen Free Week and Lucy Kidwell, global coordinator, is here to teach us all kinds of ways to stay offline and engaged in fun, real world activities. Enjoy listening to this conversation and get a few tips on how to manage your own Screen Free Week successfully.
As a lifelong camper and career Summer Camp Director, Michael Jacobus observed that summer camp was changing. The majority of campers arrived GLUED to their phones. The RESET program is a complete detox from all screen-based electronic devices and the establishment of a set schedule, getting enough sleep, healthy eating habits and basically RESETTING your teen to a place of health and harmony.
Allana Robinson is a Parenting Coach and CEO of Uncommon Sense Parenting. She supports parents of toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners in understanding WHY their children are misbehaving and how to fix it without yelling, shaming, or time-outs. In this episode we talk about how bridging outdoor activity with online interest can help regulate your child’s mood.
As we wrap up Season 3, take time to learn about Digital Spring Cleaning and doing your digital laundry. This episode also includes a recommended donation site to help families leaving Ukraine.
Teens are under assault with a constant barrage of digital media, notifications and social stress! Help your kids learn how to tame their tech and slay their digital dragons by implementing 3 R’s introduced by Dr. Alex J. Packer in today’s episode.
What should we do if we find out our child has been viewing pornography? Marilyn Evans is committed to helping parents understand their unique role in preparing children and teens against online harms surrounding pornography and exploitation. In this episode we discuss how to have age appropriate talks about porn and what to do if we find our child has a habit.
As founder of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, Elizabeth Englander PhD is committed to helping children find best practices for connecting with others. Technology has created new ways to navigate the already tricky world of social norms. It’s important parents have lots of discussions to provide guidance with all kinds of conflict resolution. In this episode we talk about technology, conflict resolution and parenting in a tech age.
Founder of the top parenting site, Better Screen Time, Andrea Davis is committed to helping parents worry less about technology and connect more with their kids. Better Screen Time is the place for parents who want technology to hold an intentional place in their household. In this episode we talk about a 4-step plan to teens getting a cell phone.
Julie Lythcott-Haims is the New York Times bestselling author of the anti-helicopter parenting manifesto, How To Raise An Adult, which gave rise to a popular Ted Talk and is also the author of Your Turn - How To Be An Adult. She served as Stanford’s Dean of Freshman and Undergraduate Advising before pursuing opportunities in writing and advocacy. Julie is the mother of 2 and has many real life connections to young adults, she’s got the wisdom and experience that we are all looking for! Listen to this episode to gain insight, compassion, and hope.
As the founder of Smart Digital Kids, Dr. Beverly Pell is committed to empowering parents and educators to raise kids who use tech in smart ways, intentionally, responsibly, and creatively. She also wants to teach how to use tech to promote purpose and wellbeing. In this episode we talk about her method in which we all learn how to TAME our tech and increase our connection as a team.
As the founder for The Center Of Online Safety, Lisa Honold is committed to teaching adults how to guide children towards healthy and intentional relationships with technology, all while strengthening offline relationships with family and friends. In this episode we talk about 5 circles of online safety you can start using today.
Dr. Nina Shapiro has been taking care of children for nearly 25 years, one of the things she has learned along the way is: The more you empower kids with knowledge surrounding their own health - the better they apply healthy habits! In this episode we tackle the ever present question “Why Can’t I Have More Screen Time?”
Julianna Lorenzen is a co-founder and the Executive Director of Healthy Screen Habits plus a whole lot of fun! In this episode learn about the most popular tool accessed at our website: The Family Tech Plan. Learn how to unlock your family’s potential in the New Year.
I have a free gift for you! It's just what you always wanted more of....listen to this episode to find out what it is and thank you for listening to Season 2! We will resume exploring more Healthy Screen Habits in the New Year. Episode 1 of Season 3 drops January 5, 2022.
In early October, a former Facebook employee turned whistleblower. Francis Haugen went public with accusations and internal documents collected during her time of employment. She said that the social media giant had been prioritizing profits over user safety and security. As soon as the formula of screens plus commercialization, plus youth began to reveal itself. I knew who I needed to talk to: Jean Rogers is the Director of the Children's Screen Time Action Network. In this episode Jean translates the data exposed by the Facebook Files and gives us some tips on how to keep our children safe online.
For the past 49 years Barbara Coloroso has been speaking, educating and teaching on parenting, creating positive school climates, bullying, explaining nonviolent conflict resolution and more. She has appeared on the BBC, Oprah and CNN just to name a few. Her life work of putting kids first and her organization: Kids Are Worth It! is the cornerstone for many in education and early childhood development. In this episode we discuss cyberbullying, it’s far reaching ramifications and what tools our kids need to have to combat this growing problem.
Bryan Seely is a world-famous hacker, Cybersecurity expert, and former U.S. Marine. His fame skyrocketed in 2014 when he became the only person to ever wiretap the United States Secret Service and FBI. Now he choses to use his skills for good and instructs families in digital safety. In this episode we discuss how to stay safe online in a constantly changing digital landscape.
The Family Dinner Project, champions family dinner as an opportunity for family members to connect with each other through food, fun and conversation about things that matter.
More than 20 years of scientific research shows “why” family mealtimes are so important. The Family Dinner Project provides the “how” for today’s busy families. In this episode I talk with Bri DeRosa from the Family Dinner Project to see if tech deserves a seat at the table.
Jean Rogers brings sanity, humor and calmness to the sometimes not so calm conversations surrounding parenting and technology. As the Director of the Children’s Screen Time Action Network, Jean helps schools, corporations, communities and families achieve balance with technology. In this episode we talk about actionable ways parents can move their family towards healthy screen habits.
Dr. Carol Westby has travelled the globe studying speech development, play and more. She has started noticing some alarming trends. In this episode we explore the effect of screen overuse on language development and parent/child attachment. Dr. Westby also shares the best thing you can do to help your child grow healthy communication skills.
A “mompreneur” influencer and a millennial explain how they value social media as a tool that can be used to educate and support positive mental health when used intentionally.
Shawn Nelson is a 46 year old mom that has a passion for social media! Not only has she built a full time income on it, found her biological grandfather, but also uses it to help educate on Type 1 diabetes and provide support to families.
Ivy Staker is a social anthropologist and an eating disorder survivor fascinated by how we shape culture, and how culture shapes us. She intentionally uses social media to guide healthful thoughts and stopped following her friends' accounts when she realized she no longer felt good after seeing their online posts..
Dr. Sarah Coyne researches media, aggression, and child development. In this episode she explores how technology affects toddlers and tantrums. We also talk about long term mental health effects of using technology to distract ourselves from deep feelings.
At 11 years old, Ashlee Ayre discovered pornography. She shares her journey through the process of addiction and recovery in the hope that it might help others. Ashlee's mission is to help parents understand that screen and pornography addiction can happen to anyone.
Dr. Gail Dines has been researching and writing about the harms of pornography for over 30 years. Using scientific studies and data as the backbone to her organization; Culture Reframed, Gail explores behavioral and mental problems that arise with early/ongoing exposure to pornography. On this episode, Gail shares parenting tips on how to talk about pornography with children and shares resources to combat this huge public health crisis.
Jenifer Joy Madden is a Certified Digital Wellness Instructor and a cheerleader for humanity. She believes that durability, rather than resiliency, is the key to leveling up in life. Learn how to create healthy habits as well as increase your durability, longevity and happiness in this episode.
Going back to school this year looks different. Many families are feeling the anxiety of Covid, screentime and schoolwork. Add a surging Delta variant and it’s enough to push even the steadiest parent off balance. Bette Alkazian is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Parenting Coach and nationally recognized parenting expert who works with families to ease challenges and increase joys of raising children.
In this bonus episode Hillary explains podcasting programming formats and gives listeners the drop date for Season 2.
TechWise Littles is an organization on a mission to help create confident tech wise parents raise healthy tech wise littles from birth. Co-creators, Kay DeVeer and Jennifer Strube have decades of experience in education and are mothers of littles themselves. Their content is relevant, engaging and readily applicable in your own home.
Hilarie Cash is a pioneer in the field of digital addiction and one of the nation’s leading clinical experts in internet and gaming disorders. As a co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer of ReStart Life, the first of its kind residential treatment facility in the U.S. and Canada, she has been studying technology and its effects upon mental health since the 1990’s.
Learn how to recognize problematic behaviors and when to ask for help by listening to this episode.
Cheryl Cardall is a proud mom of 5 and podcast host of the Fight like a Mother podcast. She advocates for those living with mental illness and for parents raising children with mental illness. In this episode we discuss how screens affect mental health, parenting challenges and breaking the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Listen to hear tips on how to navigate parenting with technology and end the power struggle surrounding screen use in your family.
“I Believe In Me” is an online program designed to give tween girls (11-14 yrs) a carefully crafted step up into their teen years and tech use. Using a theme of gardening to explain self care and awareness, girls are taught how to build strength through self awareness and rise above the comparison, criticism, and self-doubt that is rampant when engaging with social media.
Founder and members of the I Believe in Me staff; Katie Parker, Becky Fife and Allie Callister speak about the principles guiding their program, tools to implement within your own home and bring a whole lot of fun to this episode!
Chris McKenna is the founder and CEO of Protect Young Eyes, an organization committed to helping families, schools and churches create safer digital spaces. He employs a 4 layer method to controlling digital access and encourages all families to have multiple conversations surrounding pornography and internet overuse.
In this episode, Chris discusses the benefits of becoming your child’s digital coach and chooses his favorite candy.
Tiffany Shlain was living life online to the fullest when a series of life altering events led her to value time over distraction. As her father lay dying of brain cancer while she experienced a high-risk pregnancy, Tiffany took to turning off all digital connections one day a week. Calling on the ancient observance of Shabbat helped her regain peace, creativity, and connection.
Tiffany Shlain is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, founder of the Webby Awards, and author of the national bestselling book 24/6: Giving up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection.
Temple Grandin has the distinction of being named one of Time Magazine's most 100 influential people as well as an author, educator and inventor. Her life’s work of understanding her own autisic mind and sharing that with the world has led her to a uniquely qualified position in which to explore technology, autism and behavior.
In this episode we explore things all families can do, both on and offline, to provide educational, enriching experiences. Temple discusses personal experiences with video gaming, lessons from her childhood surrounding engagement with others and shares a pandemic plumbing frustration.
Emily Cherkin, the Screentime Consultant, speaks with Healthy Screen Habits about the number one concern on every pandemic parent’s mind: Is online education working?
Dr. James Peddie DVM has been called the “Hollywood Vet”, as an exotic animal veterinarian he has seen, diagnosed and cared for more species than many of us have ever seen in a zoo.
This episode we explore parallels of behaviors affected by neurotransmitters due to technology overuse in humans and the same behaviors seen in animals due to stress and anticipation.
Wired Human is a nonprofit organization founded by the husband/wife team; Jason and Lisa Frost. In their new book “The Glass Between Us” they discuss technology within the context of human behavior and how it is affecting our teens. We cover all of that and so much more in this episode.
Team Frost’s energy and enthusiasm to see the next generation become digital pioneers as they become the first line of defense against exploitation is contagious!
Smith Alley is a rising star in the area of tech safety and digital awareness. At age 17 he has already battled social media & early exposure to pornography, recognized a growing need in society for teen advocacy and testified in Utah state legislature. He is a leader in promoting “real life living” and enjoying every moment.
Smith offers perspective on what it is like to be a teen growing up in today’s world and encourages us all to “Live Life Bigger”.
Amy Adams of Healthy Screen Habits discusses the 4 S's to remind parents of the necessity in keeping tech out of bedrooms and out from behind closed doors.
This is the pilot episode of the Healthy Screen Habits Podcast. On this podcast I talk to parenting experts and feature insights, tips and take aways to help families establish safe, mindful habits surrounding screen use and technology.