Healthy Screen Habits Podcast

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.  

Erin Walsh is a parent, speaker, and author who helps families and educators navigate the complexities of adolescents, parentin,g 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!