Healthy Screen Habits Podcast

Help! What Podcast Should I Listen To? //Andi Smiley

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!  

Under the Influence of Jo Piazza, Tradwives, and Screens //Jo Piazza

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...

Phones + Schools = A Bad Mix //Phone-Free Schools Movement

Let Go and Let Grow For Healthy, Independent Kids! //Lenore Skenazy

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. Liste...

Neurodivergent Kids and Screen Use//Kris Harrison, PhD

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 neuro...

Got FOMO? Try JOMO! //Christina Crook//JOMO

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!  

The Best Thing You’ll Do All Week //Hillary Wilkinson, M Ed

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!  

Practicing Tech Shabbat //Tiffany Shlain

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, fou...

You’re Not Alone! Parenting With Tech-Aligned Others//Heed the Children

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.  

What’s The Matter? How Baby and Toddler Brain Development is Affected By Screen Time //Dr. John S. Hutton, MD, MS

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!!  

Season 9 Kick Off - The Best Way To Use Your Phone //Hillary Wilkinson

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...

Embracing Mistakes and Enjoying the Bloopers

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...

Children and Screens and Digital Media, Oh My!//Kris Perry//Children And Screens

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!  

The KidSafe Phone That Grows With Your Child //Bill Brady//Troomi Wireless

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 S...

How To Get Media Literacy Now!//Tamara Sobel, JD, CSE//Media Literacy 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 var...

What Would You(r Kid) Do For A Smartphone? //Javier Aguera - Pandora's Way

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 s...

Can I Be Addicted to Video Games? //Alex Basche LMFT/ReSet From Tech

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 P...

How Dopamine Rules The (Digital) World!! //Aniko Hill/DopaMind

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” meltdown...

The Tri-fecta: Big Tobacco, Marketing & Screen Content//Jon-Patrick Allem, Ph.D, M.A.

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...

Congratulations on Your First Phone! (Stay Safe, Be Smart & Make the World A Better Place! Learn How Here) //Jessica Speer

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 fi...

Talking About Porn With the Best//Gail Dines, PhD//Culture Reframed

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 cri...

Young Moms Get Help Here //Alex Fales/Mindful With Media

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 so...

The Dark Web - What You Should Know//Andy Murphy, The Secure Dad

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!

How To Fix Social Media…Not Kill It - Frances Haugen, AKA: the Facebook Whistleblower

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...

Healthy Screen Habits Hero: Frances Haugen, AKA: the Facebook Whistleblower

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 Fa...

Helping Youth Log Off // Emma Lembke -Log Off Movement

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. ...

Announcing Season 8: Calling All Healthy Screen Habits Heroes

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 r...

Summertime and Screens //Hillary Wilkinson, M Ed

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.

How To Get There….The Road To Raising An Awesome Adult//Julie Lythcott-Haims, JD, MFA

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! Liste...

Create Family Connections Using Tech//Aro//Heath Wilson

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...

How to Make Every School EdTech Aware//Blythe Winslow

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 base...

I Wrote a PhD About Instagram //Log Off Live More//Johanna Renoth, MA, MBA

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.  

How to Talk to Teens About Tech....So That They Listen!//Jeanine Mouchawar, CPC

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.  

Standing Guard Against Grooming and Online Sexual Predators //We Stand Guard//Kimberly Perry, MAC

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 b...

An LDS Young Woman’s Struggle With Porn //Madi

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...

How To LiveMore ScreenLess //LiveMore ScreenLess//KK Meyers, MA & Maree Hampton, M Ed, CHES

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 schoo...

Season 7 Kick Off! Making Plans and Taking Action in Digital Wellness

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 ...

Healthy Screen Habit Spring Break!! And a Spring Cleaning Tip...

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 k...

Managing ADHD and Screen Time //The Childhood Collective

“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 th...

FREE Toolkit! Hear All About it! Early Childhood Screen Aware Tool Kit //Lauren Paer & Mindy Holohan

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 c...

Why Talk More. Tech Less? //Dawn Wible //Talk More. Tech Less

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!

Teaching Our Kids to Play Independently….Without the IPad!

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...

Encore: Babies and Technology with TechWise Littles

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...

PC Gaming- How to Keep Kids Safe //Jenna Greenspoon //Kidas

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.

Building a Tech Healthy Childhood // Patricia Parker

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 toolb...

Who’s Raising the Kids? - Big Tech, Big Business and the Lives of Children //Susan Linn, Ed.D.

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 Chil...

Speech, Language Development, and Tech - Can they all hold hands?

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 wh...

The Quiet Book Queen Talks Tech

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 t...

Introducing Season 6: Tech, Tots, & Littles

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, careg...

HSHPS5 holiday wrap up