We discuss lawsuits filed by parents against video game companies for allegedly causing psychiatric disorders in children. Are lawsuits really the way forward in managing our anxieties about screens? We also catch up on what we’re watching during our grown up screen time. Things we mention in this episode: Kids Hooked on Video Games Prompt a Flurry of Lawsuits by Rachel Graf in Bloomberg Businessweek Instead of watching TV or movies with our kids this week, we’ve been: Listening to Phineas and F...
May 29, 2024•20 min
We review the recently released movie IF. This might be the first kids movie of the summer season, but we question whether this Ryan Reynolds vehicle is really a kids movie at all. Is it just a sneaky way for us to confront our anxieties about parenthood while distracting our kids with goofy images of anthropomorphized marshmallows? Previous episodes we mention: Animal Crackers Spirited Duck Tales Goldie Hawn bemoaning her role as the mother in First Wives Club IF made us think of these movies a...
May 22, 2024•29 min
There have been think pieces galore this past month about the approaching end of the beloved preschool series Bluey. We talk about the intense parental love for the series and how to move forward after the end of something we love. We also catch up on what we’re watching with our kids and in our grown-up screen time. Things we mention in this episode: Everything ends. Even Bluey by Bryan Walsh in Vox Raising Raffi by Keith Gessen What we’ve been watching with our kids: Phineas and Ferb Fallout K...
May 15, 2024•16 min
We review the reboot of Dora on Paramount Plus. Did this classic bilingual heroine really need a new look? Things we mentioned in this episode: McSweeney’s article “A Court-ordered Letter from Dora the Explorer’s Mother” How AI Is Already Transforming Moviemaking Previous episodes we mention: Dora and the Lost City of Gold Ms Rachel’s Songs for Littles Puffin Rock Snoopy Show Fraggle Rock Back to the Rock Creature Cases Dora made us think of these shows for grown ups: One Day at a Time Lupin We ...
May 08, 2024•24 min
In this Screen Time in the News episode, we discuss a recent event in Massachusetts wherein a sixth grade student at Whitin Intermediate School took a state-required standardized test on a school issued Chromebook and suffered first degree burns and blisters. We also catch up on our family watch lists and what we’re watching once the kids go to bed. Things we mentioned in this episode: Today’s Screen Time in the News article: Uxbridge pulls laptops from service after student burned during MCAS t...
May 01, 2024•16 min•Ep. 184
It’s Earth Week, so we’re reviewing the nature documentary series Queens on Disney Plus. Find out whether the combination of beautiful photography and female-centric stories is a winning one and which of your hosts just can’t handle the harsh realities of life in the wild. Previous episodes we mention: Cinderella The article telling the true story behind the lemming suicide myth , compliments of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Minneapolis’s first all-female fire department from the 1980s ...
Apr 24, 2024•25 min•Ep. 183
Things we mentioned in this episode: Today’s Screen Time in the News article: Sharing childhood faves with my kids has its ups and downs – but I know it takes them places Netflix or Disney won’t by Myke Bartlett from The Guardian on March 18, 2024 Past episodes we mention: Pollyanna For more on our journeys into watching old movies with our kids, check out these newsletter posts: Tron Beetlejuice Free Willy The Neverending Story The Karate Kid And just to prove what flip-floppers we are on this ...
Apr 17, 2024•19 min
Things we mentioned in this episode: Previous episodes we mention: Kung Fu Panda 4 2 music videos for you: The truly terrible music video for Vanilla Ice’s rap in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 The much better music video to the Phineas and Ferb song “There’s a Platypus Controlling Me” The Loud House Movie made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups: Irish Wish Leap Year Happy Shiny People Just the Ten of Us Big Love We cast the gritty HBO reboot of the movie with: Tatiana Maslany as a...
Apr 10, 2024•23 min
Things we mentioned in this episode: Parents have a problem with screen time, too, teens say by Heather Kelly Link to the Pew Research Center report Zigazoo , the bizarre social media app for kids What we’ve been watching with our kids: Young Sheldon The Eternals What we’re watching (though not always enjoying) during grown-up screen time: Constellations on Apple TV+ Masters of the Air on Apple TV+ Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook ...
Apr 03, 2024•18 min
Things we mentioned in this episode: Old episodes we mention: Raya and the Last Dragon The Super Mario Bros. Movie Animal Crackers The Watch podcast from The Ringer We compared this movie to the grown-up book What Color is Your Parchute?: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success. We cast the gritty HBO reboot of the movie with: Jeff Hiller or Noah Schnapp as Po Laci Mosley as Zhen John Cho as Li Karen Gillan as Mr. Ping Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.mysc...
Mar 27, 2024•25 min
We talk about women in STEM in movies and on TV. Is the Geena Davis Institute’s slogan of “if she can see it, she can be it” borne out by their latest report? We also catch up on what our kids are watching and what’s on our grown-up screen time watch lists. Past episodes we mention: American Girl: Corinne Tan Review Lyla in the Loop Review Spooky Buddies Review , which is where we talked about the Geena Davis Institute for the first time Wonka Review Portray Her 2.0: An Analysis of 15 Years of W...
Mar 20, 2024•22 min
We revisit the American Girl universe for the first time in years to watch American Girl: Corinne Tan The Movie. We may have struggled to find things to love in this short movie aimed at tweens, but you’d better believe we found a spot for podcast fave John Cho in our reimagined HBO casting. Previous episodes we mention Maryellen: Extraordinary Christmas Review American Born Chinese Review Harriet the Spy Review Inventing the Perfect College Applicant from New York Magazine on January 29th The O...
Mar 13, 2024•28 min
In this Screen Time in the News episode, we discuss a recent Burnt Toast podcast episode where diet culture critic Virginia Sole Smith interviews Ash Brandin, The Gamer Educator. We’ve never connected our screen time discussions with anti-fat bias before! We also catch up on our family watch lists and what we’re watching once the kids go to bed. The podcast episode we discuss in today's episode is: Are Screens the New Sugar? Other things we mention in this episode: The Gamer Educator Wired’s Scr...
Mar 06, 2024•23 min
We review Pokemon Concierge on Netflix. Katie gushes over the stop motion animation, and Deborah wishes she could name more than two pokemon. They agree that fuzzy, three-dimensional pokemon are superior to their traditionally animated counterparts in hugability. Pokemon Concierge made us think of these shows or movies for grown ups: White Lotus Forgetting Sarah Marshall In our gritty reboot casting, we would like to see: Emma Stone or Anna Kendrick as Haru Tracy Morgan, Wanda Sykes, Nate Bargat...
Feb 28, 2024•22 min
We continue our conversation about kids and AI in this Screen Time in the News episode. We discuss an MIT Technology Review article about talking to our kids about AI and catch up on our family watch lists and what we’re watching once the kids go to bed. The article we discuss in this episode is “You need to talk to your kid about AI. Here are 6 things you should say” from the MIT Technology Review. It was published on September 5th and written by Rhiannon Williams and Melissa Heikkilä. Other It...
Feb 21, 2024•19 min•Ep. 174
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Feb 14, 2024•48 sec0
We review PBS Kids’ first foray into AI: Lyla in the Loop. Is Lyla’s alien computer friend Stu an adorable way to teach kids about coding languages or a harbinger of the end of all things? At least Katie and Deborah agree that everyone could use an AI sidekick to clean the kitchen. Other episodes we mention: Episode 168 Harriet the Spy Episode 73 Puffin Rock Here’s a link to Lyla’s “bunny ear” shoe tying technique . Lyla in the Loop made us think of these shows or movies for grown ups: The Bear ...
Feb 14, 2024•26 min•Ep. 173
Special announcement from It's My Screen Time Too. Subscribe to our feed for new episodes coming in 2024! Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Jan 24, 2024•2 min
Grab your everlasting gobstoppers for our holiday season review of Wonka, the musical prequel to the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. We welcomed Alex and Kelly, hosts of the Dirt Nap City podcast, to explore our thoughts on prequels, musicals, oompa loompas, chocolate that doesn’t look like chocolate, whether Timothee Chalamet is a worthy successor to Gene Wilder, and much more. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss why marketing departments are leaving the music out of trai...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 13 min
We review the latest Disney animated musical Wish. Find out how it compares to favorites like Frozen and Encanto. Katie takes us on a journey through the recent history of Disney musicals to see where this one fits, and we discuss whether tying this movie to Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration was a smart move. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an episode of the podcast Struggle Care about the dangers of family vlogging. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.c...
Dec 13, 2023•41 min
We depart from our regular format to bring you our takes on the new family movies premiering on streamers and in theaters during the holiday season. What deserves our screen time as 2023 comes to a close? We have plenty of options, from the newest Disney animated musical to a family body swap comedy to Adam Sandler’s latest silly voice. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an article that asks why none of the newer holiday films feel like they’ll truly become classics like Elf and Love Actuall...
Nov 29, 2023•35 min
Harriet the Spy, the novel beloved by generations of young readers, has been adapted into a multi-season animated series on Apple TV+. We discuss whether Harriet’s antics are appealing when spread over twenty episodes, whether today’s parents are comfortable with their kids admiring a character who spies on others, free range parenting, and more. In Screen Time in the News, we confront our fears about AI being used in PBS’s upcoming interactive show Lyla in the Loop. Contact us and subscribe to ...
Nov 15, 2023•43 min
We review Spy Kids: Armageddon, the fifth and latest installment in the Spy Kids franchise. Does the soft reboot on Netflix feel fresh or is Spy Kids better left an artifact of the aughts? In Screen Time in the News, we’re just not ready to give up on spooky season, so we discuss a MovieWeb article extolling the 90s banner days of horror for kids. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentim...
Nov 01, 2023•38 min
Star-studded casts have propelled previous movies based on Disney theme park rides to success (Jack Sparrow ring any bells?). In our review of Disney’s second attempt at a Haunted Mansion movie, we consider whether kids even care that the cast includes heavy hitters like Lakeith Stanfield and Jamie Lee Curtis as well as whether the grim grinning ghosts in this new PG-13 Haunted Mansion are too scary for kids. In ScreenTime in the News, we bemoan the state of the magazine industry while discussin...
Oct 18, 2023•43 min
We check in with Apple to see how they’re handling the Peanuts legacy with a review of Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie. Does it have the charm and weight of the Peanuts specials we remember from our childhoods? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss the state of the family film in theaters. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
Oct 04, 2023•44 min
In our latest review, we try our best to follow the plot of the overstuffed animated adventure The Monkey King on Netflix. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss the evergreen newsworthiness of parents expressing befuddlement at their kids’ tastes in media by way of a Wall Street Journal article about popular Youtube channels. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
Sep 20, 2023•40 min
We debut a new segment called One For Me, One For You in which we pair YouTube channels beloved by our kids with ones we think have a greater appeal for parents. This week’s theme is animals, and we review Hammy and Olivia and Nat Geo Kids. We discuss a Wired article about YouTube as the future of kids TV, and Katie has an update about her kids and the music of Parry Gripp, a musician we first discussed way back in episode 90 in our review of Emily’s Wonder Lab. Contact us and subscribe to our n...
Sep 06, 2023•47 min
We didn’t expect to have quite so many complicated feelings about the new Apple TV+ preschool show Frog and Toad. Find out whether we thought the Frog and Toad stories, originally penned in the 1970s, made a successful transition to the small screen. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss PBS Kids’ expansion efforts into streaming, gaming, and podcasts. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscr...
Aug 23, 2023•41 min
We observe our annual summertime tradition of covering a made-for-streaming Disney live action musical with our review of World’s Best. Utkarsh Ambudkar’s tale of a math-loving tween exploring his dead dad’s love of rap had us considering some weighty questions about the legacies we leave our children, but it also had us bobbing our heads to some seriously catchy tunes. Find out whether you should factor this one into your family movie night schedule. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter a...
Aug 09, 2023•38 min
We’re joined once again by Julia Washington of Pop Culture Makes Me Jealous for our review of Barbie. We discuss PG-13 movies, when and why we feel comfortable sharing them with our kids, and whether Barbie can be enjoyed by the whole family. We represent a full range of Barbie fandoms - from superfans to casual observers - and cover everything from the appeal of midcentury dream house architecture to the importance of Alan to dream ballets to what actors could best represent aging Barbie and Ke...
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr 3 min
