Today, Melanie is joined by ScreenStrong mom, Mary Laird Garrison, to discuss screen tips for young children, being intentional with screen time, and encouraging parents to put down their own devices and live out the ScreenStrong Lifestyle for their kids. Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the episode. Your feedback helps us bring you more of the content you love. Stay Strong! Get your copy of the BRAND NEW KBS Home Edition! Start your ScreenStrong ...
Jun 22, 2022•53 min
Today we welcome back Dr. Adriana Stacey, a Board Certified Psychiatrist, for part two of her discussion with Melanie. In this episode they cover why going cold-turkey with screen removal may be the best option for your family and offer tips and tricks for handling addictive behavior. Dr. Stacey's areas of specialty include female mental health treatment, including treatment of depression, anxiety, adult ADHD, insomnia, and sports psychiatry. Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and...
Jun 15, 2022•1 hr 20 min
Today we welcome Dr. Adriana Stacey, a Board Certified Psychiatrist to discuss screen ADHD in kids and the destructive nature of smartphones on children's brain. Dr. Stacey's areas of specialty include female mental health treatment, including treatment of depression, anxiety, adult ADHD, insomnia, and sports psychiatry. Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the episode. Your feedback helps us bring you more of the content you love. Stay Strong! Get yo...
Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 1 min
After the heinous elementary school massacre in Uvalde, TX last week, ScreenStrong invited Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a West Point Psychology Professor and author of Assassination Generation, to discuss the link between video game addiction and school violence that few are talking about. This is a heartbreaking but absolutely necessary episode to check out. Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the episode. Your feedback helps us bring you more of the con...
Jun 01, 2022•48 min
Today Melanie welcomes Becky Grant, an elementary school teacher of 11 years, a ScreenStrong Ambassador, and mom of two boys. Becky shares her family’s story with us, which she acknowledges is likely very similar to many other families’ stories of navigating a screen-saturated culture. She offers her story with the wish to provide hope, encouragement, and support for other families having doubts about being able to become ScreenStrong. Join us as she shares the growth she has noticed in her boys...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Melanie is joined once again by Dr. Leonard Sax, an American psychologist, and a practicing family physician. Dr. Sax has spoken on child and adolescent development issues in schools and communities worldwide since 2001. He is the author of numerous books and publications, including The Collapse of Parenting , one of ScreenStrong’s most recommended books. Did you know that TikTok is the #1 most visited website in the U.S. and Worldwide today? One billion TikTok videos are viewed daily, and its p...
May 18, 2022•1 hr 5 min
In this episode, Melanie is joined by our Brand Manager, Anna Wight to give a lesson-by-lesson preview of our new Kids’ Brains & Screens and ScreenStrong Solution Courses. This content deep-dive will give you an idea of what to expect in these courses and encourage you to take the step towards becoming a ScreenStrong Family. Kids’ Brains & Screens Course Lesson 1: Building Healthy Brains Lesson 2: The Teenage Brain Lesson 3: Brains & Screens Lesson 4: Smartphones & Social Media L...
May 11, 2022•1 hr 6 min
We’ve made it to 100 EPISODES !!! Thank you all for listening and supporting us. We couldn’t do this without your community support. Today Melanie is joined by Ellen Cotton, a longtime friend of ScreenStrong and living the ScreenStrong Lifestyle. She and Melanie present 100 unique tips to help you on your ScreenStrong journey and share personal stories about the ups and downs of reclaiming your kids from the virtual world. This episode is full of laughter, joy, and advice from parents who have b...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Today Melanie welcomes Laura Wurzburger, a ScreenStrong Ambassador, and a mom of two adopted children from China. Laura shares her inspiring and vulnerable story of her family's journey to enrich their lifestyle by changing technology use in their home. She shares and acknowledges the mistakes and unhealthy habits she and her husband created in raising their children and what they learned while going through this process of reducing unhealthy and toxic screen use in their life. Laura credits hav...
Apr 27, 2022•44 min
Today Melanie welcomes Ben O'Sullivan, a new ScreenStrong Ambassador based in Australia. Ben has worked in education as a teacher's aide for over 5 years now and is soon to be expanding his role as a school chaplain. He has also worked with youths in church groups and is presently working on a bachelor's degree in counseling. Ben shares his perspective on the changes influenced by the current technology use by youths in his work and community. He shares how his work as a teacher's aide pushed hi...
Apr 20, 2022•47 min
Join us in today's episode where Melanie unpacks the myth of the forbidden fruit. This myth is based on the theory that if you limit an activity that your children desperately want, they will long for it even more, it will make it more appealing, and they will binge on technology when they are older and/or in college. Melanie emphasizes that ScreenStrong is not about supporting the removal of screens from a family's life as that is just not possible in the day and age that we live in. She points...
Apr 13, 2022•34 min
Join us today as Melanie welcomes Zachary Church, a High School Varsity Swim Coach and an Assistant Coach for a Cross Country Track and Field Program. His main purpose in coaching is to “make a positive impact on individual lives, especially teenagers.” Zach shares with us his unique perspective on the impact of screen use by teenagers in his role as a coach at his High School and in the community. Zach talks about the important life skills that can be developed through a teenager’s involvement ...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Today Melanie welcomes Ali Pfister, one of ScreenStrong’s Ambassadors, who shares her journey of creating her family’s ScreenStrong Lifestyle. Ali and her husband have four young kids under the age of 10 and they have been living ScreenStrong for about 3 years now. Ali shareS how she began educating herself when her second son was identified with a speech delay at the age of 18 months to learn how she could best help him. Through her reading, she became aware of how technology affects child deve...
Mar 30, 2022•50 min
Today, Melanie welcomes Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright, marriage and family therapists and the co-authors of The Happy Sleeper and the forthcoming Generation Sleepless: Why Tweens and Teens Aren’t Sleeping Enough and How We Can Help Them . Heather Turgeon, MFT writes about child development and parenting. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others, and she is a writer for The National Sleep Foundation. Julie Wright, MFT is a marriage and family therapist ...
Mar 23, 2022•48 min
Today Melanie welcomes Joel May, a Youth Pastor and a Director of Youth Ministries at a local church in North Carolina. One of the unique things about Joel is that he was raised without a smartphone or video games. This lack of toxic technology growing up allowed for him to develop his identity independent of others or needing external validation through social media. He found his identity through extracurricular activities ranging from music, athletics, and theater to his church involvement wit...
Mar 16, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Today, Melanie welcomes back Dr. Richard Freed, author of Wired Child and a practicing Clinical Psychologist and supervisor studying the effects of technology on children. He is on the advisory board of ScreenStrong and is a contributor to many well-respected publications. A link to Dr. Freed’s article, The Tech Industry’s War on Kids, is included in the show notes. Melanie asks Richard to provide our listeners his perspective on frequently asked questions from parents related to screens in the ...
Mar 09, 2022•58 min
For today’s episode, Evan and Andrew Hempe respond to common questions from parents about toxic screen use, drawing from their own experiences growing up without video games, smartphones, or social media. Evan and Andrew are Juniors in high school who are enjoying and thriving on living a full ScreenStrong lifestyle. They are both active in multiple extracurricular activities, including sports and music—as well as actively learning life skills like finding their way around town with a paper map ...
Mar 02, 2022•27 min
In this episode, Melanie tackles two of the most common issues concerning smartphones and your kids and teens: the age of 13 as the "appropriate age" of having a smartphone and the concept of phone contracts. For the first issue, Melanie responds to the question of "Why do parents believe that 13 has become the new age of adulthood on the internet?" The answer may surprise you. For the second issue, Melanie challenges the concept of the family phone contract. She stresses that healthy activities...
Feb 23, 2022•40 min
In today’s episode, Melanie welcomes her longtime friend, Teralea Moore, who is a mother and college math professor with 20+ years of teaching in the classroom. Teralea has taught in high school, community college, and private college settings, and she shares with us her experiences of how technology has changed her classroom experience over the years. Teralea discusses the differences in an online learning platform versus in-person learning and emphasizes how teaching is truly a hands-on experi...
Feb 16, 2022•51 min
Did you know that since 2007, suicide rates have doubled and that since 2010, rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide have increased more in girls than boys? Did you know that girls are 3 times more likely to be depressed than boys? Listen in as Melanie delves into the link between social media use and how it is adversely affecting the development of self-esteem, identity formation, interpersonal relational skills, and emotional well-being in girls. She also discusses how social media use re...
Feb 09, 2022•37 min
Melanie is joined by longtime friend, Amy Eytchison, and her daughter, Aubrey. This lively group discusses growing up countercultural, having a flip phone in middle school (*gasp*), and cultivating healthy habits. Amy and Aubrey offer advice for both parents and teens on how to navigate "being different" and completely thrive while doing it. Prepare yourself for an abundance of joy and laughter in this episode! Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the...
Feb 02, 2022•58 min
Melanie welcomes Officer David Gomez, a School Resource Officer (SRO) and sworn Deputy of the Boise County Sheriff’s Department. Officer Gomez is the SRO for Idaho City High School, Middle School, and Elementary School. He also has an active and highly informative Facebook Page that he uses to educate parents on the dangers of Social Media and the internet. Melanie and Officer Gomez delve deep into the many reasons and factors to consider when you make the decision to give your kid a smartphone....
Jan 26, 2022•54 min
In today’s episode, Mandee Hamann welcomes Gretchen Heinen, a mom of three, multi-entrepreneur, and creator of Dreams Over Screens, a 5-day challenge to reduce screens for adults in business. Gretchen shares her ScreenStrong story of overcoming “blind spots” when it came to screen use by her own kids and how screens used to influence her family’s culture and habits. Join Gretchen as she takes us on the journey of changing her family culture and habits by implementing a ScreenStrong lifestyle. Yo...
Jan 19, 2022•31 min
Happy New Year! To kick off our fourth season, Melanie Hempe reviews her observations from the holiday season and gives helpful tips for parents who are reconsidering screen time in their home. She also reviews ScreenStrong's bold message and core values to give your family the best chance for success in 2022. Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the episode. Your feedback helps us bring you more of the content you love. Stay Strong! Get your copy of ...
Jan 12, 2022•31 min
Thank you all so much for listening and engaging with the podcast this year. Here are just a few highlights from our 2021 episodes and we look forward to seeing you in 2022! Happy New Year! Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the episode. Your feedback helps us bring you more of the content you love. Stay Strong! Get your copy of the BRAND NEW KBS Home Edition! Start your ScreenStrong Journey today! Become a Connect Member to get access to our exclus...
Dec 29, 2021•47 min
Melanie welcomes Olivia Kernekin for today's episode to highlight ScreenStrong's 10 tips to boost your family through holiday gift giving and family traditions. Olivia has worked with ScreenStrong since 2018. She earned a dual degree in English and Dramatic Arts from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and has worked in medical, financial, theatrical, humanitarian, and childcare fields. She shares with us some of her personal anecdotes of her screen journey from childhood through college and pr...
Dec 20, 2021•53 min
In today’s special episode, Andrew and Evan Hempe answer the question many parents are facing this holiday season, “The only items on my child’s Christmas list are video games, smartphones, and social media, etc. What should I do and what else should I get my kids?” Andrew and Evan share their thoughts on the use of toxic technology while providing a fun and very creative list of non-tech gift suggestions from A to Z. You will find suggestions appropriate for all ages, for girls and boys, that p...
Dec 13, 2021•19 min
Today Melanie shares a generous and priceless gift from our recent guest, Arlene Pellicane, co-author of Screen Kids: In Their Own Words. Arlene granted permission for ScreenStrong to play the audio of her film, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this with you all! For those families who have asked us for something they can share with their kids and teens to help them understand the “why” of living ScreenStrong, here is your episode! “WHEN PARENTS WATCH this film, they will be educated abo...
Dec 02, 2021•35 min
Today, Melanie speaks with Arlene Pellicane, co-author of Screen Kids: 5 Relational Skills Every Child Needs in a Tech-Driven World with Gary Chapman. Arlene and Melanie talk about raising kids without addictive screens, how to encourage your children to stand out from the crowd, and tips for parenting ScreenStrong kids. Arlene also talks about the film she made with her children where they reflect on their childhoods and the benefits of growing up ScreenStrong. Get ready for an emotional discus...
Dec 02, 2021•56 min
Mandee Hamann welcomes Kirt Manecke, a marketing, fundraising, and business development specialist and author of Smile & Succeed for Teens: Must-Know People Skills for Today’s Wired World. Kirt shares the change in teens' development of social skills that inspired him to write his book in order to help teens and young adults build skills and become successful. He perfectly highlights basic tips for teens such as how to interview and get a job, develop customer service skills, volunteer succe...
Nov 24, 2021•31 min
