Screen Deep

Parents and caregivers today face what can feel like momentous and fraught decisions about how and when to introduce new technology to children — whether that be an iPad for a toddler or a smartphone for a tween. In this special episode of Screen Deep , host Kris Perry talks with a leading voice on digital parenting and youth development, Dr. Jenny Radesky.  A Professor of Pediatrics at University...

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence systems continue to be deployed rapidly for use in commonly available tools online.  How do today’s AI technologies affect children’s development? Will accessible AI tools erode children’s critical thinking skills? Will chatbots disrupt children’s ability to socialize properly? On this episode of Screen Deep , host Kris Perry explores these timely question...

Neurodivergent children’s relationships with technology is subject to many common myths and misconceptions: Does digital media use cause ADHD? Do children with autism have more affinity for screens?  In this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry and Dr. Meryl Alper, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Northeastern University, address these myths and what her research on digital media...

Social media platforms are feeding youth harmful content—fast. From hate speech to pro-eating disorder posts and disinformation, powerful algorithms push dangerous content straight to children. But why? And what can be done to stop it?  On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry talks with Imran Ahmed, founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, about the hidden dangers of soci...

The majority of today’s adolescents are video gaming - for many, daily. How much gaming is too much ? Are violent video games actually harmful to children?  On this episode of Screen Deep , host Kris Perry sits down with Dr. Douglas Gentile, a Distinguished Professor at Iowa State University and renowned video gaming expert. Dr. Gentile discusses the latest  research on which aspects of gaming can...

How has social media changed the way teens socialize and interact - and is it affecting their mental health? On this episode of Screen Deep , host Kris Perry sits down with researcher and Chief of Psychology of the American Psychological Association Mitch Prinstein, PhD, ABPP. Dr. Prinstein describes his research on popularity and likeability in adolescence, and how social media factors into these...

Learning language involves much more than memorizing the ABCs. How do babies and toddlers acquire language and how can parents and caregivers foster its optimal development?  On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry is joined by renowned child development researcher Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD, to discuss children’s language development, learning, and play in the digital age. Dr. Hirsh-Pasek emp...

How does adolescents’ use of digital media , particularly of image-based social media platforms, influence and amplify their body image concerns? On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry engages in a compelling conversation with Dr. Jason Nagata, a distinguished researcher and a pediatrician, to explore the complex relationship between digital media use and adolescents’ physical and mental...

When a young child watches TV or uses a digital tablet are they able to learn from what they see? What are the effects of media use on the development of attentional networks? On this episode of Screen Deep , host Kris Perry talks to Dr. Heather Kirkorian about how digital media impacts learning, cognition, and attention in young children. Dr. Kirkorian describes the developmental milestones that...

Introducing the Screen Deep podcast - where we go on deep dives with leading experts to decode child and adolescent brains and behavior in a digital world. For more resources and research on this topic visit the Learn and Explore section of the Children and Screens website ( https://www.childrenandscreens.org ) -------------- Follow Children and Screens on:  Facebook : Children and Screens: Instit...

Parents worried about child media use may not be aware that their own media use patterns at home may be significantly affecting their children. In this episode of Screen Deep , host Kris Perry discusses “technoference” – the interference of technology in relationships – with the researcher who coined that term, Dr. Brandon McDaniel.  Dr. McDaniel shares results from his work on how parent device u...

Concern about youth digital addiction is a relatively recent but significant addition to the list of common worries for parents of adolescents in the past few decades. What exactly is digital addiction, and how does it relate to other forms of addiction such as gambling and substance-use disorders? On this episode of Screen Deep , host Kris Perry sits down with Marc Potenza, MD, PhD, to discuss hi...

Adolescence  is an exciting period of life shaped by risks, rewards, and rapid changes in the brain. On this episode of Screen Deep, we explore how adolescent brains affect and are affected by their digital media use with Eva Telzer, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and  Co-Director of the Winston National Center on Technology Use, Brain, and...

Sleep is an essential part of life, and the quality and quantity of a person’s nightly sleep has wide-ranging impacts on cognition, behavior, and health. On this episode of Screen Deep , host Kris Perry discusses children and teens’ sleep and its relationship to digital media with Dr. Lauren Hale, Professor of Family, Population, and Preventative Medicine at Stony Brook University and Founding Edi...

On this inaugural episode of Screen Deep , host Kris Perry interviews Dimitri Christakis, MD, MPH, about his decades of experience investigating the impact of screens in early childhood, from baby videos to tablet apps. Drawing on his experience as a leading researcher, pediatrician, and parent, Dimitri shares both historical and recent findings on screen use among very young children, particularl...