It's My Screen Time Too

We review the most anticipated release of the summer: Despicable Me 4! Did we need a sixth movie about Gru and his little yellow henchmen? Maybe not, but we did appreciate the opportunity to re-familiarize ourselves with the works of Culture Club and Franz Kafka. Things we mentioned in this episode: The classic of high school English classes: Kafka’s The Metamorphosis   Previous episodes we mentio...

We discuss two short articles about screen time: one from Time that says it’s totally fine to talk about screen time using the language of diet culture as long as we don’t count minutes like we count calories and one from the Wall Street Journal that refutes our closely held beliefs about the harm caused by screens before bed. We also catch up on what we’re watching with our kids and what’s on our...

In our review of Inside Out 2, we pick our faves from Riley’s new emotions and get into the puberty of it all by comparing Inside Out 2 to another similarly themed Pixar title, Turning Red. Previous episodes we mention: Turning Red   Elemental   Lightyear   Soul   This series of puberty books by Robie H. Harris : It’s So Amazing  It’s Not the Stork  It’s Perfectly Normal  The Screenwriting Life Po...

We discuss summer movies--the films we want to watch with our kids and a few we’re planning to watch for date night. We cover our hopes for all the new installments of our favorite franchises including Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, Descendants Rise of Red, Twisters, and even Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Plus, Katie taunts Deborah about the impending release of Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe A...

In our review of The Garfield Movie, Deborah mourns the absence of the fundamental pathos of the Garfield comic strip in this zany animated take on everyone’s favorite lazy tabby. Katie betrays her co-viewing values and dares to suggest this would make a good solo watch for kids. We talk product placement and adapting dated but beloved material for a modern audience. Previous episodes we mention:...

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 Businessw...

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 Ta...

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...

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 R...

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 Scr...

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 o...

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   Beetlejuic...

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...

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...

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 Mos...

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 t...

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  Harr...

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 episo...

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 casti...

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 Revie...

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

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” sho...

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

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...

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...