ScreenStrong Families

As our ENCORE episode this month, we wanted to bring back an essential discussion about smartphones, 8th grade, and how they are a terrible match. Dr. Adriana Stacey joins Melanie to discuss the current research and discourse around 8th grade being the worst age to give a child a smartphone. Together they go through a handful of tips and reasons why this statement is true and encourage parents to...

In this episode, Melanie is joined by Dr. John Hutton to discuss his research into MRI screening for young kids and how toxic screens impact a child's brain.  In this podcast Dr Hutton explains why he is passionate about the topic of kids and screen time and reviews his 2022 research. He describes the link between screen use and brain structures in young children. He describes why parents str...

As our ENCORE this month, we wanted to bring back our 100th episode, full of tips to encourage you in your ScreenStrong summer! In this episode, 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 y...

In this packed episode, Melanie and Dr. Victoria Dunckley go through some prevalent Twisted Truths in society right now, such as: “screens are suitable for neurodivergent kids,” “screens are harmless babysitters,” and “tablets are just toys.”    References: Autism and Screen Time: Special Brains, Special Risks by Dr. Victoria Dunckley, M.D. Reset Your Child’s Brain: A Four-Week Plan to End Meltdow...

In this episode, Mandee Hamann is joined by ScreenStrong Ambassador Janine McKenna. Janine is a credentialed school counselor and teacher who has worked with middle school students in Los Angeles County for more than a decade. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and a master’s degree in Counseling.  Janine shares her experience as an educator, counselor, and mom of two in discovering the...

On May 23rd, the United States Surgeon General issued an advisory about the dangers of social media. The advisory warned that social media poses “a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” In today’s episode, Melanie and Dr. Stacey unpack the details of the advisory and offer advice to parents. References & Links Full Report: "Social Media an...

Continuing our Tips for Moms series, ScreenStrong Founder Melanie Hempe shares MORE top-tier screen tips for moms in this stellar episode. She is joined by Amie Robillard, a ScreenStrong mom of five boys under 12, to share summer tips for moms of younger kids. Listen to Tips for Moms Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the episode. Your feedback h...

For this episode, we welcome back a long-time friend of the podcast, Tom Kersting. Tom is a nationally renowned psychotherapist, author, and television contributor. He is the author of Disconnected (one of our favorites!), and today Tom and Melanie talk about his newest book, Raising Healthy Teenagers: Equipping Your Child to Navigate the Pitfalls and Dangers of Teen Life .  Support the show Don&a...

To start the summer, we want to bring back a great episode with Andrew and Evan Hempe to talk about how they felt growing up ScreenStrong. Since many of you choose to do the ScreenStrong Challenge this time of year, we wanted to kickstart your summer with some encouragement! Andrew and Evan Hempe grew up in a video game-free home after their older brother’s life derailed due to gaming addiction. T...

In this episode, Melanie is joined by LaNissa Davison, ScreenStrong Ambassador and mom of four. LaNissa shares the five benefits she’s seen since her family went ScreenStrong—including personal examples—and encourages parents to stay strong! 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 l...

On today’s episode, Mandee Hamann and Olivia Kernekin share personal screen stories and talk about why everyone should be a ScreenStrong Ambassador. 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  Adventures of Super Brain  book! Start your...

This episode starts a new series on the podcast called Twisted Truths, where we uncover topics that seem true—and may be true in part—but these “truths” fall apart when applied to the screen issue. Today, Melanie and Dr. Stacey dive into the dopamine addiction reward pathway and highlight how screen activities can throw your kids’ brains out of balance. Melanie also shares some foundational truths...

Melanie is joined by Olivia Bruner, author of Playstation Station , one of ScreenStrong's favorite books about video game addiction. From the perspective of two seasoned gamer moms, Melanie and Olivia discuss the warning signs of video game addiction, the pitfalls of the dopamine trap, and the ten things every parent needs to know regarding video games. References & Links: Dopamine Nation...

Mandee Hamann—our Ambassador Liaison—interviews Sarah Hendrix, a Senior Director in corporate healthcare and a Master’s Degree prepared Registered Nurse with specialty experience in Neurosciences. She is also a new ScreenStrong Ambassador. Sarah shares her screen journey with her preschool son and encourages parents wherever they are on their own journey. This is part of a series of episodes getti...

On this episode, Melanie is joined by Nadya Seboldt, a Licensed Educational Psychologist, to discuss the history of pornography, the easy access kids have to porn, and how parents can prevent early porn exposure. While this is not an explicit episode, it is an in-depth discussion of  pornography. Listener discretion is advised. Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a rev...

In this special episode, Melanie interviews Lydia, a ScreenStrong teen whose story we first heard back in January 2021. Lydia gives us an update on her life and how she’s been thriving without social media. She also offers encouragement to teens and parents just starting on the ScreenStrong journey. References & Links: Lydia's first episode: ScreenStrong Teens: Lydia (#16) Support the sho...

In today’s episode, Melanie and Dr. Stacey discuss the issue of screens in school and offer tips for parents to take charge of their children's learning habits. References & Links Why Screens Are Failing Students and Frustrating Teachers with Matt Miles (#61) Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the episode. Your feedback helps us bring yo...

ScreenStrong Founder Melanie Hempe shares top-tier screen tips geared toward moms in this fantastic episode. Speaking directly from her own experience raising an addicted gamer, Melanie offers from-the-heart tips and shortcuts for you to protect your children from toxic screens and give them the freedom to enjoy a rich childhood. References & Links: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance...

In light of the horrific school killing in Nashville this week, we invited Lt. Col. Dave Grossman to speak to us about the tragedy. Lt. Col. Grossman is an internationally recognized scholar, author, soldier, and speaker who is one of the world’s foremost experts in human aggression and the roots of violence and violent crime.  Lt. Col. Grossman and Melanie discuss the effect of violent video game...

Today, Melanie and Dr. Adriana Stacey discuss a recent article in the Journal of Pediatrics on independent play and how it relates to children’s mental well-being. This episode is full of great recommendations, encouragement, and a ton of research on why allowing your children the autonomy of independent play will make them happier, healthier, and more well-rounded adults. References & Links:...

In this episode, Melanie is joined by long-time ScreenStrong friend Dr. Leonard Sax, M.D., to talk about the effect of toxic screen time on children’s brains and social interactions. They review new screen-time studies, discuss how to manage screen meltdowns, warning signs for screen addiction, and how important the parent’s role is when making decisions about screen time. If you want to share you...

Today is a special teen-centered episode! We’re sharing audio from Andrew Hempe’s presentation to parents of lower and middle-school-aged children. Andrew is an 18-year-old high school senior who grew up without smartphones or video games. His unique perspective on making friends, enjoying your family, and living a rich life outside the virtual world is at the heart of this episode. Enjoy! FURTHER...

This week we welcome back our friend Officer Gomez to discuss how online predators find kids, the best parental controls, how to lock down Chromebooks, and age-restrictions for social media. Other Episodes with Officer Gomez: How to Get Smartphones Out of School with Officer Gomez (#116) The Battle Against Screen Time with Officer Gomez (#86) Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate,...

Today, we continue our new “Real Parents, Real Questions” series with Part 2 of April Gross’s questions for Melanie. Here are just a few of her questions: Do parental controls work? How much screen time should I allow? My kids say they're bored without screens... what do I do? This is an episode and series you will NOT want to miss! Support the show Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and l...

Welcome to a new series on our podcast where we have parents from our community come on the podcast to ask Melanie their burning screen questions. Today, April Gross joins us with the following questions: Can video games be played in moderation? Am I overprotecting my kids by not allowing screens?   How do I navigate relationships with other parents who still allow toxic screens? This is an episod...