Family Connections

Playing outside is so much more than physical activity. Some of the many benefits include fitness, vitamin D and sleep. Being in nature also enhances focus and attention, it improves problem solving, reduces stress, increases empathy, improves mood. The influence of nature is dramatic and pervasive for all of us. There was a study that said that hospital patients, who have views of greenery outside their windows have shorter stays and fewer complications. Reducing screen time, increasing time in nature has the potential to change lives. Listen to Jean Rystrom of the Screen Time Action Network introduce an amazing and FREE resource: The Children & Family Inspiration Guide. It’s got everything you need to encourage your kids to get offline and outside. Listen today!

Tiffany Shlain was living life online to the fullest when a series of life altering events led her to value time over distraction. As her father lay dying of brain cancer while she experienced a high-risk pregnancy, Tiffany took to turning off all digital connections one day a week. Calling on the ancient observance of Shabbat helped her regain peace, creativity, and connection. Tiffany Shlain is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, founder of the Webby Awards, creator of Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring, and author of the national bestselling book 24/6: Giving up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection.

Those baby days can be rough - everything we see in the media tells you “these are the moments you live for” yet…it’s so lonely. If you have enjoyed other pursuits or had a fast paced career you might find yourself wondering what comes next?Typically - we reach to our device to reconnect with our friends and look for help with the millionth question you have that day. This can get tricky… we can find ourselves spending way more time online than we intended and spiraling down the hole of social media. Alex Fales, found herself struggling with all of the new mom things and was unsatisfied with her relationship with tech so she founded Mindful With Media @mindfulwithmedia. In this episode we talk about screen habit pitfalls and some relatively easy practices you can put in place to design the relationship with tech that you want to have. You are going to want to listen to this one!!

Andy Murphy founded The Secure Dad in 2016 realizing that every parent is a protector. Andy’s passion is to help families live safer, happier lives. The information Andy provides is based on proven methods, experience, and study. In this episode Hillary and Andy discuss the Dark Web, what parents should know about it and a current scam that is rumored to use AI duplication of your child’s voice. Andy provides actionable tips and information that every parent can employ. Listen now!

As the source behind the Wall Street Journal's Facebook Files, Frances Haugen exposed Facebook's awareness, complicity, radicalization in political violence around the world, plus their disregard to users' mental health. Her new book: The Power Of One: How I Found the Strength to Tell the Truth and Why I Blew the Whistle on Facebook, (available in our Amazon Marketplace) tells the backstory and more. I had the opportunity to speak with Frances. She was incredibly generous with her time…so generous that I did something I never have before – that is: create a 2 part episode. Enjoy listening to Part 2 of this fabulous conversation as Frances Haugen talks about ways we can fix social media….not kill it.

The Facebook Whistleblower, Frances Haugen deserves a seat in the High Court of Heroes in the “Do The Right Thing” Justice League ( I just made that up but it should absolutely be a thing.). A data scientist, Harvard graduate, expert of algorithmic product management and an Iowan daughter of two professors, Frances truly moved the needle for humanity when she recognized wrongdoing and stood up for the world. The source behind the Wall Street Journal's, Facebook Files, Frances exposed Facebook's awareness, complicity, radicalization in political violence around the world, plus their disregard to users' mental health. Her new book: The Power Of One: How I Found the Strength to Tell the Truth and Why I Blew the Whistle on Facebook, (available in our Amazon Marketplace) tells the backstory and more. When I had the opportunity to speak with Frances she was incredibly generous with her time…so generous that I am going to do something I never have before – that is: break this episode into 2 parts.

Emma Lembke is a young adult who is the founder of the Log Off Movement, an activist for better legislation for online protections, and a student at Washington University in St Louis. Emma is passionate about leaning into the creativity and resourcefulness of other young people who are interested in choosing their best path forward with technology. Her intergenerational work has created space for dialogue between lawmakers and youth for policy changes that favor protection over profit. Her tips on managing screen time and involving teens to take control of their screen use will help all families.

Madi is an 18 year old girl who is passionately spreading awareness about LDS women struggling with pornography. As a young woman growing up, developing a bad habit of porn consumption, and living as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as LDS, Madi felt shame and loneliness. Part of her healing came through consulting members of her faith. She hopes to help others find their own path forward and develop new, healthy screen habits. In this episode we talk about her path to recovery, various approaches to stop viewing porn, as well as an on-campus organization seeking to help others connect.

LiveMore ScreenLess is a Minnesota-based organization that uses best practices from education, public health, and positive youth development to engage with family, schools, and organizations to promote balanced, intentional, and effective use of technology. That is the total trifecta! the best of all possible uses of technology! Listen to this episode as I talk to the co-founders Maree Hampton and KK Myers. They are dynamic women who are changing the way Minnesota does tech in schools.

Healthy Screen Habits was founded by a group of 4 moms who find it imperative to practice what we teach! For the next few weeks the podcast will take a break as we enjoy Spring Break with our own families. During Spring Break, take some time to do some digital spring cleaning! Delete unused apps and revisit memories of the past year by organizing photos. The act of revisiting memories brings about reminiscence which it turns out is one of the best ways to increase language with younger kids and strengthen memory. Enjoy all of these memories and create new ones this Spring Break, I’ll be back and learning more healthy screen habits with all of you on Apr 19, 2023.

“My kid can’t have ADHD because he can play video games for 3 hours.” “Screens help my child focus.” Both of these statements are ones that we have been told by parents of kids with ADHD. I went to the experts at The Childhood Collective to figure out what’s going on with screens and ADHD. The Childhood Collective is a team of two child psychologists (Lori Long, Ph.D. and Mallory Yee, Ph.D.) and a speech language pathologist (Katie Severson, M.S., CCC-SLP). Most importantly, they are three moms who are dedicated to supporting parents of children with ADHD. ADHD brains are designed to be hyper focused on novelty, something tech has perfected. We need to equip our ADHD kids with extra skills and tools to learn how to regulate and transition. In this episode we learn about all of it!

"“Technologies change, children’s developmental needs do not.” ~Screen Aware Action Tool Kit

Talk More. Tech Less. is a digital wellness organization providing tools and resources for families and communities to #TechResponsibly by learning to be healthy and safe on screens. Founder, Dawn Wible is a certified digital wellness educator who trains school districts and communities through in-person and online courses. In this episode we talk about the importance of secure attachment and connecting with our kids to build their best digital filters. Listen and learn!

Sarah Szuminski runs the wonderfully fun and helpful Instagram channel and website called Simplifying Play. She is a wife, mom of two, and an advocate of play for all children. Sarah is passionate about the power of play and helping parents discover their role in playful learning. She advocates “less for more” when it comes to toy management and organization. Keeping it simple will result in longer periods of independent play and deeper learning. Listen to this episode for tips on simplifying play, life, and enjoying the results.

You don’t drop off kids at the mall, park or bowling alley without accompanying them the first few times and then laying out groundwork for how to keep themselves safe. The internet is a PLACE. It needs the same amount of teaching and monitoring that we give to offline spaces. In fact, knowing that predators go where kids are and online they can hide behind fake personas - it can be argued that online gaming needs MORE safety building! This is where Protect Me from Kidas comes in. Protect Me is the first of its kind monitoring platform for online PC gaming. The best part is that the reports that are provided to parents provide conversation starters - you get to ask your child age appropriate questions and have a discussion around various areas of concern. The next steps are then also provided to give support. Enjoy learning more about this platform by listening to this week’s episode!

Patricia Parker is the founder of Tools for Children, an organization whose mission is to help parents reduce passive screen time by encouraging creative play and opportunity. Originally from the Washington DC area, she holds a BS from LaSalle University and was deeply entrenched in corporate America before starting her family. Tools For Children provides actionable suggestions for families of all ages and stages.

Susan Linn is a psychologist, and award-winning ventriloquist, and a world-renowned expert on creative play and the impact of tech, media, and commercial marketing on children. She was founding director of the children’s advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (now called Fairplay), and is currently Lecturer on Psychiatry at Harvard Medical school. On this episode we discuss her newly published book, Who’s Raising the Kids? Big Tech, Big Business, and the Lives of Children, reminisce about her time spent working with Mr. Rogers, and dive into understanding why our kids are targeted by big tech.

Kailan Carr is a former teacher with a Masters in Literacy. She founded Quiet Book Queen & Crafts in Between to help parents and grandparents provide screen-free activities for their little ones in an easier, more cost effective way. She loves to encourage independent play, share easy and engaging activities, and help you create memory-making moments to connect as a family. Kailan believes in promoting play in a screen-free way. Sound like fun? Listen to this episode to learn how to start today!

The American Academy of Pediatrics gives some pretty strong guidelines for technology and littles. To review: 0-18 months : no screen time except for video chatting with loved ones 18 months - 2 years: minimal screen time and only with an adult 2-5 : no more than 1 hour per day of screen media entertainment WHY such strong restrictions? WHAT should we be doing with our babies and littles to give them the best path of growth? HOW do we pull all of these things together while working, caregiving and maintaining a home? Learn all of these things and some healthy screen habits that you can put in place in your own life by listening to this season of the Healthy Screen Habits Podcast! I am taking a deep dive into Tech, Tots, and Littles to find out the very best parenting practices as well as some of the research that drove these guidelines. New episodes drop Wednesdays on any of the podcasting platforms.

Kathy Van Benthuysen spent nearly 30 years as a fourth grade teacher and had a front row seat to watch the impact technology had on children. As the Chief Product Officer of Converlation (a business that works to provide the exchange of thoughts, ideas, and feelings that build and strengthen family relationships), Kathy has suggestions on where to start building relational health. Your relationship with your child is the best filter you have for online protection. Listen to this episode to learn how to strengthen it today!

Healthy Screen Habits Chief Operating Officer, Jeannie Ondelacy Sprague, talks about her own journey with social media as well as how she approached getting her teen ready for his own account. As a mom of 4, Jeannie understands that different children need different approaches to teaching. With a degree in Educational Psychology and over 25 years of experience working with children, Jeannie’s goal is to help people find balance in how they use their media, especially as it relates to family interactions. In this episode, we talk about the training period before getting an account as well as teaching consent with online posting.