This week I’m speaking to parents about teens, screens and self esteem, and I’m opening it up for questions at the end. I can always predict certain questions during this time: what age should I get my kid a phone? What if I already got my kid a phone...

You know the report, even if you don’t know… you know it. Because every time someone talks about the hours of screen time young people are soaking in today, they are referring to Common Sense Media’s “Media Use” report, which uniquely surveys both tweens (8-12-year-olds) and teens (13-18-year-olds). Here are some of the highlights that leapt out at me as a social researcher and author who writes about this stuff regularly… like their favorite screen activity, how much social media they’re actually soaking in, and how many more kids have smartphones in their back pockets now…

Christmas is coming, and if there is one common denominator we’re seeing on most our kids’ Christmas lists… it’s tech. The question is: should we really buy them that new “popsocket” phone holder or “light ring for the wannabe influencer”?

“Dad, can I have the keys to the SUV?” This question doesn’t sound unusual—unless it comes from your ten-year-old. Picture it. Your daughter walks into the room and says, “Dad, I’d like the keys so I can drive over to pick up my friends and then go meet a bunch of guys we’ve never met before and see what happens.” How would you respond? Honestly, I don’t know a parent who would give their ten-year-old this kind of freedom. But the majority of parents do . . . when they give their child a phone.

I’ve been doing lots of radio interviews the last few weeks with the launch of my new book, Parenting Generation Screen. Today Focus on the Family had me on their broadcast, and they posted a nice video of the interview on their YouTube channel…a really fun conversation about what we can actually do (…and not do) to help our kids learn to make wise screen choices. I think the part parents might need to hear the most is when I say this…

Last year researchers put their heads together about the effects of screen time on young people and found two things they agree one… which gives insight to what Mom and Dad can do to help their kids?

If you’re a parent of kids with screens, then you probably would like to know what apps they’re downloading. . .or better yet. . .you probably would like to help them learn to become screen-wise and avoid dangerous apps. So what does that look like?

Three important tips to consider when your kids beg for a phone

The Link Between Screens, Sleep Loss and Depression…
and What Mom and Dad Can Actually Do about It

Influencer: Possibility or Fantasy?