Emily Cherkin, a former teacher and screentime consultant, dives into the complexities of technology in family life. She discusses how reactive parenting leads to unhealthy screen habits and the importance of intentional tech management. Emily highlights the 'displacement hypothesis', revealing its effects on children's mental health and social skills. She emphasizes modeling positive digital behavior and fostering open communication in the family. Additionally, she suggests delaying smartphone introduction for better emotional well-being, promoting a supportive approach to tech usage.
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insights INSIGHT
Teen Screen Time
Kids aged 11-14 average nine hours of screen time daily, excluding schoolwork.
This data comes from the Center for Disease Control and represents a concerning trend.
insights INSIGHT
Early Screen Exposure
Screen introduction starts in infancy, often passively through parental device use.
One-third of eight-year-olds possess smartphones, with younger children having smartwatches.
insights INSIGHT
Generational Screen Time Differences
Gen X childhoods involved more freedom and outdoor play compared to Gen Z's screen-filled time.
A significant difference is persuasive design, used in modern tech to constantly engage users, unlike past passive entertainment.
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Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth[2][4][5].
The Screentime Solution
A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family
Emily Cherkin
In 'The Screentime Solution', Emily Cherkin teaches parents how to use screen-based technologies to enhance family values while limiting excessive screentime that interferes with healthy development. The book offers research-supported tools to achieve screentime balance without judgment, promoting a movement towards tech-intentionality.
In a family, a lot of the dynamics around devices and screens are reactive in nature. Kids bug for their own smartphones, parents worry they'll be left out without one, and without weighing the pros and cons, give in to their kids' requests. Parents let children have a ton of screen time because it lets the parents do what they want; then, they reach a moment where they feel disturbed about how much time their kids are on screens, berate their children for this habit, which they've facilitated, and vow that things are going to abruptly turn around.
Rather than basing your policies about kids and screens on mood, fear, and impulse, it would be better to do so based on reason and reflection. Emily Cherkin has some ideas on how to get there. Emily is a former teacher, a screentime consultant who helps parents and educators balance the role of devices in kids' lives, and the author of The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family. Today on the show, Emily unpacks the state of screentime amongst kids today, how the "displacement hypothesis" explains how its impact extends beyond a decline in mental health, and why parents give their kids smartphones even when they're not sure it's good for them. We then turn to how families can become more tech intentional, and how that starts with parents taking a look at their own behavior. We discuss why putting parental controls on devices isn't the ultimate solution, why a better one is based on your relationship with your kids, why you need to live your digital life out loud, and some considerations to think through before getting your kid their first smartphone.
The Art of Manliness 
