

A Parent's Guide for the Digital Age (with Shona Schwartz)
The digital age has brought incredible conveniences for modern parents—but along with them come some unintended consequences. If screens are your go-to for tantrums or boredom, you may be interfering with your child’s ability to regulate emotions and develop essential coping skills.
With over two decades of experience in education, Shona Schwartz has emerged as a crucial voice addressing technology's impact on children's development. In this episode, she invites parents to start by looking inward. The first steps?
- Monitor your own screen habits
- Embrace the discomfort of parenting—tantrums, boredom, and messiness are part of the process.
Next, Shona emphasizes the importance of creating a personalized family blueprint—a values-based agreement that guides screen habits at home. She provides age-specific guidelines for children ages 0–6, 6–12, and teens, helping parents make informed choices tailored to their child’s developmental stage.
Her three keys to making these plans work? Communication. Connection. Consistency.
In this episode, Nicki of Scrolling 2 Death and Shona offer practical tips and insights for parents navigating the challenges of raising kids in a digital world. Whether you're just beginning to rethink your family’s screen habits or looking for new strategies, this conversation is a must-listen.
Purchase Shona's book here: Always On: A Guide to the (Dis)Connected Generation.
Visit Shona's Substack here: Always On Substack