Dear Screenagers Community,
This week marks a big milestone — the 500th edition of our Tech Talk Tuesday blog!
If you had told me nearly ten years ago I’d still be writing these, I might not have believed you.
But here we are — and it’s because of you. The fact that this community kept showing up and growing week after week is the greatest gift. Your support has been a constant motivation for me and the whole Screenagers team.
Last week, during an exercise class, I offered to grab a weight for the woman next to me. She looked at me and said,
“Hey, I think I know you… You write a blog, don’t you? That Tech Tuesday thing…”
I smiled and confirmed it was me! (And no, I didn’t correct the title — we’ve heard and loved them all! From “Ted Talk Tuesday” to “Tech Tip Thursday”, we get it… and yes, we still remember the time I accidentally sent it out on a Monday 😂).
Later in class she went on:
“It’s really helped me with my three kids over the years.”
Out of breath and touched, I thanked her and I told her this 500th edition was coming up — I also responded with what I have often said in these situations, “I am so glad and of course it is all of us doing this work together.”
Whenever someone has taken the time to thank me like that, I get a buzzy happy feeling knowing the work helped them. Thinking about that buzzy feeling, I am always amazed how long it lasts for. I bet the woman in the class has no idea how touched I was.
That interaction helped inspire this week’s blog. In my deepest gratitude, I want to speak directly to all of you — to thank you, to honor the journey we’ve shared, and to look ahead at the possibilities still to come.
All of us in the Screenagers community have a lot to be proud of. Yes, the digital age throws new and sometimes cruel challenges at our kids — and at us. But there’s also so much light we create together.
Since launching the first Screenagers film in 2016 and writing this blog alongside it, I’ve witnessed meaningful change — progress we should celebrate.
Back in 2021, I wrote something I had been saying for a while:
“Our tech revolution warrants a parenting revolution.”
At the time (and indeed still today), it felt like big tech was all too eager to flood our kids’ lives with devices, social media platforms, and attention-hacking algorithms — but parents were left scrambling for guidance.
Worse, if we didn’t catch it quickly, or stumbled while trying to set limits, it could feel like we were failing.
But that’s changing.
Today, I see a groundswell of parents, caregivers, and educators working together — building a shared base of knowledge, showing up for conversations, and using tools with courage and without shame.
This is why we believe so strongly in community screenings of our films — when parents, students, and educators come together to watch, learn, and talk, it creates the space for real progress.
By the way, if it’s been a while since you saw one of our movies, or haven't yet seen them, know that while keeping them structurally the same, we update them regularly. Particularly around the science, research, and statistics to keep them relevant and helpful to today's audiences. Click here to learn more about bringing our movies to your school or community
One of the things that makes me most proud is seeing communities come together to delay smartphones and social media. Whether it’s through organizations like Wait Until 8th or informal groups of parents banding together at a single school — it makes a powerful difference.
In a recent podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Wait Until 8th founder Brooke Shannon about her wonderful work — I highly recommend giving it a listen here.
Plus there are many great organizations and people doing important and impactful work in this area such as…
Mothers Against Media Addiction
Jonathan Haidt - After Babel / The Anxious Generation (Book)
… and you can find many, many others listed under the various categories on the Resources page on our website. Thank you for all that you do.
When we launched Away For The Day in 2017, our campaign to help remove smartphones from schools (and now smartwatches too), some people didn’t yet see why it was necessary. While some early research was available, the body of research has since grown dramatically.
We now know that smartphone use in schools:
Today, more and more schools are adopting “away for the day” policies — or banning devices on campus entirely. The momentum is real. YES!
Recently, I spoke with a middle school principal named Zach on our podcast about the powerful transformation he witnessed after adopting this policy at his school. You can hear that conversation here.
If you’d like to learn more or bring this to your own school, visit awayfortheday.org — it’s full of helpful tools and resources.
There is so much more awareness now about the risks kids face online. That awareness is critical — because without it, change doesn’t happen.
Take the availability of drugs over social media, especially Snapchat — a topic we explore in Screenagers Under The Influence. Just last week, Jonathan Haidt and Zach Rausch wrote an excellent piece about this ongoing challenge.
And it’s not just researchers and experts — even popular culture is stepping up. The Netflix series Adolescence recently tackled the disturbing rise of online misogyny and the spread of toxic ideologies targeting young men and boys. Bringing this important and challenging topic to the centre of public awareness.
Problems like this one are amplified by social media algorithms designed to prioritize engagement — even if that engagement comes from outrage, fear, or confusion. We have to stay alert, speak out, and hold these platforms accountable.
As a primary care physician and mental health advocate for the past 21 years, I’ve seen a powerful shift: teens (and adults) are becoming more open about mental health challenges.
The unwarranted shame around mental health problems is finally breaking down. Talking about what we’re going through is becoming more accepted. And that’s a good thing.
At the same time, we must acknowledge that social media and smartphones have had a role in the rise of mental health challenges among youth. Jonathan Haidt, in a recent update to our first film Screenagers (including the elementary school age edition), shared research showing that since smartphone and social media use skyrocketed around 2012, among other worsening problems, rates of teen depression have more than doubled — now affecting nearly 1 in 5 US teens each year.
Social media companies could claim that this is coincidental, but Haidt stands firm on, and I agree with him, that there is yet to be a better explanation for this dramatic increase.
So yes, we’re talking about mental health more — but we must also act. That means in relation to our kids' relationship with technology and the online world:
To everyone who has read even one of these 500 blogs, to those who’ve shared them, used them as conversation starters, or written back to me — thank you.
Your support has carried me through difficult moments, and your stories continue to remind me why this work matters.
Here’s to the next chapter — and to continuing this journey, together.
Warmly,
Delaney
It wouldn’t be a true Tech Talk Tuesday without leaving you with a few questions to spark conversation — just as I always hoped this blog would.
In fact, that’s where the name came from. My vision was that families and groups would use this as a weekly starting point to talk about tech — to have their own Tech Talk Tuesday, just like I did with my kids.
If that’s not part of your routine yet, why not try it this week?
Small actions can spark meaningful shifts. I’d love to hear what conversations this week’s edition inspires.
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel! We add new videos regularly and you'll find over 100 videos covering parenting advice, guidance, podcasts, movie clips and more. Here's our most recent:
Dear Screenagers Community,
This week marks a big milestone — the 500th edition of our Tech Talk Tuesday blog!
If you had told me nearly ten years ago I’d still be writing these, I might not have believed you.
But here we are — and it’s because of you. The fact that this community kept showing up and growing week after week is the greatest gift. Your support has been a constant motivation for me and the whole Screenagers team.
Last week, during an exercise class, I offered to grab a weight for the woman next to me. She looked at me and said,
“Hey, I think I know you… You write a blog, don’t you? That Tech Tuesday thing…”
I smiled and confirmed it was me! (And no, I didn’t correct the title — we’ve heard and loved them all! From “Ted Talk Tuesday” to “Tech Tip Thursday”, we get it… and yes, we still remember the time I accidentally sent it out on a Monday 😂).
Later in class she went on:
“It’s really helped me with my three kids over the years.”
Out of breath and touched, I thanked her and I told her this 500th edition was coming up — I also responded with what I have often said in these situations, “I am so glad and of course it is all of us doing this work together.”
Whenever someone has taken the time to thank me like that, I get a buzzy happy feeling knowing the work helped them. Thinking about that buzzy feeling, I am always amazed how long it lasts for. I bet the woman in the class has no idea how touched I was.
That interaction helped inspire this week’s blog. In my deepest gratitude, I want to speak directly to all of you — to thank you, to honor the journey we’ve shared, and to look ahead at the possibilities still to come.
All of us in the Screenagers community have a lot to be proud of. Yes, the digital age throws new and sometimes cruel challenges at our kids — and at us. But there’s also so much light we create together.
Since launching the first Screenagers film in 2016 and writing this blog alongside it, I’ve witnessed meaningful change — progress we should celebrate.
Back in 2021, I wrote something I had been saying for a while:
“Our tech revolution warrants a parenting revolution.”
At the time (and indeed still today), it felt like big tech was all too eager to flood our kids’ lives with devices, social media platforms, and attention-hacking algorithms — but parents were left scrambling for guidance.
Worse, if we didn’t catch it quickly, or stumbled while trying to set limits, it could feel like we were failing.
But that’s changing.
Today, I see a groundswell of parents, caregivers, and educators working together — building a shared base of knowledge, showing up for conversations, and using tools with courage and without shame.
This is why we believe so strongly in community screenings of our films — when parents, students, and educators come together to watch, learn, and talk, it creates the space for real progress.
By the way, if it’s been a while since you saw one of our movies, or haven't yet seen them, know that while keeping them structurally the same, we update them regularly. Particularly around the science, research, and statistics to keep them relevant and helpful to today's audiences. Click here to learn more about bringing our movies to your school or community
Recently, the Netflix series Adolescence became one of the platform’s most-watched limited series. It tells the fictional story of a 13-year-old boy whose descent into online misogyny and emotional isolation ends in tragedy. I’ve heard from many parents who watched it in one sitting — and others who said, “I can’t bear to watch, but I want to understand what it’s about.” Today I share some of the most important takeaways for parents from the show.
READ MORE >
Spring breaks have begun around the country. It is the perfect time to address this topic: how do we encourage self-efficacy and independence in our kids and teens, given the many obstacles to doing so? Obstacles such as their desire to stay inside and consume (video games, YouTube, shows, social media, etc.) or parents’ fears around letting kids do things out in the world alone.
READ MORE >
All parents of kids or teens have been there: We realize we need to set a new boundary or limit, often from a desire to ensure healthier media time for our kids, and the result is one very angry child. Sometimes, that anger dissipates quickly, but other times, it can seem like their anger towards us lasts a long time–which can be so challenging for parents to sit with.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
