Today I’m super jazzed to announce the official launch of the Screenagers Podcast! I have the first two episodes here for you, one about TikTok and one about video gaming. This show is for parents, teachers, and other adults — but created to listen with kids and teens to spark constructive dialogue. Those of you who have been with me on this Tech Talk Tuesdays journey for almost five years will know that promoting conversations is my main jam, and the Screenagers Podcast show aligns with that passion.
I really hope you will subscribe. Thank you!
The Screenagers Podcast: Join Delaney Ruston, MD, a leading authority on parenting in the digital age and the filmmaker of the award-winning Screenagers movies, as she explores strategies for raising screen-wise and tech-balanced youth. Through interviews with researchers, thought leaders, and young people themselves, the Screenagers Podcast delivers the latest in science along with practical tips and important insights that parents will want to share with their kids and teens.
Episode 1: TikTok’s Allure and How Two Teens Cut Back
Time on TikTok has been skyrocketing. Why is it attracting such huge numbers of teens? What positives can happen on the app, and what are some of the risks? The sheer amount of time it consumes is what most young people say is TikTok’s biggest downside. On today’s show, Dr. Delaney Ruston speaks with two teenagers, Marie and Manisha, who answer these questions and others. Delaney puts on her metaphorical doctor’s coat when both girls share that they want to change their behavior on TikTok. Delaney helps them decide a plan of action, and then we flash forward to hear how they did with their goals.
Episode 2: Brain Biology and Preventing Excessive Video Gaming
Why do some kids and teens get overly frustrated and bored when it’s time to turn off their video games? How to know when game playing has become excessive? What are tips that all families should know for ensuring healthy videogame play? In today’s episode, Physician Delaney Ruston explores these issues along with a new model of brain biology to help explain irritability and boredom associated with video gaming. We hear from teens along with psychiatrist Dr. Clifford Sussman, who specializes in helping young people regain tech balance. We also hear from Andrew Fulton, who was in the film Screenagers when he was getting treatment at an internet rehab center, and is now working at the same center helping others recover from videogame overuse.
Go here or anywhere you listen to your podcasts to download Screenagers Podcast.
Ideas for conversation starters — but, first, listen to the podcasts by yourself or with your kids. (In general, the show is suggested for children age nine and older.)
We NOW have a way for people to host online events during this time. We still strongly believe in the coming together as a group model for showing both movies, so these temporary online events will be here only while the social distancing is in place.
Click here if you are interested in hosting an ONLINE screening for your community.
Click here if you want to attend an ONLINE screening.
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Today I’m super jazzed to announce the official launch of the Screenagers Podcast! I have the first two episodes here for you, one about TikTok and one about video gaming. This show is for parents, teachers, and other adults — but created to listen with kids and teens to spark constructive dialogue. Those of you who have been with me on this Tech Talk Tuesdays journey for almost five years will know that promoting conversations is my main jam, and the Screenagers Podcast show aligns with that passion.
I really hope you will subscribe. Thank you!
The Screenagers Podcast: Join Delaney Ruston, MD, a leading authority on parenting in the digital age and the filmmaker of the award-winning Screenagers movies, as she explores strategies for raising screen-wise and tech-balanced youth. Through interviews with researchers, thought leaders, and young people themselves, the Screenagers Podcast delivers the latest in science along with practical tips and important insights that parents will want to share with their kids and teens.
Episode 1: TikTok’s Allure and How Two Teens Cut Back
Time on TikTok has been skyrocketing. Why is it attracting such huge numbers of teens? What positives can happen on the app, and what are some of the risks? The sheer amount of time it consumes is what most young people say is TikTok’s biggest downside. On today’s show, Dr. Delaney Ruston speaks with two teenagers, Marie and Manisha, who answer these questions and others. Delaney puts on her metaphorical doctor’s coat when both girls share that they want to change their behavior on TikTok. Delaney helps them decide a plan of action, and then we flash forward to hear how they did with their goals.
Episode 2: Brain Biology and Preventing Excessive Video Gaming
Why do some kids and teens get overly frustrated and bored when it’s time to turn off their video games? How to know when game playing has become excessive? What are tips that all families should know for ensuring healthy videogame play? In today’s episode, Physician Delaney Ruston explores these issues along with a new model of brain biology to help explain irritability and boredom associated with video gaming. We hear from teens along with psychiatrist Dr. Clifford Sussman, who specializes in helping young people regain tech balance. We also hear from Andrew Fulton, who was in the film Screenagers when he was getting treatment at an internet rehab center, and is now working at the same center helping others recover from videogame overuse.
Go here or anywhere you listen to your podcasts to download Screenagers Podcast.
Ideas for conversation starters — but, first, listen to the podcasts by yourself or with your kids. (In general, the show is suggested for children age nine and older.)
We NOW have a way for people to host online events during this time. We still strongly believe in the coming together as a group model for showing both movies, so these temporary online events will be here only while the social distancing is in place.
Click here if you are interested in hosting an ONLINE screening for your community.
Click here if you want to attend an ONLINE screening.
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Many young people are overwhelmed by constant social media use, which can displace important activities like sleep, schoolwork, and friendships. Over 200 school districts are suing platforms like Meta for harms related to social media addiction. The blog covers what problematic social media use is from a clinical perspective and how our kids can talk with a friend (or family member) if they are worried their friend might have some level of problematic use.
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A week ago, Instagram announced changes to its rules for “Teen Accounts.” All new teen users will be defaulted into these accounts, and current teen users will transition over the next two months. Instagram’s head of Products, discussed these changes, and one comment surprised me. She mentioned that teens aged 13 to 16 will need parental permission to have a public account, hoping this would encourage dialogue between teens and parents about social media use. However, I feel this still puts too much responsibility on parents when we need broader societal solutions. I discuss this and the rest of the changes in today's blog.
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We have created a table that compares the 4 most common social media platforms and the specific ways they are similar and different. Spoiler alert, they are way more similar than different. It makes perfect sense since companies see what young people use on other apps and incorporate such features into their own apps.
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.
