The Video Game Addiction Test How to know if your child is developing an unhealthy dependency. Video game dependency is a serious issue. Not only does it lead to mental and physical health problems, but it can slowly replace all other important interests and activities in a child’s real life like sports, school, friendships and…
New film, Screened Out, explores how we can regain control of our screen time. We spend time looking at screens for work, for social connection, and for relaxation so much so that screen time that it seems to suck up most of our day. Some mobile devices even provide a weekly screen time report to…
Spoiler Alert: Your Child is Not a Virtual Angel Tips on how parents can avoid blind spots when it comes to kids and screens. By Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong For good reason, parents think the best of their children. Parents unconditionally love their kids and, while that helps our children’s development thrive, it…
5 Reasons to Disable Your Teen’s Smartphone Why quarantine is the perfect time to wean your teen off her smartphone. By Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong My teenager just woke up, walked into the kitchen, and said, “Mom, what day is it?” The days are running together, kids are staying up too late,…
5 Reasons to Uninstall Video Games Is your son binging on video games during the quarantine? Here’s why it’s okay to take the games away. By Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong Let’s admit it, sometimes we let the kids splurge. Maybe it’s a cookie before mealtime, an extra piece of cake on their…
50 suggestions for a (not-so-lame) family movie night with your teens. By ScreenStrong Movie nights can be an important time for family bonding. Movies can relieve tension, create conversations, and cause us to think outside the box. Watching movies together can create a bridge when your teen is being negative, times are stressed, or when…
How to Reduce Screen Time in One Week Give your family a new perspective on life without mindless screen time. by Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong Are you exhausted over screen time limits in your home? Do your kids need a break from video games and smartphones? Do you need a plan to…
How Much Screen Time Is Okay During the Quarantine? What to do when our routines have evaporated. By Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong As families around the nation hunker down and practice social distancing, now more than ever parents seek an answer to the question of how much screen time is okay. In…
How Hand-Me-Down Phones Are Hurting Our Kids Three reasons why giving your teen your old phone is not a good idea. by Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong The temptation is real. You need to upgrade your phone. So what will you do with your old one? Trading it in doesn’t amount to much,…
Should I Worry About My Kids’ Screen Time During the Pandemic? How one crisis can put our kids at risk for a second crisis. By Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong With all that’s going on in the world right now, should parents worry about how much time their kids spend on screens? After…