“The contract experiment was a failure at our house… She has proven that she can’t manage it on her own; the contract made it worse.” —Mom of a teen girl Building strong digital citizens does not begin with a smartphone contract. You (nervously) just gave your teen his first smartphone.* Now you are…
When it comes to kids and screens, we hear the myth of the forbidden fruit a lot. Parents ask, “Well, if I don’t let my son game now, won’t he just binge on it later?” Or, “If my daughter isn’t allowed on social media now, won’t she just crave it more later?” This theory of…
Will Your Gamer Survive in College? Stop the gaming addiction before you throw away college tuition. By Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong Did you know that students with video game overuse habits are in one of the highest risk categories for dropping out of college their freshman year? So, while you are busy…
Take control of the latest gaming drug before it goes too far. Four moms are standing by after a recent seminar I gave nervously waiting for a magic answer from me on how to handle their kids’ new drug–Fortnite. “It’s all they talk about,” one mom said with an emotional tone in her voice.…
Five Reasons Why Screen-Free Week is Essential for Kids and Families By Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong “I saw my 9-year-old daughter laying on the floor, just day dreaming. I immediately thought, ‘Oh no, she is bored, maybe she could…’ then I stopped myself and just let her lay there. She wasn’t bored, just…
Rethinking Personal Laptops in the Classroom Are classroom computers making kids smarter or more distracted? By Melanie Hempe, BSN, Founder of ScreenStrong If your children had a choice, would they choose to hang out in the research section of the public library for hours a day studying, or check social media and play video…
Last week, I shared the story of how we raised our teen daughter without a smartphone. I know that seems completely counter-cultural and perhaps even impossible, but we did it, she survived and we have all lived to tell about it! Each time I share this story with others, the same sorts of questions come…
We made it! My daughter made it to her 18th birthday without a smartphone. She is alive and well and, might I add, a very happy teen. I didn’t start off with a plan to delay her smartphone use in high school. It just unfolded that way due to life circumstances. This is what happened….…
“I think back to how I might have done things differently… I probably would have waited longer before putting a computer in my children’s pockets.” —Melinda Gates This is a common line of thinking for many technology experts. Perhaps it is because they know exactly how powerful this technology…
It’s the end of the day and everyone is getting home from school and work. Tired and hungry, with homework looming, the family transitions into the next hectic segment of the day. For many parents, allowing the use of entertainment screens seems like a great option for their children to get some much-needed relief…