Parenting Tech-Use For "Littles"

Overcoming a challenging childhood in the South, Michael was inspired by a transformative teacher to unlock his potential. He served 22 years in the U.S. Navy, developing advanced cybersecurity algorithms. With over 25 years of cybersecurity experience, Michael is now a Ph.D. candidate in Cyberpsychology at Capitol Tech University. He created MindfulBytes.io, a groundbreaking K-5 curriculum enhancing digital well-being. The program boasts an 85.7% student engagement rate and a 40% reduction in cyberbullying incidents. His mission is to safeguard the digital well-being of the youngest generation, ensuring every child can thrive in our increasingly digital world.

When Devon Kuntzman started Transforming Toddlerhood with the mission to dispel the myth that toddlerhood is terrible and empower parents and caregivers to overcome the challenges while nurturing their little ones' development. She does this by creating confidence in parenting skills and embracing this magical time period. In this episode, we talk about the additional challenge that technology can bring, how to get your toddler off of a screen, and how to find better screen options for your toddler.

The UnPlugged Hours is the story of one woman’s journey to creativity, self and family. After recognizing how much tech was affecting her creative process and stripping her imagination, Hannah Brencher committed to intentionally taking a 1,000 hour break from technology. She did not intend to write this book - her process started as a commitment for self-improvement and became so much more. Hannah is a writer, TED speaker, and entrepreneur. Named as one of the White House’s “Women Working to Do Good,” she works to encourage tech-less connection and creativity. Listen now!

Screens Away, Time to Play! Is the picture book that belongs in every waiting room, classroom, and teacher library. Written by Kailan Carr M.Ed, this book has hidden pictures, invitations for offline play and teaches kids about the brain science behind persuasive design. Written in a fun rhyme scheme with engaging illustrations it is truly the book that is needed by all. Listen to this episode for information about the science behind the book as well as how play builds brains.

Get your summer kicked off right and remain screen intentional by setting clear boundaries around technology and brainstorming lots of fun! In this week’s episode Hillary shares the Healthy Screen Habit free tool she has used to put kids in charge and keep summer tech-intentional.

Playing outside is so much more than physical activity. Some of the many benefits include fitness, vitamin D and sleep. Being in nature also enhances focus and attention, it improves problem solving, reduces stress, increases empathy, improves mood. The influence of nature is dramatic and pervasive for all of us. There was a study that said that hospital patients, who have views of greenery outside their windows have shorter stays and fewer complications. Reducing screen time, increasing time in nature has the potential to change lives. Listen to Jean Rystrom of the Screen Time Action Network introduce an amazing and FREE resource: The Children & Family Inspiration Guide. It’s got everything you need to encourage your kids to get offline and outside. Listen today!

Erin Loechner is a former social media influencer who walked away from a million fans to live a low-tech lifestyle and is now teaching others how to do the same! As the founder of the global tech-free movement The Opt-Out Family, Erin has authored The Opt Out Family - How To Give Your Kids What Technology Can't. This book is written in a way that is part guide, part interactive and best of all it’s written in Erin’s friendly encouraging voice. In this episode we talk about how to talk to schools, coaches and other parents, set intention in your home and so much more. Listen today!

Autumn McKay is a childhood educator, author and parent, she has navigated the challenges of screen time management with her own kids and faced the very familiar scenario of dealing with tech tantrums and the “10 more minutes” meltdowns. In short, she's one of us! She's in the trenches. In this episode we talk about steps to take in early child development to foster lifelong success. Listen today!

You know that zombie trance that your kids get when watching Cocomelon or other fast paced “kid shows”? Do you ever experience the epic meltdowns that come with the phrase “turn it off”? Well - I’ve got great news. You can avoid these by using kid podcasts to buy yourself 30 minutes for dinner prep/making the needed phone calls/car rides instead! Andi Smiley, the host of The Friendly Podcast Guide @friendlypodcastguide, is awesome!! She created a podcast that helps moms find podcasts for themselves and for their kids. No more zombies!! Build strong imagination muscles by exposing your kids to some of the great kid podcasts out there.

Heed the Children is committed to the protection of children from destructive effects of smartphones and social media and the effects that they're having on kids’ mental and physical health. This petite powerhouse has passion, dedication and a blueprint for you to set up your own parent group in your community! Learn all about it in this episode.

Dr. John S. Hutton is a pioneer in the realm of brain development. His JAMA published MRI research showed the results of screen overuse in the brains of young children: disorganized white matter. This is concerning for a variety of reasons. Today we discuss the best ways to start healthy brain growth and development with babies and toddlers….hint….it’s easier than you think ..and it doesn’t involve screens!!

Those baby days can be rough - everything we see in the media tells you “these are the moments you live for” yet…it’s so lonely. If you have enjoyed other pursuits or had a fast paced career you might find yourself wondering what comes next?Typically - we reach to our device to reconnect with our friends and look for help with the millionth question you have that day. This can get tricky… we can find ourselves spending way more time online than we intended and spiraling down the hole of social media. Alex Fales, found herself struggling with all of the new mom things and was unsatisfied with her relationship with tech so she founded Mindful With Media @mindfulwithmedia. In this episode we talk about screen habit pitfalls and some relatively easy practices you can put in place to design the relationship with tech that you want to have. You are going to want to listen to this one!!

Teaching body boundaries and online safety is what We Stand Guard does best. We Stand Guard is a training program designed to educate everyone about preventing child sexual abuse and exploitation in all its forms, whether that be physical or non-physical contact abuse. Kimberly Perry is the brains behind the program. Author and elementary school educator, with over 15 years experience working with children across the country, Kimberly has a master of arts and teaching and has taught boundaries and personal safety to over 1000 elementary school students. In this episode she teaches us about body boundaries and online safety for kids

“My kid can’t have ADHD because he can play video games for 3 hours.” “Screens help my child focus.” Both of these statements are ones that we have been told by parents of kids with ADHD. I went to the experts at The Childhood Collective to figure out what’s going on with screens and ADHD. The Childhood Collective is a team of two child psychologists (Lori Long, Ph.D. and Mallory Yee, Ph.D.) and a speech language pathologist (Katie Severson, M.S., CCC-SLP). Most importantly, they are three moms who are dedicated to supporting parents of children with ADHD. ADHD brains are designed to be hyper focused on novelty, something tech has perfected. We need to equip our ADHD kids with extra skills and tools to learn how to regulate and transition. In this episode we learn about all of it!

Introducing the brand new Screen Aware Early Childhood Action Kit from Fairplay’s Screen Time Action Network! This kit features facts and strategies to help guide early childhood practitioners and families raising little ones in making sure that children have healthy relationships with screens, both at school and at home!

Sarah Szuminski runs the wonderfully fun and helpful Instagram channel and website called Simplifying Play. She is a wife, mom of two, and an advocate of play for all children. Sarah is passionate about the power of play and helping parents discover their role in playful learning. She advocates “less for more” when it comes to toy management and organization. Keeping it simple will result in longer periods of independent play and deeper learning. Listen to this episode for tips on simplifying play, life, and enjoying the results.

You don’t drop off kids at the mall, park or bowling alley without accompanying them the first few times and then laying out groundwork for how to keep themselves safe. The internet is a PLACE. It needs the same amount of teaching and monitoring that we give to offline spaces. In fact, knowing that predators go where kids are and online they can hide behind fake personas - it can be argued that online gaming needs MORE safety building! This is where Protect Me from Kidas comes in. Protect Me is the first of its kind monitoring platform for online PC gaming. The best part is that the reports that are provided to parents provide conversation starters - you get to ask your child age appropriate questions and have a discussion around various areas of concern. The next steps are then also provided to give support. Enjoy learning more about this platform by listening to this week’s episode!