About the Be ScreenStrong Substack.
Welcome to the Be ScreenStrong Substack! I am a medical professional and mom of four children who accidentally raised a video game addict. When our oldest son dropped out of college due to his gaming addiction, I put my nursing degree from Emory University to good use and met with as many medical professionals as I could to learn about childhood screen addictions, including addictions to video games and smartphones.
Our experience with our oldest son, combined with what I learned about the effects of screen overuse on teenagers' physical and emotional development, caused us to implement changes in our household. We wanted to ensure that our three younger children detoured around screen-related problems and flourished with life skills, healthy hobbies, and stronger family connections. We discovered that it is possible to raise teens without allowing video games, smartphones, and social media to be an essential part of their daily routines. We figured out how to boldly move childhood from the virtual world back to the real world. We are not screen-free—our kids know all about games and social media—we are just making real life and family connections more fun!
My Goal.
My goal is to help families avoid the screen-based childhood that is harming so many kids today by sharing what I wish I had known before we fell into the screen addiction trap. You’re in the right place if you’re facing screen conflicts in your home or want to avoid them altogether. I stick to the research and provide the science behind the screens in your home. I also provide practical strategies that work. You’ll learn how to prevent and help your teen break free from screen dependency without sacrificing the benefits of technology. I founded ScreenStrong to provide educational programs and community support—the two things you need most for success.
Beware.
During the early years, our attempts to assist parents in managing, monitoring, and limiting smartphones and video games were met with failure—some parents even described the attempt as a disaster. As more research was published about persuasive design and the dopamine damage immersive screens trigger, we shifted to the bold solution to skip not all screen use but only the most toxic—video games, smartphones, and pornography—through adolescence. We learned the hard way, so you don’t have to.
We set a high bar over here. Our evidenced-based, straightforward message is bold. Come to us if you are genuinely serious about preventing and reversing screen-related problems. However, if your kids are fine and your focus is solely on debating the pros and cons of various parental controls, device moderation, and setting the kitchen timer to monitor time limits, there are numerous other reputable organizations that cater to that discussion.
Take advantage of
The ScreenStrong Families Podcast: Our weekly podcast where I interview medical professionals and others. Listen here.
Kids’ Brains & Screens: The ScreenStrong Student Curriculum (digital & print)
Our KBS Student Curriculum answers our biggest request from parents: “Do you have something to help me explain to my kids why screens are so addictive?”
Ambassador Program: We have over 100 global Ambassadors who have been trained to spread the message—we need you. You will love being an Ambassador.
About Paid Subscriptions
This Substack is free. ScreenStrong is a non-profit organization because we want to encourage families to give generously to spread the message and save more kids. It’s simple: the bigger our budget is, the more kids we can save. Instead of paying for a subscription here, please consider donating to our 501(c)3. If you are interested in donating the curriculum in bulk or donating a curriculum bundle to a specific grade/s at your school, please contact us.
Finally, some common questions:
Isn’t skipping video games and social media through adolescence overprotecting our teens?
No. When you give your kids dopamine-producing handheld devices, you will have to become an overprotective parent. When you are ScreenStrong, those helicoptering days are over; your kids become much more independent in the real world. Watching them become leaders and grow strong with life skills is much easier—for them and for you—than parenting a teen with mental health problems caused by screen addiction.
Won’t my kids binge and go crazy when they leave the house if I pull the plug on their video games and smartphones?
No. With firm but loving boundaries, teens thrive. Your kids will continue to fill their time with the hobbies and habits they learned to love when they were young. Activities and experiences play a significant role in shaping their brains, and these childhood patterns tend to persist over time. If our teens develop a habit of excessive smartphone use, it is likely to carry over when they leave our house. Don’t parent out of fear of a future problem; make the best choices for your child today and share what you learn along the way with them so they will make well-informed decisions as they grow.
How will my teens have friends if they don’t have social media?
In our decade-long work with families, we’ve observed that teens thrive in face-to-face relationships when they rely less on social media to fulfill their social needs. Without time-consuming social media getting in the way, teens have more time to dedicate to building strong in-person friendships. Having a parent’s social media account is enough to “keep up” with family and friends, but the real work to make and build friendships for teens requires spending in-person time together.
Thanks for visiting!
Stand up for your kids.
Stand out from the crowd.
Stay ScreenStrong!
