Proven Tools to Take Back Childhood
ScreenStrong has the resources you need to make real, lasting change.
ScreenStrong was founded because when I was battling my oldest son’s gaming addiction and trying to pave a new way forward for my younger kids, I felt alone, afraid, and just plain exhausted. I desperately needed access to trustworthy information and a like-minded community, and many times, I felt like I came up short.
When I finally found the solution to our screen problems—which ultimately became the ScreenStrong Solution—I vowed to share it with as many families as I could, along with all the other resources I wished I’d had.
This week, I wanted to take a moment to remind you of all these great resources. It is officially spring, after all—a season of renewal and growth. And I truly believe it is never too late to make a change, especially when you have ScreenStrong by your side.
Here are 6 resources to help you along your journey to screen peace.
The ScreenStrong Families Podcast
Along with this Substack, ScreenStrong releases a new podcast every Wednesday. We bring on leading experts, bestselling authors, and real parents like you to discuss the problem of screens from every angle. With each episode, you’ll walk away feeling more informed and more hopeful, with real, actionable advice you can implement in your home that day.
If you’re trying to become ScreenStrong, this podcast will give you the knowledge and the confidence needed to win the screen battle in your home, and if you’re already living a ScreenStrong lifestyle, our podcast will be your weekly reminder to maintain your resolve.
Here are 3 recent episodes to listen to on your next car ride:
Episode #226 - The Opt-Out Movement: Simplifying Family Life In the Digital Age with Erin Loechner
Episode #228 - How Screens Hurt Kids’ Brains: A Conversation with Dr. Victoria Dunkley
7-Day Challenge
In order to make changes in your home, you must remove the toxic screens. Completely. Cold-turkey. Most parents know this in their hearts but are afraid to actually pull the trigger, which is why they remain stuck in a cycle of endless screen conflicts. No more, not with the 7-Day Challenge.
ScreenStrong’s 7-Day Challenge will tell you how to effectively remove the screens and navigate that first week without them. If you’re like most families who do our Challenge, a week is all it takes for everyone in the house to begin to see the benefits of a life without video games and smartphones controlling downtime. You will see fewer arguments, less anxiety, and more conversations and be eager to move on to our full 30-Day Detox (more on that below!).
Find the 7-Day Challenge here.
ScreenStrong Connect Group
While ScreenStrong does have a large private Facebook group, we wanted to give like-minded families a way to gather outside of social media.
In our free Connect Group, you’ll be able to talk, get support, and share tips with like-minded parents who are making ScreenStrong decisions for their families. You will also get answers directly from our Ambassadors, who are trained to help parents just like you be bold to prevent and reverse screen problems in their homes.
We also have a subscription-based Connect Plus group. When you join, you’ll get access not only to the larger Connect community and the ScreenStrong Ambassadors but also to the vast assortment of ScreenStrong educational materials, including live workshops, webinars, e-books, and video interviews. You’ll even get our full 30-Day Detox.
Join for just one month, or stay for a year! It’s easy to pause or cancel your Connect subscription at any time. Learn more about Connect Plus here.
ScreenStrong Workshops
Did you know you can book ScreenStrong to come and speak at your school, your church, or even your neighborhood parent group? It’s true! Wherever you are in the country, we have a trained Ambassador near you who can come give a 30-, 60-, or 90-minute workshop, with special versions for teachers, parents of young kids, parents of teenagers, and even teenagers themselves.
You can find out more or even book a workshop for your community here.
Phone-Free Schools Guide
Launched this fall, our Phone-Free Schools Guide was created to make going phone-free easy and evidence-based.
The free guide is the most comprehensive one of its kind, and includes:
The latest brain science and research that support a phone-free policy
How to effectively draft & enforce a phone-free policy
How to communicate changes with staff, students, and parents to avoid pushback
It even includes a slide deck presentation to use at a school-wide assembly and awareness posters for elementary, middle, and high school hallways.
If you’re a parent wondering how you can support your school or district in going phone-free, referring your administrators and school board to our Phone-Free Guide is a great place to start!
Kids’ Brains & Screens
The Kids’ Brains & Screens Series is ScreenStrong’s most innovative and comprehensive resource yet. It’s the first series of books that explains the brain science behind screen use to kids themselves and empowers them to make healthier screen choices.
The series launched with our full student curriculum, an 8-week course that is reimagining what “digital literacy” really means in today’s world. KBS Student is being utilized in middle schools and high schools across the country and includes not only a textbook but also quizzes, worksheets, classroom-wide challenges, and a full parent course so parents can learn right alongside their kids.
Next week, we’ll be expanding KBS with a brand-new Home Edition. The Home Edition takes everything that made KBS Student so successful—the easy-to-understand brain science, the engaging illustrations—and streamlines it for use at home.
If you’re serious about making changes in your home, Kids’ Brains & Screens Home Edition will be your biggest ally. It will show your kids you aren’t the bad guy or the fun police but rather a loving parent who’s stepping in and doing what’s right based on what the latest research says about screen use and developing brains.
Our Home Edition officially launches next week—March 31st! Stay tuned to learn more in next week’s Substack, and save the link (ScreenStrong.org) to order your copy and get access to bulk prices and any exclusive offers.
Melanie Hempe, BSN, is the founder of ScreenStrong, a nonprofit organization, and the author of the Kids’ Brains and Screens Series for students and parents. She is dedicated to preventing and reversing childhood screen addictions by providing scientific evidence and community for families around the globe. Her educational material is filled with everything she wished she had known before her oldest child suffered from a screen addiction.
ScreenStrong has created what every family needs—education and the community—to skip toxic screens through adolescence so teens can reach their full potential.Visit here for our popular Kids’ Brains & Screens series and here for our Phone-Free Schools Guide, and visit ScreenStrong.org to learn more and join the community that is saving childhood.