Why Your Middle Schooler Doesn’t Need a Smartphone for Christmas (#220)

The holidays are here, and many parents are contemplating whether to gift their middle schoolers a smartphone. In this episode, Melanie and Amy, who together have raised eight middle schoolers, dive into why smartphones are the most regretted parenting gift. They explore the science behind middle school brain development, the risks of increased dependence and peer pressure, and the long-term effects on social skills and mental health. Learn why phones should never be given as gifts, how they ...

Om Podcasten

After her oldest son, Adam, dropped out of college due to his video game addiction, Melanie Hempe, BSN, put her nursing degree and training from Emory University to good use and founded ScreenStrong. It’s her mission to create educational programs for kids and parents so no one will experience the pain of screen addiction. Her ability to simplify medical science and provide practical solutions for families has allowed her to share her passion and bold screen solutions nationally. ScreenStrong has won the hearts of many families who are preventing and reversing childhood screen conflicts and addiction.Host of the popular weekly ScreenStrong Families Podcast, Melanie has been featured in Psychology Today, Thrive-Global, The Wall Street Journal, A&E Network, CBS, CNN, NPR, the documentary Screened Out, and various news and television outlets. Her ScreenStrong Kids’ Brains and Screens Courses are available for parents and students. Her four books include, “Kids’ Brains & Screens: A ScreenStrong Student Course,” “Will Your Gamer Survive College?” “Can Your Teen Survive—and Thrive—Without a Smartphone?” and “The ScreenStrong Solution: How to Free Your Child from Addictive Screen Habits.”