
ScreenStrong Families
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.”
ScreenStrong Families
Questioning Smartphone Contracts (#90)
In this episode, Melanie tackles two of the most common issues concerning smartphones and your kids and teens: the age of 13 as the "appropriate age" of having a smartphone and the concept of phone contracts.
For the first issue, Melanie responds to the question of "Why do parents believe that 13 has become the new age of adulthood on the internet?" The answer may surprise you. For the second issue, Melanie challenges the concept of the family phone contract. She stresses that healthy activities do not require contracts, which leads to the question, how is your family's phone contract working for you?
Episode References:
COPPA imposes certain requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13 years of age, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13 years of age. (REFERENCE)
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ScreenStrong Tech Recommendations
- Gabb Wireless—Smartphone Replacement (use code STRONG for discount)
- Canopy—Device Filter (use code STRONG for discount)
Production Team:
- Host: Melanie Hempe
- Producer & Audio Editor: Olivia Kernekin