The home of "Tech Talk Tuesdays"
“Having calm, consistent conversations has greatly improved screen balance in my home and I have written hundreds of articles to help others through my weekly Tech Talk Tuesdays newsletter and blog.”— Delaney Ruston, MD Physician/Filmmaker"
Sign up here to receive the weekly Tech Talk Tuesdays newsletter from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD.
We respect your privacy.
Today we are talking about exploring science through technology. There are many ways to spark a conversation with your kids about science including watching YouTube videos together. Tessa and I like watching “How It's Made" videos. We just watched one on how natural rubber is made and the images are incredible. And I just posted this interesting Ted Talk about using virtual reality to bring science to life in the classroom. In Screenagers we show researchers talking about the latest science around screen time and brain development, the social science around empathy and self-esteem, and the science of parenting.
READ MORE >
A recent survey found that 76 percent of travelers post their vacation photos to social networks. People have different feelings about this--for example, some people love to see people on vacation and others may feel envious.
READ MORE >
Pokémon GO is has taken the country by storm, and it's not just kids, adults are playing too. According SurveyMonkey, Pokémon Go has become the biggest mobile game in the history of the US. The app now has more than 21 million daily active users, which surpassed the very popular game Candy Crush when it was at its height in 2013.
READ MORE >
Pokemon GO is sweeping the nation. Kids (and adults) are running around trying to spot imaginary characters floating in the real world. It’s getting kids outside and moving but they are still looking down at their screens. This is a highly seductive game that has found a way to tap into the reward centers of teen’s brains. Some things to know about teen’s brains...
READ MORE >
This summer there are many opportunities for kids to be plugged in, but also many are getting the unique experience of unplugging because they are going to away to camps or in day camps that don't allow devices. There was a study done out of UCLA that shows that children who spend even 5 days without their devices, in tech-free camps, have restoration of the capacity for empathy.
READ MORE >
It’s morning. You are snuggled under the covers, your eyes open, your brain registers that it’s a new day. Is your first interaction with the world an in-person one -- “Good morning, honey” – or a screen one – a text, FB post, or news and traffic update — quick, before anyone in the house says ‘hello’? How about for your kids?
READ MORE >
According to a Gallup Poll, 70% of teens check their phone several times an hour. We know that is true for many adults too. Constant notifications from social sites, texts and more play a big part in this compulsion.
READ MORE >
Check your phone while driving? 56% of parents say they do. Check your device during conversations with your family? 77% of parents say their teens do and 41% of teens say their parents do. Listen to music while doing homework? Browse online and text friends while watching tv? Check and respond on multiple screens and devices at once?
READ MORE >
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) just released recommendations for the number of hours a night that kids and teens need to sleep, to function at their best.
READ MORE >
Summer break is upon us and even though our kids won’t be on campus with their friends every day, they can keep the social scene alive on their favorite social media sites.
READ MORE >
As we enter into the final weeks of the school year, we are all extra busy trying to fit it so much in. Summer break is right around the corner, and many of us are looking forward to having a little more free time. But what activities will fill that time? Screen-based activities will be more enticing than ever. Are you ready? Frankly, I know it will be a challenge in my home. I have been thinking of things I plan to do and have a few ideas...
READ MORE >
A friend recently told me that her son, whose middle school plans to show Screenagers schoolwide before the semester ends, is already feeling defensive about what he anticipates will be “another parent attack” on one more dreaded teen behavior that we parents have to “do something about.”
READ MORE >
If you’re like me, you’ve become pretty attached to your device. I check it to find out where I need to be today, to text my friends and kids, to find out what’s up at the office, to record an idea I want to follow up on later … it is my portable office! I am working and parenting! I need to be updated all the time!
READ MORE >
Who hasn’t been tempted every once in a while to be a little bit of something they usually aren’t? A little bolder, better, more opinionated or clever than we might appear in our everyday lives? I remember prank phone calls being a typical middle school way to get into a little mischief and “be” someone else.
READ MORE >
If you’ve tuned into Tech Talk Tuesday before, you might already know that in my family, we have decided that the car is a “screens-off” space for all of us. It works great when it’s just us in the car. We talk, we catch up, we sit quietly.
READ MORE >
Sometimes things happen in life that make you stop and take stock of who your “real” friends are. Like when I feel anxious and I call my friends to give me some moral support. If I need a hand with a ride somewhere for the kids, I call on my local parent crew. If I want to vent about the latest parenting issue, I might post on Facebook and get some reactions from my contacts around the world.
READ MORE >
As a doctor, I believe that while there is a true clinical internet/video game addiction, we must be careful about using the term addiction loosely regarding broad use of technology. For serious cases, Internet addiction is a real problem. But for the kid who just won’t put her phone down during dinner? Calling her an addict may do more harm than good.
READ MORE >
While I was making Screenagers, I became fascinated by the rapidly growing trend of schools deciding to give every single student on campus a digital device. When I learned that the Los Angeles Unified School District was launching one of these “one-to-one technology” programs and issuing an iPad to every student, I flew down to see for myself how it was going.
READ MORE >
