Writer Anya Kamenetz on The Art of Screen Time

In today’s episode of the TiLT Parenting Podcast, I’m tackling a topic that’s highly relevant to parents raising atypical kids, if not near and dear—screen time. My guest is Anya Kamenetz, mother of two, writer and digital education correspondent for NPR (National Public Radio), and author of the brand new book, The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life.

Anya’s book looks at the most recent, often inconclusive, research regarding screen time, and features insight gleaned from surveys of hundreds of fellow parents on their practices and ideas. In our conversation, Anya shares what she learned about kids and screen time, as well as her takeaways on the latest research surrounding screen time and differently wired kids. I can’t promise this episode will end screen time struggles in your home (if you have them), but it will give you some food for thought regarding how much is too much, what problematic screen usage looks like, and more.

About Anya Kamenetz

Anya Kamenetz is the lead digital education correspondent for NPR. Her team’s blog is at NPR.org/ed. Previously she covered technology, innovation, sustainability and social entrepreneurship for five years as a staff writer for Fast Company magazine. She’s contributed to The Village Voice, The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Slate, and O, the Oprah Magazine.

She was named a 2010 Game Changer in Education by the Huffington Post and won 2009, 2010, and 2015 National Awards from the Education Writers Association. NPR Ed won a 2017 Edward R. Murrow award for Innovation from the Radio Television Digital News Association. She appears in the documentaries Generation Next (2006), Default: A Student Loan Documentary (2011), both shown on PBS, and Ivory Tower, distributed by Participant Media.

Things you’ll learn from this episode

• Why Anya wrote this book

• What Anya discovered about screen time as it relates to neurologically atypical kids

• Anya’s simple, yet thoughtful, contribution to how parents can create healthy screen lifestyles in their families: Enjoy Screens. Not too much. Mostly with others.

• How Anya’s research influenced screen time policies with her own daughter

• Whether or not “all media is created equal”

• What the “still face experiments” might say about the impact of parents, iPhones, and young children

• How Anya defines “problematic usage” of screens (a.k.a. addiction)

Resources mentioned

• Anya Kamenetz’s website

• NPR Ed Blog

• The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life by Anya Kamenetz

• DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education by Anya Kamenetz

• The Test: Why Our Schools Are Obsessed With Standardized Testing But You Don’t Have to Be by Anya Kamenetz

• Generation Debt: How Our Future Was Sold Out for Student Loans, Bad Jobs, No Benefits, and Tax Cuts for Rich Geezers—And How to Fight Back by Anya Kamenetz

• The Truth About Video Games and Your Child’s Physical, Social, and Psychological Well-Being (podcast episode)

• Asher Talks About Managing and Tracking Screen Time (podcast episode)

• Asher Talks About the Pros and Cons of Banning Video Games (podcast episode)

Do you have an idea for an upcoming episode? Please share your idea in my Suggestion Box.