Parenting in the Screen Age - The Screenagers Podcast

Join Delaney Ruston, MD, a leading authority on parenting in the digital age and the filmmaker of the award-winning Screenagers movies, as she explores strategies for raising screen-wise and tech-balanced youth. Through interviews with researchers, thought leaders, and young people themselves, The Screenagers Podcast delivers the latest in science along with practical tips and important insights that parents will want to share with their kids and teens.

Boredom In, Boredom Out: How Teens Experience Social Media

May 26, 2025

Why is it so hard for teens and young adults to cut back on social media — even when they truly want to? What emotional triggers keep pulling them back onto apps, and what actually happens once they're there?

In this episode of Parenting in the Screen Age, host Dr. Delaney Ruston explores these questions with Dr....

How to Delay Social Media and Smartphone Use With Wait Until 8th

Oct 1, 2024

Founder of the "Wait Until 8th" movement, Brooke Shannon, joins Dr. Delaney Ruston for a conversation. Brooke shares insights on the Wait Until 8th pledge, its community-based approach, and strategies for parents to manage digital exposure responsibly.

The conversation also covers personal experiences, handling...

Parenting Tips from Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition

Sep 9, 2024

In this episode of the Screenagers podcast, physician/filmmaker Dr. Delaney Ruston gives some parenting highlights from her new movie Screenagers: Elementary School Edition. Key topics include handling meltdowns during screen time transitions, promoting open communication around social media, and mitigating the negative...

Jonathan Haidt Explains the Youth Mental Health Crisis

Jun 10, 2024

Is social media, smartphones, and the sheer amount of time that young people are on screens really the main reason for the rise in mental health problems of today’s youth? On today’s episode, we delve into this pressing issue with Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, and author of the current New York...

How Media Is Fueling A Risky Sexual Practice Among Teens

May 27, 2024

In today’s episode, Dr. Delaney Ruston talks with author Peggy Orenstein about a media-fueled risky sexual practice that is happening among some teens today — choking, also called sexual strangulation. Orenstein, who has spent many years researching sexuality among youth for her books “Girls and Sex” and “Boys...