Are smartphones quietly harming our kids’ mental health? In this short episode of the Sustainable Parenting weekly podcast, I sit down with Joanna Bertken, a nationally credentialed school psychologist and Student Assistance Coordinator for Bozeman Public Schools, to discuss the link between smartphone use and skyrocketing rates of anxiety & emotions challenges in kids and teens.

Joanna shares what her district discovered about rising depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation — and why they’re recommending a district-wide shift to cell-phone-free schools.

You’ll also hear parenting tips & tools for reducing screen-time battles, building stronger parent-child connection, and using gentle parenting and kind and firm parenting strategies to help kids thrive without constant device use.

Key Highlights from Today's Episode Include:

• Cell phones and social media target dopamine systems through intermittent reinforcement schedules similar to gambling addiction.

• Teenagers average 7 hours and 22 minutes daily on phones – equivalent to a full-time job.

• We are drastically underestimating the risks online, while overestimating the risks of free play — making calm confident parenting choices even more important.

• Major depression has increased 145% among teen girls and 161% among boys since 2010.

• Algorithms deliver gender-specific harmful content: violence for boys, appearance-based content for girls.

• Wait Until 8th campaign helps parents connect with others delaying smartphone access.

• Many teens themselves want adults to establish boundaries they struggle to set themselves — a chance for positive parenting strategies that support them.

• Parents should consider alternatives like limited-function watches instead of smartphones.

• Replace "phones" with "cigarettes" in conversations to recognize how abnormal our permissiveness has become!

If you’re focused on raising confident kids through gentle discipline, calm parenting tips, and strategies to stop power struggles with kids over technology, this conversation is a must-listen.

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