Innovative ideas are springing up across the country as schools try to balance education and smartphones. Today, we highlight one principal in Iowa's successful new 'No Phones, New Friends Friday' lunchtime tradition. Our app of focus is on AMINO and we'll share a story from this past summer about one 10 year-old's experience on Amino. We also discuss what it means to be passionate - and what to do if your kids are ONLY showing passionate behavior towards video games and screen-related activities.

In this episode we discuss the app Houseparty, the new trend of OK Boomer, the character focus of Empathy, and the Common Sense Media 2019 Census.

This week are all about Facebook. The social media giant who boasts 2.7 billion users worldwide is regularly in the news and often in negative light. We're going to take a look at recent news about paid political advertising and give you a refresh overview of the app. We'll also focus on the virtue and value of discernment - especially when it comes to social media advertising.

Fortnite: The cultural phenomenon that has captivated millions of children and has frustrated an equal amount of parents. We talk about the details of the game (available for smartphone, PC, or game console) every parent needs to know. We also talk with Mike Jacobus of Reset Summer Camp, a month long gaming/internet addiction camp for teens.

In this week's episode we talk about new research aiming to answer the question of which comes first: Depression or Dependency on a smartphone. With survey results showing average weekly allowances of $30 we look closer into family chores and earning money. We focus on the app and website Reddit and whether it's appropriate for kids. Also, the character focus is on tolerance and how parents can help kids respect and understand differences.

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In this episode we discuss the App GroupMe, how to teach your children to be efficient, and the power of producing over consuming.

In this episode we dive into VSCO girls and the new celebrity-like thinking of today's teens. Rightfully so, we discuss the virtue of self-confidence (especially when trying to resist a pop-culture trend like VSCO girls), and the photo-editing and sharing app VSCO. Finally, we talk about Vaping and how parents need to be brave!

In this episode we give our news, character, and app focus a 22 year-old perspective with our guest Evelyn Fernandez. We talk about the prevalence of unsolicited nudes and the difference between a "selfie" and a "posie". We dive into what it means to be sensible online and Evelyn gives a behind the scenes look at the dating app Bumble.