Are phones and apps replacing the awkward moments kids actually need? In this episode, psychologist Ty Tashiro joins Screen Less Play More to explore how technology, social media, and online dating are reshaping social skills, emotional intelligence, and relationships. This isn't just a problem for kids, teens, and young adults, it affects parents as well.
From everyday social awkwardness to the decline of face-to-face interaction, we unpack why discomfort is essential for healthy social development and how avoiding it may leave kids unprepared for real relationships.
We discuss how screens can both help and harm social growth, why many young people are opting out of dating, and how social media creates unrealistic expectations around relationships, confidence, and success. This conversation dives into emotional stability, kindness, loyalty, and independence—and why modeling positive social behavior as parents matters more than ever. If you're worried about social skills, screen time, teen dating, or raising emotionally resilient kids in a digital world, this episode will change how you think about technology and childhood.
Ty Tashiro is the author of "Awkward: The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome," and "The Science of Happily Ever After: What Really Matters in the Search for True Love."
Ty and Cynthia help us understand:
Social skills & Awkwardness
Is technology helping your child socialize—or quietly making it harder?
What social skills can kids never learn through screens alone?
How do you know if your child's social awkwardness is normal—or something they need help with?
Are phones and apps replacing the awkward moments kids actually need?
What's the long-term cost of avoiding face-to-face discomfort?
Dating, Relationships & the Future
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Why are so many young people opting out of dating entirely?
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Is social media giving kids unrealistic expectations about relationships?
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Are dating apps training kids to see people as disposable?
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What does modern dating teach kids about rejection—and entitlement?
Emotional Intelligence & Character
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Are we prioritizing confidence and achievement over kindness and emotional stability?
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Do kids know that loyalty and empathy matter more than "status"?
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How do children learn emotional regulation if they never see it modeled?
Boys, Men & Long-Term Outcomes
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Why are so many young men struggling to become "marriageable"?
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How do economics and social skills collide to shape kids' futures?
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Are boys being quietly left behind socially—and no one wants to say it out loud?
Parenting & Modeling Behavior
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Are your kids learning social skills from you—or from influencers?
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What are you modeling about relationships without realizing it?
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If kids don't see healthy adult friendships, how will they build their own?
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Are we protecting kids from discomfort—or preventing growth?
More about Screen Less Play More, the best parenting podcast about play and tech at:
https://screenlessplaymore.com/
https://substack.com/@screenlessplaymore?utm_source=user-menu
Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@ScreenLessPlayMore
Welcome to the Screen Less Play More podcast — the best parenting podcast for raising balanced, confident kids in the digital age by reducing screen time, managing gaming and social media, and restoring play-based childhoods.
Hosted by Cynthia Dvorak of ScreenLessPlayMore.com, we share expert advice and research-backed strategies to help parents create healthy screen habits, set realistic tech boundaries, and build stronger family connection without constant monitoring or power struggles. Each episode gives you practical tools for reducing screen time battles, ensuring online safety for kids, and age-appropriate digital limits. We discuss if there is such thing as healthy screen time, and what are some good guidelines for screen time by age.
But it's not all about screens! Screen Less Play More is also about the benefits of free play, outdoor play, and imaginative play so your children can thrive both online and offline. Look no further for executive tech strategies, research-backed tools, ideas for screen free entertainment, and screen free activites for kids from tiny to teenager. We are big on play, especially risky play, outdoor play, and the friluftsliv outdoor lifestyle.
Through interviews with experts, educators, and authors, we aim to make you more intentional parents, mindful parents, and happy parents! Whether you're into calm parenting, gentle parenting, or FAFO parenting- we have advice that will guide your decisions around digital technology and play based learning (and play just for the sake of play!)
What's the best parenting podcast about play and screens? Check out the top 6 episodes from 2025 of Screen Less Play More : https://screenlessplaymore.com/top-rated-parenting-podcast-episodes-of-the-year-our-most-listened-most-loved-conversations/
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