Parents We've Met

Shaping teen brains with Kathryn Berkett, neuroscience educator

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Neuroscience educator ⁠Kathryn Berkett⁠ joins Jenny and Dayna for a deep dive into our kids’ brain development, with tips on how we can support them through every leap, wobble and wild moment that these changes bring.

In the first three years of life, babies’ brains form an astonishing thousand trillion connections - and then, just when we’ve caught our breath, the second massive brain upgrade arrives in early adolescence.

In this episode, Kathryn shares more on:

  • The physical impact of screens on developing brains 
  • How to nurture a teen brain as it learns to take perspective and make sense of a changing world
  • How gratitude, free play, and movement literally shape neural pathways 
  • Why kids need tolerable stress (and moments of fear!) to build resilience
  • The influence of gaming on dopamine and desensitisation. 

    • Kathryn Berkett’s new book: ‘What’s going on in there? The Neuroscience of the Adolescent Brain’ is available to purchase from 27 November, 2025.  

    Want to learn more about navigating devices and screens with kids? Check out 'Digital Parenting: Raising kids in an online world' - a course by Parenting Place.

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    Parents We've MetBy rova | Parenting Place New Zealand