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Okay, let’s talk about the thing that is straight-up hijacking our homes right now: screens. If you’ve ever shouted, “Get off your phone!” at your kid while... checking your own email for the 50th time that hour? Yep, same. That’s why I brought on the brilliant, passionate, and hilariously relatable Emily Cherkin, also known as The Screen Time Consultant.

Emily is a former middle school teacher turned full-time tech-intentional parenting badass. She’s worked with families, schools, and even policymakers and has been quoted by CHUCK NORRIS, for crying out loud. But what really hit me? She gets it. She gets the emotional labor, the mom guilt, the struggle between “don’t rot your brain” and “I just need 20 minutes of quiet to make dinner.”

In this episode, Emily unpacks why screen time is actually a symptom, not the root problem; why parental controls are basically the IKEA instructions of tech parenting (look good on paper, don’t really work); and how to shift our whole approach without going full “live in the woods with no WiFi” extreme.

Also, fair warning: You will leave this conversation questioning the idea that your kid needs a phone “just in case they get kidnapped.” (Spoiler: statistically… no.)

If you’ve ever handed over a screen and then immediately felt like a failure, or had a deep desire to yeet your kid’s iPad into a lake, this episode is your new therapy. No judgment, no shame. Just some straight-up truth bombs and actual strategies that make sense in the real world.

What’s Inside:

•  Why screens aren’t the real issue, and what’s actually going on
• The sneaky ways screen time is hijacking relationships, not just attention spans
• Why fear-based parenting (hello, Stranger Danger) is totally messing with our decisions
• How to build real-life skills in your kids before handing over the tech

Feeling overwhelmed and wondering if it’s even possible to raise decent humans in a world full of TikTok and YouTube Shorts? You are not alone.
This conversation is your reminder that you don’t have to go full Amish to protect your kid’s brain. Let’s talk about what’s working (and what’s making you want to scream into a pillow). DM me on Instagram @oonaghduncan and let’s swap screen-time war stories. Seriously. I want to hear what’s happening at your house.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Emily Cherkin’s book: The Screen Time Solution
Let Grow Movement, Lenore Skenazy’s work on childhood independence
The Light Phone (a non-smartphone alternative)
Emily’s Website
Social Media Victims Law Center
Follow Emily on Instagram @thescreentimeconsultant
Oonagh Duncan on Instagram
Fit Feels Good
Leave me a voice note on Speak Pipe!