A Different Take on Screen Time - Revisit

**Dr. Becky** (0:00)
Here's a question parents ask me all the time. How can I help my kid take ownership of their routine? I love this question because owning a routine is such a good way for kids to build independence and confidence. It's why I'm excited to tell you about Yodo, the screen-free audio player for kids. In the mornings, your kid can wake up with Yodo's alarm clock. When your kid gets home from school, Yodo has focus tracks, audio books, music and learning content. One of my kids really likes to write and record their own stories with the make your own cards. Then at night, your kid can build a wind-down routine with Yodo's toothbrush timer, white noise, and night light. With the right sound, stories, and a bit of structure thanks to Yodo, mornings feel more manageable, homework time feels calmer, and winding down before bed becomes something kids can run themselves making the whole school year feel a little easier for everyone. Use the code DRBECKY15 for 15 percent off your order at yodoplay.com. New customers only, ends October 31st. Terms apply, offer valid on select products only. All right, picture this. You've just cooked your kid dinner. It's nutritious, it smells amazing to you, and then your kid goes, oh, gross.
Okay, we've all been there. I definitely have. And then you feel rejected by your kid, and on top of it, you're feeling anxious that your kid isn't getting enough nutrients. And when this inevitably sends you on a walk down the vitamin aisle, you end up thinking, all right, but will my kid even like any of these? Which one has what my kid actually needs? That's when you can turn to SmartyPants Vitamins. SmartyPants Kids Plus Multi and Omegas delivers 33% more nutrients than the next leading product and includes Omega-3s. That's part of why it's the number one best-selling kids' gummy multivitamin. You can shop SmartyPants Vitamins at Target, Walmart, or Amazon today. This week, I'm joined by Ash Brandon. Ash is an educator, a researcher, and a former middle school teacher who's on a mission to help families rethink screen time. You might know Ash from Instagram as the Gamer Educator, where they share practical, compassionate tools to help parents set boundaries without shame or power struggles.
Exciting news, Ash's brand new book, Power On, hits bookstores everywhere on August 26th.
This conversation really stuck with me and gave me so much insight into some of my own triggers around my own kids' screen time.
That's one of the things Ash and I talk about, and I can't wait for you to hear this conversation because I know you will also learn something new, have a reframe for how you think about screen time, and also feel empowered to deal with screen time with your kids in a way that feels good instead of ridden with guilt.
I'm Dr. Becky and this is Good Inside. We'll be back right after this.

**Ash Brandon** (2:57)
Hi, Ash.

**Dr. Becky** (2:57)
Hi. I'm so excited to have you here.

**Ash Brandon** (2:59)
I am so thrilled to be here. Thank you so much.

**Dr. Becky** (3:02)
Okay. We're going to talk about so many different things, screen time and misconceptions and reframes. I know you love all those things I do too, but I was thinking about the time of year.
I feel like I hear from parents in this summer to fall transition all the time. It's like, I feel like I had a lot of screen time over this summer. I feel like it's time to tighten up. Just in this moment of time when I think that thought is in so many parents' heads, where do you go from there in terms of even how parents are thinking about it, tightening up, what that means, summer to fall, screen time in general this time? Tell me your thoughts.

**Ash Brandon** (3:37)
Yeah, I think summer is that kind of wonderful time where we can get more relaxed and flexible, and then we see the coming reality of, oh yeah, and then we have to go back to the school year and all the things that that entails.
I feel like a lot of caregivers want to prepare so that we are setting ourselves up for success. When it comes to things like technology, I think it is helpful sometimes to think about, well, what maybe was or wasn't working for us before, or what are some things that maybe came up over the summer where we've relaxed a bit. Maybe there's some things with that that actually were nice, maybe felt good. Maybe we got in a routine of having a family movie night, or eating dinner on the couch and we picked a movie, and actually it really was a lovely thing. Maybe that's something we can continue to incorporate. And then maybe there are things where we know, okay, but we still got to get out of the door on time, or something like that. And then we think about, okay, if that's the need of our family, how do I make sure that we're incorporating the need of our family and starting from that place when I'm thinking about our relationship with Scream?