The Digital Childhood

My husband and I made a fatal error. We gave our pre-teen limited access to a screen at a developmentally vulnerable age. And then we took it back. On today's show: A cautionary tale about what happened when we eased up on our household's screen rules. Here's a preview: [3:00] My household's descent into screendom: How did we get here? [16:00] "The light went out behind her eyes" and other tween behavioral and personality changes [21:00] The four foundational harms of smart phones, according to Jonathan Heidt [28:00] Kids are highly susceptible to both conformist bias and prestige bias. That's why phones are so darn powerful [31:00] If you don't want your child to act like a TikTok influencer, don't give them access to TikTok! [32:00] The presence of screens reduces a child's interest in all other non-screen activities (and other helpful reminders) Resources mentioned: We have an aligned sponsor! Head to Duckfeetusa.com and use code MAMAMINIMALIST FOR $50 off. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here . Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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The Digital Childhood is an episode from The Sustainable Minimalists Podcast: Eco-Friendly Families | Simple Living + Parenting by Bleav + Stephanie Seferian.

This episode is 00:36:52 long.

This episode was published on Nov 11, 2025.

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