380- Screens Aren’t the Enemy: What Kids Actually Need From Us, with Brynn Putnam and Ash Brandin, EdS

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re talking about screens, because my feed has been feeling so black-and-white lately. Screens are bad. Screens disconnect us. Avoid them at all costs. And I just don’t think that’s true, and I also don’t think it’s helpful. So we’re having a real conversation about what it looks like to raise kids in the world we’re actually living in, not the one we miss from when we were growing up. Screens are morally neutral. The question is what we do with them, what our kids are getting from them, and how we can use them as a tool for connection, instead of a source of tension. I’m joined by Ash Brandin, aka The Gamer Educator and author of Power On, and Brynn Putnam, the creator of Board, a face-to-face game console that blends the tactile pieces of board games with a digital screen so families can play together in a way that fuels connection. We talk about digital play being real play, why leisure doesn’t have to be productive, and how to build trust now so kids come to you later, when tech gets more complicated and has higher stakes. Alright folks, let’s dive in. Connect with Brynn: Instagram: @board.fun X: @brynnputnam Website: Connect with Ash: Instagram: @thegamereducator Website: Order the book: Power On: Managing Screen Time to Benefit the Whole Family Substack: Connect with us: Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! Website: seedandsew.org Credits: Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell Co-host: Rachel Lounder Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig Music by: Ruby Adams and Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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380- Screens Aren’t the Enemy: What Kids Actually Need From Us, with Brynn Putnam and Ash Brandin, EdS is an episode from Voices of Your Village by Voices of Your Village.

This episode is 69:00 long.

This episode was published on Mar 19, 2026.

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