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The Anxious Generation Resources

This page gathers the podcast episodes, blog post, and conversation scripts to help you navigate your child's screen time effectively.

The Anxious Generation Resources

This page gathers the podcast episodes, blog post, and conversation scripts to help you navigate your child's screen time effectively.
Episode Summary 
A concerned mother in glasses and a beige cardigan stands behind her young daughter, who is looking down at her smartphone while sitting at a table with food A concerned mother in glasses and a beige cardigan stands behind her young daughter, who is looking down at her smartphone while sitting at a table with food
Episode Summary 02: The Anxious Generation: What Parents Need to Know
This summary episode condenses 4 episodes into 17 minutes which examines the research behind claims that social media causes teen mental health problems and reveals why connection-based approaches work better than phone bans for supporting your teen.
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Blog post 
A young person with shoulder-length brown hair wearing a black and white baseball-style shirt stands in what appears to be a home interior, with adults visible but blurred in the background A young person with shoulder-length brown hair wearing a black and white baseball-style shirt stands in what appears to be a home interior, with adults visible but blurred in the background
The Anxious Generation Review: What the Reasearch Actually Shows
Social media has minimal impact on teen wellbeing, while family relationships and school stress matter far more than screen restrictions.
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Episodes 
A teenage girl sits curled up on a living room floor, knees drawn to her chest, looking down at her phone with a posture that suggests worry or distress A teenage girl sits curled up on a living room floor, knees drawn to her chest, looking down at her phone with a posture that suggests worry or distress
247: The Anxious Generation Review (Part 1): Is There Really a Mental Health Crisis in the U.S.?
This episode challenges claims that smartphones cause teen mental health crises, revealing what the research actually shows about social media's impact.
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Five diverse children sitting close together on what appears to be a couch or bench, each looking down at their own smartphones or mobile devices Five diverse children sitting close together on what appears to be a couch or bench, each looking down at their own smartphones or mobile devices
248: The Anxious Generation Review (Part 2): Does Social Media Actually Cause Kids' Depression and Anxiety?
This episode examines research on social media and teen mental health, finding only weak correlations despite claims of strong evidence.
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A young student with curly hair sits at a school desk, looking down at a cell phone in their hands, with other students visible in the background of the classroom A young student with curly hair sits at a school desk, looking down at a cell phone in their hands, with other students visible in the background of the classroom
249: The Anxious Generation Review (Part 3): Should we ban cell phones in school?
This episode examines research on school cell phone bans, finding minimal academic benefits and no mental health improvements while ignoring students' underlying needs.
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A young child lies on their side on an orange shag carpet, looking at a tablet or phone screen with a focused expression A young child lies on their side on an orange shag carpet, looking at a tablet or phone screen with a focused expression
250: The Anxious Generation Review (Part 4): Should we ban cell phones at home?
This final episode explores why rigid family phone rules often backfire, offering collaborative alternatives that address underlying needs while building trust.
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Scripts for Discussing Screen Use With Teens
Neurotypical Teen Not at Risk
Presents a collaborative approach to parent-teen screen time conversations through five detailed dialogues that show how parents can move from punitive control to understanding their teen's needs and co-creating agreements that work for both parties.
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Neurotypical Tween Not at Risk
Demonstrates a collaborative approach to parent-tween screen time conversations through five dialogues that show how parents can work with younger children to create mutually agreed-upon screen time boundaries by understanding the child's needs and co-developing strategies together.
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Neurodivergent Teen
Presents a collaborative approach to screen time conversations specifically tailored for neurodivergent teens, showing through five detailed dialogues how parents can recognize and support their child's use of screens as regulation tools while still maintaining safety and connection.
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Teen at Risk
Demonstrates how parents can move from confrontational approaches to collaborative conversations with teens about screen time by validating their experiences, exploring together what's working and what isn't, and building solutions as partners rather than adversaries.
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Related Episodes 
Two young boys in sweaters sit on a blue couch playing handheld gaming devices together Two young boys in sweaters sit on a blue couch playing handheld gaming devices together
Episode Summary 01: Building a better relationship with screen time
This summary episode condenses two video game episodes into 12 minutes, addressing parent requests for shorter content while maintaining depth.
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Two young boys with headphones celebrate excitedly while gaming on a couch, one holding a red controller in triumph Two young boys with headphones celebrate excitedly while gaming on a couch, one holding a red controller in triumph
218: What children learn form video games
This episode explores why children love video games, what valuable skills they develop through gaming, and how to support off-screen learning.
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a person with short brown hair and glasses wearing a yellow cardigan, smiles at the camera a person with short brown hair and glasses wearing a yellow cardigan, smiles at the camera
217: How to end the video game struggles wirh Ash Brandin
This episode with Ash Brandin addresses common video game struggles, covering transition difficulties, self-regulation skills, and healthy screen time modeling.
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