ScreenStrong Families
After her oldest son, Adam, dropped out of college due to his video game addiction, Melanie Hempe, BSN, put her nursing degree and training from Emory University to good use and founded ScreenStrong. It’s her mission to create educational programs for kids and parents so no one will experience the pain of screen addiction. Her ability to simplify medical science and provide practical solutions for families has allowed her to share her passion and bold screen solutions nationally. ScreenStrong has won the hearts of many families who are preventing and reversing childhood screen conflicts and addiction. Host of the popular weekly ScreenStrong Families Podcast, Melanie has been featured in Psychology Today, Thrive-Global, The Wall Street Journal, A&E Network, CBS, CNN, NPR, the documentary Screened Out, and various news and television outlets. Her ScreenStrong Kids’ Brains and Screens Courses are available for parents and students. Her four books include, “Kids’ Brains & Screens: A ScreenStrong Student Course,” “Will Your Gamer Survive College?” “Can Your Teen Survive—and Thrive—Without a Smartphone?” and “The ScreenStrong Solution: How to Free Your Child from Addictive Screen Habits.”
Show episodes
In this powerful episode, Mandee Hamann sits down with Andrea, ScreenStrong Ambassador, and her 8th-grade son, Colin, to share their eye-opening journey through screen addiction. Colin once watched over 16,000 YouTube videos in class, trapped in a cycle of digital distraction that left him disengaged and overwhelmed. B
ENCORE: The Broader Effects of Tech and How to Reconnect Your Kids with Tom Kersting (#49)
In this episode, Melanie speaks with author and therapist Tom Kersting, diving into the profound impact of technology on children’s social and emotional development. Together, they explore the challenges many parents face—kids prioritizing gaming over real friendships, emotional dysregulation, and the growing disconnec
Get There Before The Trafficker: A Wake-Up Call for Parents with Aleda Renter (#230)
In this eye-opening episode, host Mandee Hamann sits down with Aleda Renter from Protect Me Project to discuss the alarming connection between screen use and child exploitation. Aleda shares her expertise on how traffickers use social media, gaming platforms, and other online spaces to groom and exploit young victims.
In this episode, Melanie welcomes back Dr. Victoria Dunckley, an integrative psychiatrist and author of Reset Your Child’s Brain: A Four-Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen Time. This conversation, taken from a previous interview, focuses on th
How Screens Hurt Kids’ Brains: A Conversation with Dr. Victoria Dunckley, MD (#228)
In this episode, Melanie welcomes Dr. Victoria Dunckley, an integrative psychiatrist and author of Reset Your Child’s Brain: A Four-Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen Time. This conversation, taken from a previous interview, highlights how Vic
A Psychiatrist's Perspective: Why Parents Are Right to Be Concerned About Social Media with Dr. Adriana Stacey (#227)
Melanie Hempe welcomes Dr. Stacey to discuss the recent pushback against phone-free school initiatives and social media regulations. A recent Wall Street Journal article claims parents are overreacting and that social media isn’t the real culprit behind the teen mental health crisis—but is that true? In this episode, M
