25 Years of Research On Kids, Tech, and the Emotional Labor Parents Carry With Amanda Lenhart

25 Years of Research On Kids, Tech, and the Emotional Labor Parents Carry With Amanda Lenhart

Twenty years of research on kids and tech and a new report lead to an inescapable conclusion: managing technology in your family never really stops. It's a cycle –– and most of us are already in it. In this episode of Parent Tech, I sit down with Amanda Lenhart, lead researcher and author of the Family Tech Cycle report from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. She's spent more than two decades studying how kids and families use technology –– and she's raised four kids across very different tech eras herself. In today’s episode, we talk about: * What the Family Tech Cycle actually is — and why it starts earlier than most parents think * What happened when researchers asked kids to design their own dream phone * Why hard time limits can backfire socially for kids — and what they actually want instead * The financial realities of parenting around tech that don't get talked about enough * Generative AI and the chatbot attachment problem — why it's already showing up in lawsuits * How Amanda gave her own 12-year-old her first smartphone, what she allowed, what she didn't, and how it helped create more open conversations in the home In this episode: 00:00 Introduction to Amanda Lenhart and the Family Tech Cycle Report 01:45 How Kids Grow Up in Tech "Micro-Generations" — Even Within the Same Family 04:00 From Instant Messaging to Social Media: 20 Years of Watching Kids Online 08:30 How the Cultural Conversation Around Tech Has Gotten More Complex 09:30 What Is the Family Tech Cycle and Why Does It Matter? 10:00 The Co-Design Methodology: Letting Kids Build Their Dream Phone 14:30 What Kids Actually Want: Fairness, Transparency, and Social Continuity 17:00 Why Hard Time Limits Can Backfire Socially for Kids 18:00 Why Parents Correct Kids — And What Gets Lost When They Do 19:00 The Financial Realities of Parenting Around Tech 21:00 Why Better Product Defaults Would Change Everything for Families 23:30 Family Media Contracts: What They Are and How to Use Them 24:00 The Script for Talking to Your Kid About Screen Time Rules 26:30 Parenting in a Blended Family With Different Tech Philosophies 27:00 The Joan Ganz Cooney Center and the Legacy of Sesame Street 30:00 What Research Says About Educational Apps — and What Gets in the Way 31:00 Generative AI and Kids: The Opportunities and the Real Risks 35:00 AI Slop, Algorithmic Content, and What It's Doing to Young Children 36:00 The Chatbot Attachment Problem — and Why It's Already Showing Up in Lawsuits 39:00 Bifurcating AI Use Cases: Tutor vs. Therapist vs. Best Friend 42:00 Amanda's Own Story: Giving Her 12-Year-Old Her First Smartphone 47:00 How They Set Up the Phone — And Why It Took Six Hours 49:00 YouTube as the New TV: How Amanda Thinks About It at Home 51:00 The Goal: A Beautiful Childhood and a Functional Digital Adulthood

Designing The Nex Playground: How One Of TIME's Most Influential Companies Thinks

Good design makes parenting easier. Bad design makes it harder.  In this episode I talk to Jorge Fino, VP of Design at Nex — one of TIME's 100 most influential companies of 2026 and the company behind the Playground, an active play system. It's clear to me how much Jorge thinks about the role of technology in family life. We got into the design decisions behind the Playground and I came away thinking more deeply about the topic.  In this conversation, we cover: * What an "active play system" actually is — and why it's a deliberate departure from traditional gaming consoles * The autonomy insight: why Jorge thinks kids melt down over tablets but not TVs, and what it tells us * "Sedentary time management" — the parenting struggle that's been around since the radio, and why infinite scroll made it so much harder * Why Jorge doesn't see screens as the source of the problem — and a 17th-century artist analogy that reframes things * How to coordinate with other parents when social pressure makes it hard to hold the line on phones and social media * The difference between a consumption device and a creation device — and why it matters more than screen time minutes 00:00 Introduction to Jorge Fino and the Nex Playground 01:00 From Basketball Training App to Active Play System — How Playground Was Born 03:00 Modeling an Active Lifestyle for Your Kids 04:00 Gamifying Physical Movement and Building Healthy Habits 05:00 Why Group Play Works — The Psychology of "I Could Do That" 07:00 Designing for the Heart of the Home, Not Just the Bedroom 09:00 Pretend Play and Natural Intuition as the Foundation for Gameplay 10:00 Why Playground Is the Fastest Setup Jorge's Ever Seen Ship 11:00 Experimenting With Motion — What Works, What Doesn't, and the Sweat Scale 13:00 Using Your Body as the Controller — and What That Unlocks Creatively 16:00 Building a Games Team From Scratch Without a Games Background 17:00 Sedentary Time Management: The Parenting Struggle That Started With the Radio 21:00 Intentional Design Choices That Help 22:00 Privacy in the Living Room — Why Trust Was the First Design Principle 24:00 Sustaining Trust With Families Over Time 25:00 Playing With Grandparents Across the Globe — The Multiplayer Feature On The Way 27:00 Bigger Screens vs. Smaller Screens — What Actually Works for Families 28:00 Jorge's Autonomy Insight: Why Taking the Tablet Away Is Harder Than Turning Off the TV 31:00 Moving Past "Devices Are Bad" Toward More Intentional Thinking 32:00 The 17th Century Artist Analogy — Reframing the Screen Time Conversation 36:00 Jorge's Philosophy at Home: Technology as a Tool, Not a Villain 37:00 The Signed Contract He Made His Own Kids Sign 38:00 No Social Media, Screen Time Controls, and Why He's Holding That Line 39:00 Social Pressure From Other Parents — and How Real It Gets 40:00 Coordinating With Other Parents: The Jonathan Haidt Approach 41:00 What Jorge's Kids Have Actually Created With Technology 43:00 Wrapping Up: How to Find Jorge Fino and the Nex Playground

Good Design Does Some Of The Work: Interviewing Nichole Rouillac, Designer, Mom, And CEO

The best kids tech experiences don't happen by accident. They follow from someone designing carefully for a specific situation. In this episode of Parent Tech, I sit down with Nichole Rouillac, CEO of industrial design studio level and mom of two, to hear how she thinks about technology for her kids. We cover what she's actually doing and why. Nichole has worked with Microsoft, Logitech, Tempo, and Nex, and has a thoughtful approach to kids tech. She's been thinking about this stuff for years from a different vantage point than most parents. We get into: - Her work with the team at Nex on the Playground — the cube shape, the colors, and the monocle camera cover - How audiobooks and Osmo helped her daughter become an avid reader - The Tonie Box, Yoto, Tin Can Phone, and Apple Watch — what she chose for each of her kids and why - Parental controls — what she actually does and why it still takes effort - How her 12-year-old uses Roblox, Minecraft, and coding as both social and creative outlets - Her device and app recommendations for different ages Resources mentioned: My Nex Playground review: www.parent.tech/p/nex-playground-review-all-is-forgiven Ash Brandin's Power On (referenced in episode): www.parent.tech/p/book-review-power-on Joan Ganz Cooney Center family tech cycle report: joanganzcooneycenter.org/publication/the-family-tech-cycle 📌 Subscribe for more interviews, insights, and stories from parents at www.parent.tech Learn more about Nichole and level at www.leveldesignsf.com 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Nichole's background — designing for families as a mom and studio CEO 01:28 The Nex Playground design story 05:29 The monocle — designing a camera cover 07:29 How Nichole thinks about kids and technology 10:38 Screen time philosophy and her two kids 12:24 Social screen time — Roblox, Minecraft, and staying connected with classmates 13:29 Parental controls — what works and what still takes effort 15:06 The Tin Can Phone 16:30 The Apple Watch and giving her daughter independence 18:02 How technology helped her daughter love reading 20:49 Osmo — physical letter tiles and the iPad 23:44 What to look for in education technology 26:24 Independence and devices designed for kids to use on their own 28:07 Her 12-year-old's interests — coding, robotics, writing her own video games 33:53 YouTube as a starting point — balloon animals, cooking, crafts 39:15 Device and app recommendations — Yoto, Osmo, Endless Reader, KiwiCo, Nex Playground 41:01 Family favorites on the Nex Playground 42:06 Closing

How To Learn With Your Kids: Behind The Scenes With Kristen Kim And Culture Kids

In today’s episode of Parent Tech, we sit down with Kristen Kim, creator of the award-winning podcast Culture Kids, to explore how sound, storytelling, and imagination can transform the way children learn about the world. Kristen shares how immersive audio adventures help kids develop empathy, focus, and creativity, while also giving parents a meaningful alternative to screen time. From building safe creative spaces to navigating extracurricular chaos, collaborating with an 8-year-old, and creating a neighborhood “village,” this conversation is packed with practical advice for families. We also dig into: *  Why audio learning activates a child’s brain like reading *  How to introduce cultural diversity through stories *  Simple language shifts that spark curiosity instead of judgment *  Using sound and music to regulate emotions at home 📌 Subscribe for more conversations helping parents navigate tech, creativity, and raising kids in a fast-changing world. Get more from Culture Kids at https://www.culturekidsmedia.com/ In this episode:  00:00 — What is Culture Kids? 05:38 — Weekly production + managing creativity with a child 07:00 — Respecting kids as creative partners 10:08 — Cultural gateways: Pokémon, Totoro, Bluey, and beyond 11:13 — Cultivating awe, wonder & curiosity in kids 15:14 — The role of sound design in emotional learning 16:55 — Using music to build connection at the end of episodes  17:40 — How audio learning strengthens imagination & attention spans 20:17 — Audio vs. reading: what brain science says 24:00 — Should parents make a podcast with their kids? 26:12 — Screen time philosophy: intentionality over restriction 29:40 — When kids surprise you with what they learned 31:00 — Extracurriculars, hobbies & shaping identity 38:40 — You don’t have to do it alone: building your own village 39:20 — What parents want most—and how to start 40:00 — What Kristen is excited about in kids’ tech

Should Kids Have Generative AI Friends? A Conversation With Al Nowatzki

In this episode of Parent Tech, I sit down with Al Nowatzki, a generative AI QA lead, to discuss the impact of AI and AI companions on children and parenting. We also take a trip down memory lane, discussing Al's experience hosting a Star Wars podcast with his kids, which helped spark discussions about real-world issues through fiction.  We discuss AI companions among teens, with Al emphasizing the need for parents to be proactive and informed about the technology. If you’re thinking about your child’s interactions with AI companions, this episode will give you some strategies to help navigate the topic.  Some of the studies referenced: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/press-release/new-report-reveals-how-risky-and-unchecked-ai-chatbots-are-the-new-go-to-for-millions-of-children/ 📌 Subscribe for more interviews, insights, and stories from parents at Parent Tech, here or on any podcast app. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:39 Children of the Force Podcast Journey 07:14 Generative AI and Kids' Relationships 10:18 Parental Guidance in the Age of AI 14:19 Potential and Risks of AI Companions 18:26 Introduction to Parasol Cooperative 18:44 The Role of Ruth the Chatbot 20:28 AI Safety and Ethical Considerations 21:07 Generative AI and Children 22:16 Parenting in the Digital Age 27:58 Explaining AI to Kids 36:24 Regulation