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.”
Episodes
284 episodes
What Happens When You Take Your Teen’s Phone Away: Understanding Screen Addiction & Withdrawal (#262)
In today’s episode, Mandee sits down with Kellyn Smythe from Pacific Quest to unpack a topic many families are quietly struggling with: screen addiction—and why it’s far more serious than we often assume.Drawing from his experience worki...
Why Kids Are Craving Disconnection: Helping Families Thrive Offline in a Screen-Filled World (#261)
In today’s episode, Mandee sits down with Gayle Cheatham, founder of Thrive Offline, to explore a growing reality many families are feeling—but don’t always know how to address: our kids are more connected than ever, yet feeling increasingly di...
The Courts Are Catching Up: What the Google & YouTube Verdicts Mean for Your Kids (#260)
What if your child’s struggle with screens isn’t a lack of discipline—but the result of how these platforms are built?In this episode, we unpack two major jury verdicts against Google, including YouTube, and what they reveal about the ad...
Raising Creators, Not Consumers: A Philosophy for Life & Parenting with Bradley Morris (#259)
We’re either creating or consuming—and that choice shapes who our kids become.In this powerful episode of The ScreenStrong Families Podcast, host Mandee Hamann sits down with Bradley T. Mo...
It’s Not Strict, It’s Protective: The Truth About Phone-Free Schools with Kathleen Barlow (#258)
Host Mandee Hamann welcomes ScreenStrong Ambassador Kathleen Barlow for a heartfelt and eye-opening conversation about preserving childhood in today’s hyper-digital culture.Kathleen is a mother of six, grandmother of three, former French...
Are Classroom Screens Helping Kids Learn, or Quietly Working Against Their Brains? with Neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath (#257)
Are classroom screens really helping children learn—or quietly working against how their brains develop?In this episode, neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath joins us to discuss his new book
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The Case for Screen-Free Schools: Protecting Kids’ Minds & Character with Dr. Kathleen O'Toole (#256)
What happens when schools trade screens for books, discussion, and teacher-led classrooms?In this powerful episode of The ScreenStrong Families Podcast, host Mandee Hamann welcomes Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, Associate Vice President ...
ENCORE: What Parents Need to Know About Roblox, Sleepovers, and Snapchat with Officer Gomez (#168)
Join us in this episode as we dive into the world of Roblox, sleepovers, and Snapchat with invaluable insights from our friend Officer Gomez, a School Resource Officer (SRO) and sworn Deputy of the Boise County Sheriff’s Department.
Is Your Child’s Brain Overstimulated? What Addiction Medicine Tells Us with Dr. Steven Klein (#255)
In today’s episode, host Mandee Hamann sits down with Dr. Steven Klein (Caron Treatment Center), a physician-scientist specializing in addiction medicine and brain health, for a vital conversation...
Yearly Wrap-Up: 2025 Highlights (#254)
Thank you all for listening and engaging with the podcast this past year. Here are just a few highlights from our 2025 episodes. Happy New Year!Episodes Featured (in order of appearance):
5 Simple Shifts for a More Peaceful Holiday (#253)
In today’s episode, Melanie shares five simple but powerful strategies to help your family enjoy a peaceful, connected, ScreenStrong Christmas. If you’ve ever watched the holidays get hijacked by devices, meltdowns, or gaming marathons...
ENCORE: The Endless Non-Tech Gift Ideas with Evan Hempe (#130)
For this special holiday encore episode, Melanie is joined by her son Evan to discuss practical holiday gift ideas—and encourage people to skip smartphones and video games as gifts this season. Evan gives his perspective on the highs and lows o...
The Holiday Blind Spot Every Parent Needs to Hear About with Dr. Adriana Stacey (#252)
In this holiday episode, Melanie Hempe and Dr. Stacey unpack the #1 screen mistake parents make at Christmas: giving in and gifting devices. They reveal the hidden blind spots that cause even the best parents to rationalize smartphones and gami...
10 Things I’m Thankful For Because I Grew Up Without Toxic Screens with Evan Hempe (#251)
In this special Thanksgiving episode, Evan Hempe steps behind the microphone to share a powerful personal perspective you won’t want to miss. As a young adult looking back on a ScreenStrong childhood, Evan reflects on the unexpected (and someti...
The Best Phone for Kids: The Answer Every Parent Is Searching For (#250)
What is the best phone for kids? It’s the question parents everywhere are asking—and today, we’re finally going to answer it.In this episode, Melanie is joined by special guest and fellow mom, Hayley, wh...
"Protect Youth in the Digital Age" Expert Panel Discussion (#249)
In this special episode, we share audio from a virtual panel discussion hosted by Thrive Forward Therapy, “Protecting Youth in the Digital Age.”How can parents keep their kids safe online? It’s one of the most urgent ques...
Life Skills, Not Screen Skills with Katie Kimball of Kids Cook Real Food (#248)
In today’s episode, ScreenStrong Ambassador Liaison and host Mandee Hamann welcomes Katie Kimball, founder of Kids Cook Real Food and two-time TEDx speaker, for an inspiring...
Are We Training Distraction? How Social Media Is Weakening Cognitive Skills in Teens with Dr. Adriana Stacey (#247)
This week, Melanie sits down with psychiatrist Dr. Adriana Stacey to discuss new research showing how social media use in adolescence may be changing the way our kids think.Most parents know that excessive screen time can impact mood and...
The Basement Generation with Amy Eytchison (#246)
In this powerful and eye-opening episode, host Melanie Hempe sits down with Amy Eytchison, a mother of four grown children, to have an honest conversation about one of the most overlooked issues in parenting today: video game addiction among...
Unplugged and Thriving: Lessons from the Maine Coast Semester with Sarah Rebick (#245)
In this episode, Mandee Hamann sits down with Sarah Rebick to explore the unique qualities of the Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki and how they align with ScreenStron...
Phone-Free Classrooms: A Teacher’s Firsthand Report with Beth Pannenberg (#244)
In today’s episode, Melanie sits down with Beth, a high school teacher, to hear her firsthand experience with the new phone-free classroom policy this school year.Beth shares the contrast between last year’s inconsistent approach—where t...
Raising Teens Outside the Anxious Generation with Dr. Adriana Stacey (#243)
What really happens when kids grow up without smartphones, video games, and social media? In this eye-opening episode, Melanie Hempe sits down with Dr. Adriana Stacey to explore the powerful changes families see when they step off the ...
Kids, Screens, and the Rise of A.I. with Aaron Plaat (#242)
On this episode, host Mandee Hamann sits down with Aaron Plaat (aaronplaat.com) to unpack one of the most pressing questions for parents today: What does the rise of artificial intelli...
ENCORE: How to Get Smartphones Out of School with Officer Gomez (#116)
Melanie is joined once again by Officer Gomez—School Resource Officer (SRO) and sworn Deputy of the Boise County Sheriff’s Department—to discuss how to remove smartphones from schools. Officer Gomez shares his own school success story and gives...
When Is Your Child Ready for a Phone? When You’re Ready for Them to See Porn with Doug Smith (#241)
The First Voice Matters: Talking to Kids About Porn Before the Internet Does Welcome to this powerful encore episode of the ScreenStrong Families Podcast with Melanie Hempe and Doug Smith (author, ScreenStrong Ambass...
