ScreenStrong Families

ScreenStrong Families

Melanie Hempe, BSN

Episodes 279
Avg. Duration 50m
Activity Highly Active
Since Jul 2020
Latest Episode Mar 2026

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Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
50%
Hosting
feeds.buzzsprout.com

About This Podcast

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.”

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Recent Episodes

Are Classroom Screens Helping Kids Learn, or Quietly Working Against Their Brains? with Neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath (#257)

Mar 05, 2026 50m

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 The…

The Case for Screen-Free Schools: Protecting Kids’ Minds & Character with Dr. Kathleen O'Toole (#256)

Feb 18, 2026 37m

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…

ENCORE: What Parents Need to Know About Roblox, Sleepovers, and Snapchat with Officer Gomez (#168)

Feb 11, 2026 1h 10m

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…

Is Your Child’s Brain Overstimulated? What Addiction Medicine Tells Us with Dr. Steven Klein (#255)

Jan 22, 2026 37m

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)

Jan 14, 2026 30m

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):Building…

5 Simple Shifts for a More Peaceful Holiday (#253)

Dec 17, 2025 35m

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…

ENCORE: The Endless Non-Tech Gift Ideas with Evan Hempe (#130)

Dec 10, 2025 59m

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…

The Holiday Blind Spot Every Parent Needs to Hear About with Dr. Adriana Stacey (#252)

Dec 04, 2025 38m

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…

10 Things I’m Thankful For Because I Grew Up Without Toxic Screens with Evan Hempe (#251)

Nov 26, 2025 44m

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…

The Best Phone for Kids: The Answer Every Parent Is Searching For (#250)

Nov 19, 2025 55m

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,…

"Protect Youth in the Digital Age" Expert Panel Discussion (#249)

Nov 13, 2025 1h 11m

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…

Life Skills, Not Screen Skills with Katie Kimball of Kids Cook Real Food (#248)

Oct 31, 2025 45m

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 conversation about…

Are We Training Distraction? How Social Media Is Weakening Cognitive Skills in Teens with Dr. Adriana Stacey (#247)

Oct 24, 2025 39m

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…

The Basement Generation with Amy Eytchison (#246)

Oct 09, 2025 52m

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…

Unplugged and Thriving: Lessons from the Maine Coast Semester with Sarah Rebick (#245)

Oct 01, 2025 38m

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 ScreenStrong’s mission of raising healthy,…

Phone-Free Classrooms: A Teacher’s Firsthand Report with Beth Pannenberg (#244)

Sep 24, 2025 35m

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…

Raising Teens Outside the Anxious Generation with Dr. Adriana Stacey (#243)

Sep 10, 2025 46m

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…

Kids, Screens, and the Rise of A.I. with Aaron Plaat (#242)

Aug 27, 2025 53m

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 intelligence mean for…

ENCORE: How to Get Smartphones Out of School with Officer Gomez (#116)

Aug 20, 2025 37m

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…

When Is Your Child Ready for a Phone? When You’re Ready for Them to See Porn with Doug Smith (#241)

Aug 06, 2025 43m

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,…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does ScreenStrong Families have?

ScreenStrong Families has published 279 episodes since July 2020, covering topics in Education, Kids & Family.

Is ScreenStrong Families still active?

ScreenStrong Families is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 50m.

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