At SF Bay Play Therapy, we understand the challenges modern parents face in navigating screen time. Whether it’s video games, YouTube, texting, or other digital platforms, kids today are growing up in a world saturated with screens. Below are trusted, evidence-based resources and tools to support your parenting journey in setting healthy screen boundaries for children ages 5-12.

📚 Key Resources and Recommendations

1. 📖 "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt
   • Overview: Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores how smartphones and constant digital stimulation have fueled rising anxiety, depression, and attention issues among children.
   • Why it’s helpful: Offers compelling evidence on why delaying smartphones and limiting unsupervised screen use is crucial for mental health. Provides age-specific insights and advice for families with school-aged children.
2. 🧠 "Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age" (Article)
   • Overview: This engaging article breaks down the mismatch between our evolutionary biology and today’s hyper-stimulating digital environment.
   • Why it’s helpful: Helps parents understand why kids get "hooked" on screens and why self-regulation is so difficult at this age. Supports setting limits from a place of empathy and knowledge.
3. 💥 "Dopamine Nation" by Dr. Anna Lembke
   • Overview: Stanford psychiatrist Dr. Lembke explores the neuroscience of pleasure and how overstimulation from screens leads to addiction-like behaviors.
   • Why it’s helpful: Gives scientific grounding for the need to create "dopamine fasts" and digital detoxes for kids. Encourages parents to model balanced digital behavior.
4. 📱 HealthyChildren.org: How to Make a Family Media Use Plan
   • 🔗 Link: Make a Family Media Use Plan
   • Overview: Created by the American Academy of Pediatrics, this guide helps families create personalized screen rules.
   • Why it’s helpful: Includes templates, time calculators, and age-appropriate tips for balancing screen time with sleep, physical activity, and family connection.
5. 📝 Family Media Plan Tool
   • 🔗 Link: Family Media Plan Tool
   • Overview: An interactive tool that walks you through creating a custom media use plan tailored to your child’s age and your family’s values.
   • Why it’s helpful: Empowers kids to be part of the plan-making process, encourages accountability, and aligns with evidence-based pediatric recommendations.

✨ Other Helpful Resources

1. 🌐 Common Sense Media
   • 🔗 Link: www.commonsensemedia.org
   • Overview: Offers age-based reviews and screen time advice for movies, apps, games, and shows.
   • Why it’s helpful: Helps you make informed decisions about what your child is exposed to and sets appropriate boundaries.
2. 📕 "Reset Your Child’s Brain" by Dr. Victoria Dunckley
   • Overview: A step-by-step guide to addressing behavioral and mood issues related to screen exposure.
   • Why it’s helpful: Provides a 4-week intervention that has helped families reduce ADHD-like symptoms, anxiety, and sleep problems.
3. 🎧 Podcast: "Your Parenting Mojo – Screen Time and Kids"
   • Overview: Deep dives into research on how screen time impacts development and offers practical parenting tools.
   • Why it’s helpful: Ideal for busy parents who want digestible science-backed guidance on the go.

🎥 YouTube Channels & Webinars
1. 📺 Bright Horizons: Managing Screen Time in the Digital World

1. • 🔗 Watch: Bright Horizons Webinar
   • Overview: Offers strategies for negotiating screen time, setting healthy boundaries, and navigating digital life with children aged 0-8.
   • Why it’s helpful: Provides practical advice for parents to create balanced digital habits from an early age.

2. 🎙️ Trend Micro: Dealing with Screen Time Challenges

• 🔗 Watch: Trend Micro Webinar
• Overview: Dr. Michael Rich discusses key strategies for managing screen time with kids.
• Why it’s helpful: Includes a parent Q&A session addressing common concerns about screen time.

​
3.💡 Screen Time Clinic: Screen Smart Webinars & Events

• 🔗 Access: Screen Time Clinic
• Overview: Offers webinars focused on managing screen time, gaming, and online safety for families.
• Why it’s helpful: Provides expert-guided programs to help families establish healthy digital habits.

​4.🌍 International Children's Media Center: Parent Workshops

• 🔗 Learn More: ICMC Parent Workshops
• Overview: Workshops to help parents understand media's impact on children and enhance parent-child communication about screen time.
• Why it’s helpful: Equips parents with tools to guide their children's media consumption effectively.

​🤝 Online Parent Support Groups

1. 👥 Screen Time Support Facebook Group (by Screen Time Clinic)
   

• 🔗 Join: Screen Time Support Group
  
• Overview: A free, moderated community of parents sharing advice, strategies, and support on managing screen time challenges.
  
• Why it’s helpful: Connects you with others navigating similar issues, with guidance from professionals in child development and digital wellness.
  

1. 🧑‍💻 Parenting in a Tech World by Bark
   

• 🔗 Join: Parenting in a Tech World
  
• Overview: A vibrant online community moderated by Bark, focused on digital safety and parenting in the digital age.
  
• Why it’s helpful: Offers real-time support, tech advice, and community feedback on parenting decisions involving screens.
  

1. 🌐 The Parenting Junkie Village (Membership Community)
   

• 🔗 Learn More: The Parenting Junkie
  
• Overview: A paid membership group offering parenting support, video courses, and live calls with a focus on peaceful and intentional parenting.
  
• Why it’s helpful: Includes deep-dive guidance on emotional regulation, screen-time boundaries, and simplifying family life.
  

💬 Need Personalized Support?
We offer parenting consultations and child therapy sessions that can address screen-related challenges. Whether you're seeing meltdowns, tech tantrums, or sibling conflict around devices, we can help.

📩 Reach out at www.sfbayplaytherapy.com/contact to schedule a consult or learn more.