Pixel Parenting

Science-based tech parenting | Helping families navigate screens, AI & digital life | MS Educational Studies | Host of the Pixel Parenting Pod

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

Three weeks of summer, and my kids still haven't started any of the homework their teachers recommended. Hopping from one camp to the next, my schedule is chaos.
Here's the messy story, and what finally fixed it 🧵

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

We don't get addicted to phones.
"We get addicted to escaping discomfort through seeking distraction." Dino Ambrosi (Project Reboot).
70% of teens at top schools say they're addicted.
🎧 https://t.co/ICK6tunAJs

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

The strongest moments with our kids aren't the birthday parties.
They're the car rides. The backpack chaos. The 90 seconds between activities.

New Pixel Parenting with Amy Briggs, Founder & CEO of Aviva: https://t.co/BPujBOEb86

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

"My child wants to play Roblox. Is that okay?" I hear this question from parents all the time. My new podcast guest says it's the wrong place to start 💡

I sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov @digiparentcoach, founder of https://t.co/3g0Q30Srkv and @Roblox first head of parental advocacy, and we get very practical:

1️⃣ What Roblox actually is (a platform with millions of games, not one game)
2️⃣ How to sound curious instead of suspicious, so your kid shares with you their world
3️⃣ The 5 W's every parent can keep in mind
4️⃣ What to say when something feels off

Her line I keep thinking about: "There's no app that can replace a conversation. None."

And if you've never had one of these talks? "You can start tomorrow. You can truly start tomorrow."

🎧 https://t.co/e8b1uh8bVt

#DigitalParenting #Roblox #OnlineSafety #ParentingTips #ScreenTime #ParentingPodcast #RaisingKidsToday

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

Humans are cognitive misers.
"We're lazy thinkers. We want the easiest answer to any question." Dr. Rachel Kowert (@drkowert).
40 to 50 years of data: violent game use ↑. Youth violent crime ↓.
🎧 https://t.co/0Th2wB5kWL

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

All games teach.
"Whether or not it's what you want your kid to learn is a different story, but all games teach." Dr. Kelli Dunlap.
The question isn't "how much." It's "what are they getting out of this?"
🎧 Pixel Parenting episode with Dr. Kelli Dunlap https://t.co/vPUr13P8Gj

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

Use the game as a conversation starter.
"The healthiest thing you can do with your kids is communicate. Process together what you're going through. Use the game as a conversation starter." Dr. Celeste Sangiorgio, clinical psychologist + game researcher.
🎧 https://t.co/CxBwJwARVC

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

Can AI be a real friend?
We asked kids ages 7 to 10.
One answered: "A friend that tries to correct you. Because then you'll never learn if it just goes along with it."
Same kid on Siri: "Utility seemed like Siri's friendship line. Just utility."
🎧 Pixel Parenting episode with Dr. Iris Oved (Paradox Lab) and 7-to-10-year-olds: https://t.co/ftdFvX2VKD

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

I built a little thing to take the summer homework tug-of-war off your plate: a personalized plan for your child's break, ready to print in minutes.

You tell it what to practice and how much (reading, the summer workbook, writing, math, whatever fits your family) and it lays out the whole summer, day by day.

It runs on a star system, and the stars reward what's actually hard for your child, not the stuff they'd breeze through anyway. Effort, not easy wins.

My own kids are already collecting theirs. And here's the part I had the most fun making... if you want, you can turn the stars into a personalized collectible card deck, just for them.

Made for your child. Not a template.
👉 Try it: https://t.co/1KmzUnD1tP
(25% off this week with code SUMMER26)

#summerlearning #parentingtips #positiveparenting #elementaryschool #homeschool #raisingreaders #summerroutine #momlife #dadlife #backtoschool #gamification

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

And if you don't need it, that's great too. Constructive feedback always welcome. Happy summer!

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

Three weeks of summer, and my kids still haven't started any of the homework their teachers recommended. Hopping from one camp to the next, my schedule is chaos.
Here's the messy story, and what finally fixed it 🧵

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

25% off for launch, code SUMMER26:
https://t.co/YDP7mdYXse

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

"Why isn't that leaf broken?" That question is how language develops. A screen can answer. It can't ask back about your kid's street.

Pediatric SLP Denise Santos Ford on what screen time actually does:
1️⃣ Co-viewing multiplies
2️⃣ You bridge to real life
3️⃣ Your phone counts too
https://t.co/Mu2KkzhxPZ

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

A teacher used AI to write 20 practice questions for a national competition. His students asked: "If you can, can we?"
He said yes. But as a coach, not as a writer. Two of them placed 1st and 3rd in the nation.
New Pixel Parenting with Dr. Missy Widmann: https://t.co/6p52Awdjbs

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

Why don't they tell us they're using AI?

Why don't kids tell their parents about their AI use?
Teens told Dr. Mathilde Cerioli: what attracts them is the non-judgmental.
They're not rejecting you. They're avoiding judgment.
New Pixel Parenting: https://t.co/pWvJs3XRdJ

[Pixel Parenting @pixel_parenting]

Ask the question: am I running WITH AI, or is AI running FOR me?
Like a race: you can call a friend to come run with you, or to go run for you. One case the muscles grow. The other they don't.
Same with AI and the brain.
New Pixel Parenting with Dr. Mathilde Cerioli of everyoneAI: https://t.co/QAggUWC9bJ