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Screen Deep
Screen Deep takes aim at decoding young brains and behavior in a digital world.
Host Kris Perry dives deep with a leading expert in each episode to explore how children and adolescents are affected mentally, physically, and developmentally by digital media use, bringing research and evidence-based perspectives to the essential questions on how to help children thrive today.
Episodes
32 episodes
What Matters for Young Children's Healthy Digital Media Use and Learning? With Rachel Barr, PhD
For decades, researchers have studied why babies and young children learn differently from screens than they do from real-world experiences. On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry is joined by Dr. Rachel Barr, Professor of Psy...
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Making Social Media Safer: How Lawsuits Are Changing the Game with Matt Bergman
As courts increasingly examine the impact of social media on young people, new legal approaches are beginning to reshape how responsibility for harms are understood, shifting the focus from content to platform design. On this special episode of...
Measuring How Screens Change Young Brains with Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, PhD
How is digital media use rewiring children’s brains – and how can these impacts be measured? In this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry discusses the latest research on screen use and brain development with Dr. Tzipi Horowitz-Krau...
Does Age of Smartphone Ownership Affect Child Health? With Ran Barzilay, MD, PhD
How do online environments shape children’s health and well-being? Which features have the biggest impact, and how can we make sense of the very different ways individual children experience the same digital world? On this episode of Screen...
The Costs of Youth Attachment to AI Companions with Pilyoung Kim, PhD
AI “friends” and companions are increasingly providing children and adolescents with social interactions and perceived “relationships,” despite being a technology that itself has no need for empathy or emotional reciprocity. What are the costs ...
Does AI Help Students Learn? With Adam Dubé, PhD
Schools are increasingly deploying AI-powered technologies in classrooms that promise to revolutionize education, yet there is growing concern over the risks to children and adolescents’ learning by doing so. What do children, adolescents, and ...
Are You Real? Ethics of AI Chatbots and Characters for Children with Sonia Tiwari, PhD
Children are increasingly encountering AI characters for both educational and entertainment purposes, but many of the chatbots and other AI products they interact with are not designed with child development and safety in mind. On this episode ...
How Phones Are Making Us More Lonely and Addicted with Meredith David, PhD
What is the social cost of looking at your phone when in the company of other people? Is smartphone and social media use making us less connected, more lonely, and addicted to the endless videos on our feed? On this episode of Screen Deep,<...
Is My Child Ready for a Smartphone? With Adam Pletter, PsyD
A child’s first smartphone is a modern "rite of passage" and today's parents face a challenging decision – when is the right time? Peer pressure and fear of missing out loom heavily, yet there are significant risks to introducing a smart device...
Phones in Schools? What the Research Says with Abe Flanigan, PhD
Should phones be allowed in the classroom? On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry talks with Dr. Abraham Flanigan, an associate professor of educational psychology at Georgia Southern University about what phones actually do t...
Ditch the Guilt: Media, Stress, and Parent-Child Relationships with Dr. Lara Wolfers
Parents increasingly recognize how family screen time shapes child development. But that awareness can bring guilt or shame when digital devices creep into daily life. On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry talks with Dr. Lara...
Cyberbullying, Sexting, and Building Resilience in Youth with Elizabeth Englander, PhD
Social development for today’s youth often includes navigating online social cruelty, such as cyberbullying and non-consensual sexting. On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry is joined by cyberbullying expert Dr. Elizabeth Eng...
Early Childhood Mental Health and Screen Use with Joan Luby, MD
Many people think of mental health disorders as arising later in childhood or adolescence. However, there is increasing evidence that even young children can experience mental health problems like anxiety and depression. On this episode of ...
Children's Rights in Digital Safety and Design with Sonia Livingstone
From parent and school restrictions on smartphone use to the design of the latest AI tools, what does it mean to center children’s own perspectives and rights in ensuring safety in their online worlds? On this episode of Screen Deep, h...
Reading and Writing Skills in the Age of AI with Naomi Baron, PhD
How are screen-based reading and writing, along with the growing use of generative AI by youth, shaping children’s development of foundational literacy skills? On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry explores these nuanced ques...
Social Media, Anxiety, and Emotion Regulation in Teens with Sarah Myruski, PhD
The relationship between social media use and adolescent mental health issues like anxiety is complex, and researchers continue to probe the mechanisms and causalities that may be involved in this relationship. In this episode of Screen Dee...
The Science of Boredom with James Danckert, PhD
Boredom is a common and frequently misunderstood psychological state for adults and children alike. On this episode, host Kris Perry goes deep with leading boredom researcher James Danckert, PhD, a Professor of Neuroscience at Universi...
Assessing Child Readiness for Tech with Jenny Radesky, MD
Parents and caregivers today face what can feel like momentous and fraught decisions about how and when to introduce new technology to children — whether that be an iPad for a toddler or a smartphone for a tween. In this special episode of ...
AI's Impact on Children's Social and Cognitive Development with Ying Xu, PhD
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence systems continue to be deployed rapidly for use in commonly available tools online. How do today’s AI technologies affect children’s development? Will accessible AI tools erode children’s critical...
Neurodivergent Children and Media Use with Meryl Alper, PhD
Neurodivergent children’s relationships with technology is subject to many common myths and misconceptions: Does digital media use cause ADHD? Do children with autism have more affinity for screens? In this episode of Screen Dee...
Harmful Social Media Algorithms and Children with Imran Ahmed
Social media platforms are feeding youth harmful content—fast. From hate speech to pro-eating disorder posts and disinformation, powerful algorithms push dangerous content straight to children. But why? And what can be done to stop it?
Video Gaming Effects on Children’s Behavior and Health with Douglas Gentile, PhD
The majority of today’s adolescents are video gaming - for many, daily. How much gaming is too much ? Are violent video games actually harmful to children? On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry sits down with Dr. ...
Social Media, Mental Health, and Adolescent Social Dynamics with Mitch Prinstein, PhD, ABPP
How has social media changed the way teens socialize and interact - and is it affecting their mental health? On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry sits down with researcher and Chief of Psychology of the American Psyc...
Language Development, Learning, and Play in Early Childhood with Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD
Learning language involves much more than memorizing the ABCs. How do babies and toddlers acquire language and how can parents and caregivers foster its optimal development? On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kri...
Adolescent Health, Body Image/Eating Disorders and Media Use with Jason Nagata, MD, MSc
How does adolescents’ use of digital media , particularly of image-based social media platforms, influence and amplify their body image concerns? On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry engages in a compelling conversat...