Spoiled Right: Delaying Screens and Giving Children What They Really Need

For years we’ve been told kids are spending too much time on screens. But, what if we focused on the activities we want them to be doing instead? In this Action Network Live!, Action Network Director Jean Rogers chats with book author and expert Dr. Meghan Owenz, whose SPOIL system has helped families focus on the multitude of activities that build healthy children and incidentally reduce screen time and its negative effects.

It is the much needed “what to do” answer instead of the heavy-handed “what not to do” mandates about children’s screen time. Dr. Owenz makes it simple by explaining how to use goal science to reduce screen time by focusing on what children need more of, like social time, play opportunities, outdoor experiences, chores, and a strong relationship with reading.

Dr. Meghan Owenz is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Penn State University. She has been teaching university students for the past five years, including courses in Child Development and Counseling Techniques. She has over ten years of clinical experience in university counseling centers, residential treatment facilities and community mental health. She runs a website, Screen-Free Parenting.com, with over 15,000 active and engaged participants. The website is a place to connect like-minded caregivers, summarize research and present alluring alternatives to screen-time. She has two children who are thriving with very limited screen-time.

Check out the companion resource by Dr. Owenz.

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