Parent Workshop: Building A Tech-Healthy Household

An interactive session on how parents/caregivers/guardians can support digital wellness at home. This parent workshop kicks off with a screening of the short film, "Disconnected." This film was the end product of Clarkson Institute's inaugural script competition seeking to engage Nebraska youth in conversations about how their "always-connected" lives impact their mental health. The winning script was written by a then-high school junior from Auburn, Nebraska, and presciently explores the ease with which AI technology can supplant IRL connections. Next, Dawson Kelly of national organization Project Reboot will share his experience as a former tech-addicted teen and give actionable advice to encourage healthy tech habits at home. There will be discussion questions throughout the presentation and time for Q&A at the end. Parents will walk out with resources including dinner table discussion guides, the Project Reboot parent handbook, and an invitation to join Project Reboot's online parent community where they host regular conversations, share resources, and run webinars with students in the Youth Advocacy Network. Key Learnings • The neuroscience of tech use: The latest research on the implications for our brains, performance, and mental health • Why phone bans alone won't cure the epidemic of digital dependence • How screen time scales over a lifetime, and the price students pay for using social media (time and attention) • The research-backed process used in the groundbreaking UC Berkeley course that helped students reduce their screen time by an average of 3.5 hours per day • The four (well-intentioned) mistakes parents make when approaching screen time • Top strategies from experts on how parents can avoid the "me vs. you" mindset and have productive conversations with kids about addictive tech