In this episode of the EZ Conversations Podcast, former middle school teacher and author Emily Cherkin discusses the impact of Technology and social media on children and adolescents. Emily shares her observations from teaching, where she noticed that social media and digital technology significantly affected students’ in-class Relationships and communication skills. She highlights the importance of parental involvement, emphasizing open dialogue, modelling good tech behaviour, and building relationships. Emily also underscores the collective action required to create norms around technology use in schools and communities. The conversation covers strategies for managing tech use, the unintended consequences of parental controls, and the importance of resilience and relationship-building in child development.

A former middle school English teacher and parent of two, Emily Cherkin, MEd., consults with parents, offers school presentations and professional development training, and writes about parenting and screentime to bring her tech-intentional approach to as many people as possible. Emily’s book “The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family” is an Amazon bestseller and is available everywhere books are sold.

Website: Http://www.thescreentimeconsultant.com

Book Order: https://www.amazon.com/Screentime-Solution-Judgment-Free-Becoming-Tech-Intentional/dp/B0 CB9JS5KB/

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/thescreentimeconsultant

Instagram: @thescreentimeconsultant

LinkedIn: @emily-cherkin

Facebook: @thescreentimeconsultant

Youtube: @thescreentimeconsultantllc6072

Twitter/X: @ScreentimeLllc

Timestamps:

03:13 Introduction and Guest Background

04:03 Challenges of Social Media in the Classroom

05:46 The Shift to Addressing Parents

09:04 Impact of Technology on Child Development

16:52 Parental Controls and Open Communication

21:53 ADHD and Screen Time

25:35 Mental Health and Social Media

30:37 Addressing Parental Concerns

32:14 The Importance of Collective Action

33:26 Challenges of Early Device Use

35:00 Helicopter Parenting and Its Effects

37:58 Modeling Healthy Digital Habits

45:20 Managing Social Media Use

53:49 Final Thoughts and Resources

Sponsors of the Podcast:

• BetterHelp: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://betterhelp.com/ez10⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off your first month of Therapy
• WeShape: https://weshape.postaffiliatepro.com/scripts/dcfogwyuk?a_aid=FurkhanDandia&a_bid=d7508fa8 for 35% all plans.
• Aura: https://aura.com/ez10 for a free two-week trial
• Plunge: https://plunge.com/ez
• Mint Mobile: ⁠https://trymintmobile.com/ez10⁠ for 15$ for an unlimited cell phone plan
• We Are Wild for 25% off your first order: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://zen.ai/EZ23⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you would like to support EZ Conversations, here are all the ways you can do that:

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Or find Furkhan’s Book, Pursuit of Self Love: 30 Uplifting Messages and Reflections. The Kindle version is available on Amazon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.ca/Pursuit-Self-Love-Uplifting-Messages-Reflections-ebook/dp/B0C4D1XYL1⁠⁠⁠

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Furkhan Dandia Therapist and Coach

I am a men's coach, therapist, group facilitator, podcaster and author. My journey began five years ago when I was going through a separation. I found myself alone and in a shame spiral that our culture and society covertly exert on people due to the perceived "failure" of a marriage. Unfortunately, I personalized that message which led me to fall deeper into a hole, causing me to surround myself with people that did not serve me and engage in substance abuse. While seeking therapy, I was not making the wholesale changes I needed.

As part of my experience with therapy, I realized that I am not alone in the challenges men my age experience (I separated at the age of 34/35). I realized I could be a voice for men like myself and offer support in this space. In the middle of the pandemic, I applied for a Master's degree in Psychology to become a therapist. This change was a significant shift for me as I worked in the corporate world as an engineer. Once I leaned into the space of supporting other men, I also started a podcast to normalize these difficult conversations and started a men's group a year later with the support of a friend.

I thought I was giving something back when I started the men's group. However, I quickly realized I was getting substantially more from the connections I built than I initially anticipated. It was also something I needed because I was going through another breakup.

At that point, I also realized that I had not taken the time to heal, and I was outsourcing my healing through romantic relationships, substances, material acquisitions and superficial relationships. I decided to step away from the outgoing lifestyle and started to focus on my healing which was another phase of evolution for me on my journey. Over the last year and a half, I have become mindful of the people I spend my time with. I have cleaned my lifestyle of substances, toxic environments and behaviours. I have focused on my sleep, my health and my knowledge. I have improved my spiritual relationship with myself, which was lacking the most over the past five years. This is the best I have felt.

As part of my solitude journey and to find myself again, I also released a book encapsulating my journey, which I hope to share with others. My book is titled: The Pursuit of Self-Love.