Raising Kids in a Wired World
PARENTreads Issue No. 3: Essays on screens, social media, and shaping healthy habits
Screens are woven into nearly every part of family life—from phones and gaming to homework and social media. This edition of PARENTreads gathers essays on the push and pull of technology: how it shapes our kids, challenges us as parents, and creates new opportunities for connection (and disconnection).
✨ Featured Writer
At aiPTO, I helps parents raise curious, grounded kids in a rapidly changing digital world. Real talk on AI, tech, and parenting. Research-backed and always parent-first.
3 Family Talks Your Kids Need Before Using AI
73% of teens learn from social media, not parents. While unguided AI use weakens critical thinking. I share three key kid-friendly conversations to build confidence in their own thinking, teach AI basics, and set safety boundaries in this AI era.
» Read the full essay here
🔦 Spotlight Essays
We Are Going to Have Fun, Damnit! Parenting in the Age of AI – by Megan Saxelby | Wild Feelings
Worried AI will replace your kid’s friendships? Don’t panic! Connection is the antidote. Adolescents don’t need perfect screen rules; they need to know they matter. Here’s how to build that belonging.
» Read the full essay here
Are you raising a screen junkie? – by Voodad | Household Mojo
This article uses data engineering and nutrition science to explain why we get hooked, how we learn, and how to reverse our family’s bad media habits.
» Read the full essay here
📌 Editor’s Picks
First We Gave AI Our Tasks. Now We’re Giving It Our Hearts. - by Mandy McLean | The Signal and the Learning (guest post on After Babel)
An exploration of how social AI chatbots may shape children’s emotional development, relationships, and sense of self—and the risks they already pose.
» Read here
Cultivating Cognitive Resilience through Walled Garden Schools - by Andrew Cantarutti | The Walled Garden Education
A parent’s guide to ‘Walled Garden’ schools: how thoughtful classroom design, productive challenge, and limited tech help children build attention, deeper learning, and resilience.
» Read here
Parenting, Technology, and Co-Parenting Conflict - by Alice Diamond | The Balancing Act: Kids, Court, and Keeping It Together
A personal look at the challenges of parenting, co-parenting, and blended families in the digital age—where technology can fuel conflict or build connection.
» Read here
Raising Curious Kids in a Clickbait World - by Kevin Maguire | The New Fatherhood & Jeremy Caplan | Wonder Tools
How AI and creative tools can turn road trips, bath time, and daily parenting challenges into moments of fun, imagination, and connection.
» Read here
Rethinking Screen Time: When “No” Becomes the Real Problem - by Guild of Good Men | The Dad Edit
After months of screen time conflict, I found a system that reduced daily ‘no’ battles while protecting my children’s development without arbitrary limits.
» Read here
This New Year, Maybe Less Noise and More Shabbat - by Caroline Tell | Pray Tell
Exploring the tension between nonstop scrolling and the weekly pause of Shabbat—and how one ritual offers presence, joy, and connection for families today.
» Read here
3 Actually Relaxing Things to Do After the Kids are in Bed (No, it’s not Instagram reels) - by Jenna Jonaitis | Mamawell
Bedtime scrolling leaves us drained. These three simple practices help you feel refreshed, not guilty, after the kids are asleep.
» Read here
✨ Do you have a favorite essay on this subject? Drop it in the comments—share why it resonated and include the link so others can find it too.
PARENTreads combines editor-selected essays with a few sponsored placements that support the digest.
Holding the Line—with Our Kids, Ourselves, and Everyone Else
Discipline and boundaries are among the most challenging parts of parenting—not because we don’t care, but because they ask us to hold both love and limits at the same time. And those limits don’t stop with our kids. They extend to our partners, families, schools, and even the expectations that tug at us daily. This edition of
When Mental Health Hits Home
Parenting often means carrying both our children’s struggles and our own. This edition of PARENTreads features essays on mental health and emotional well-being, for both kids and parents.
Parenting Essays, Organized—skip the scroll
Welcome to the first issue of PARENTreads. I’ve been sitting on this idea for a while, and when I polled a few weeks ago, the response was (almost) unanimous: “yes—a digest of impactful parenting essays would make my life easier!” I’m genuinely impressed by the talent and wisdom collected here






Also worth checking out:
The Role of Screens in Your Teen’s Mental Health – https://raisingteenboys.substack.com/p/the-role-of-screens-in-your-sons
Teens and Screens: Your Ultimate 'Big Hug' Guide – https://teenagersuntangled.substack.com/p/teens-and-screens-the-big-hug-teenagers
Why I Deleted Instagram + Making Friends With Boredom – https://soulyogaretreat.substack.com/p/why-i-deleted-instagram-making-friends
The Fear Behind the Screens – https://ambitiousdads.substack.com/p/the-fear-behind-the-screens
Thank you for your support!!!