Episodes

  • On this episode of Screen Sanity, we begin with Krista Boan sharing a little about our organization’s name change — from START to Screen Sanity.

    Then, she’s joined by Cara Bohan. Cara is the Vice President of Clinical Programs at Equip, a treatment center for families facing eating disorders. They talk about the pressure the digital world applies on our kids related to body image. They talk about unrealistic expectations, important conversations parents can initiate, and what Cara has learned in her 15 years as a researcher and clinician about caring for those suffering from serious body image disorders.

    The Screen Sanity Podcast is Produced by Krista Boan.
    Audio Production by Cosper Productions

  • Like so many of us, Heath Wilson and Joey Odom have experienced the challenges of life with screens. Addictive games and clever algorithms keep drawing us back to our smartphones and away from the people, projects, and work that matters far more than our distractions. That struggle led them to create Aro, a new platform blending analog and digital technology to make it easier than ever to put our phones down and experience life uninterrupted.

    On this episode of Screen Sanity, START co-founder Krista Boan sits down with Heath and Joey to talk about what led to the creation of Aro, how they hope it affects user’s lives, and what they’ve experienced already since incorporating more time away from their phones into their lives.

    It’s a great discussion that points all of us towards one of START’s big-picture values — that parents start with themselves, adjusting their own absorption in technology and modeling something better for their kids.

    Screen Sanity is executive produced and hosted by Krista Boan.

    It’s produced, edited, and mixed by

    Mike Cosper

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  • One of the first questions parents ask when they buy their child a smartphone is, “How do I keep them safe? What are the tools? What are the apps? How do I know what they’re getting into?”

    These questions have been top-of-mind for START co-founder Krista Boan, as she continues to navigate the introduction of a smartphone into her own child’s life. Today on the podcast, she’s joined by Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes. He’s a regular voice in news and commentary about digital safety for children and families, and an expert on the tools, resources, and trends that are shaping online life for the next generation.

    Join Krista and Chris for this conversation about the steps parents can take, the layers of protection available, and the ways that different apps and filters provide different kinds of protection.

    Screen Sanity is Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START.

    It is produced and edited by Mike Cosper for Cosper Productions.

  • At START, we often talk about how this generation of parents is breaking new ground. Smartphones have changed our social and cultural landscape, and they’ve given rise to unprecedented challenges for parents as they discern how to introduce them to their kids.

    For START co-founder Krista Boan, these aren’t abstract questions. From the beginning, she knew smartphones were in her kids’ future, and 2021 was the year she took the leap with her oldest daughter.

    On this episode of the podcast, the tables are turned; she’s on the other side of the interview table and her friend Adam Reck is interviewing her. Adam has years of experience working with kids as a mentor and a student minister at Krista’s church. He’s also seen countless families make this transition. In this conversation, they compare notes and share wisdom as Krista discusses the steps her family took to introduce a new smartphone, the roles apps and filters can use, and the importance of wisdom, communication, and connection with your kids.

    Screen Sanity is Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START.

    It is produced and edited by Mike Cosper for Cosper Productions.

  • Max Stossel is an award-winning poet, filmmaker, and speaker. He is also the Head of Education & Content for the Center for Humane Technology, an organization of former tech insiders and CEOs dedicated to realigning technology with humanity’s best interests. If the Center is unfamiliar to you, one of their products probably is not – the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an exploration of the hazards of online life for the flourishing and well-being of our kids.

    Max’s work has brought him to the front lines of public discourse about the impact of screens on our culture, and on the many ways tech companies are profiting off of our attention at the expense of our own well-being.

    On this episode of the podcast, Max joins START co-founder Krista Boan to talk about how he began this work, the ways we need to reframe how we think about our tech vocabulary words like “attention” and “algorithm,” and how online engagement drives people to extremism.

    Screen Sanity is Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START.

    It is produced and edited by Mike Cosper for Cosper Productions.

  • The real goal that lies behind setting boundaries around technology and screen time is much bigger than any one issue. We want kids to flourish and to have thriving relationships and experiences. Our guest on this week’s podcast has dedicated her life to that work.

    Angie Daniels is the Program Manager for The Hope Center on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri. There, she works to serve kids in an urban community in the heart of the city. From Pre-K to High School, they work to provide a supportive, community-building and family-like atmosphere for kids outside of school. She’s also the mother of five kids who grew up in the smartphone revolution, all of whom are now young adults,

    Listen in on the conversation about what helpshow phone boundaries help kids to flourish, how The Hope Center is serving its neighborhood, and how Angie and her husband navigated their own use of technology in the home.

    Screen Sanity is Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START.

    It is produced and edited by Mike Cosper for Cosper Productions.

  • Few thoughts are as daunting to parents as the potential impact, damage, and prevalence of pornography in the lives of modern kids. While we’d like to think it mostly lives in hard-to-reach corners of the internet, the reality is that it’s only a few clicks away. But rather than let that fact frighten us away from the topic, we want to encourage parents to approach it straight-on, and our guests on this episode of Screen Sanity have done excellent work in helping us consider how to do so.

    Rob and Zareen Cope are parents from New Zealand and the producers of the documentary “Our Kids Online: Porn, Predators, and How to Keep Them Safe.” They join START co-founder Krista Boan to talk about the origins of the documentary, the harm that porn is causing a generation, and practical ideas for protecting and educating our kids.

    Screen Sanity is Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START.

    It is produced and edited by Mike Cosper for Cosper Productions.

  • Listeners may know Brady Smith and his wife Tiffani Thiessen from their work in film and television. What you may not know is that they’re passionate about helping families reassess their relationship with screens.

    In 2019, they published You’re Missing It, a children’s book that’s a cautionary tale about what happens when parents find themselves glued to their phones. During the months of COVID lockdown, Brady created a hit Instagram show called Random Acts of Drawness, inviting kids to draw and doodle in real life away from screens. This happy accident led to the launch of his latest book by the same name--now available everywhere super-awesome activity sketchbooks are sold.

    Listen in as Brady joins START co-founder Krista Boan for a conversation about the book and their efforts to help their kids develop healthy relationships with screens.

    Screen Sanity is Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START.

    It is produced and edited by Mike Cosper for Cosper Productions.

  • What are the unique pressures that come with social media for girls? How can parents help give them a “learners permit” for online life? How do we think about our own relationships with social media and how it affects our kids?

    On this week’s episode, START co-founder Krista Boan sits down with Amanda Mozea to talk about these questions and more. Amanda is the Education Outreach Manager of Media Girls (www.mediagirls.org), where she and her team work to equip parents and girls to better understand the risks and rewards of online life.

    Screen Sanity is Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START.

    It is produced and edited by Mike Cosper for Cosper Productions.

  • Scott Bacon is the principal of Blue Valley High School in Overland Park, Kansas. On this episode of the podcast, Scott sits down with START’s Krista Boan to talk about the impact of screen time and technology on student life at Blue Valley. They discuss the pressures of social media, school policies on phone usage and access, and the ways that remote learning and ZOOM fatigue have forced changes in those policies in recent months. You’ll hear real life wisdom from someone who spends every day on the front lines of the struggle for kids’ health and attention against the constant allure of technology.

    Screen Sanity is Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START

    It is produced and edited by Mike Cosper and Narrativo

  • Susan Dunaway is a neurotherapist whose practice has explored the many connections between screens and mental health. On this episode of the podcast, she talks with START co-founder and host Krista Boan about the science of neurotherapy and the effect of screen time and social media on the brain, including the remarkably important roles dopamine and oxytocin play in health and well-being.

    She also speaks from personal experience, describing her own family’s practices, what she’s learned and adapted during COVID, and how she’s seen gaming impact the development of the minds and mental health of middle schoolers.

    Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START

    Produced and Edited by Mike Cosper and Narrativo

  • On this week’s podcast, host Krista Boan sits down with Amy Crouch to talk about what it was like growing up in a tech-wise family. Amy is a 19-year-old student at Cornell University and the co-author with her dad, Andy Crouch, of My Tech Wise Life: Growing Up and Making Choices in a World of Devices.

    They talk about the challenges of being the only kid who doesn’t have a smart phone or doesn’t use social media, but they also talk about the rewards of those decisions and the insulation it provides from social pressures and gossip. Making decisions that lead to flourishing for our children can be incredibly difficult, but as Amy can attest, the rewards greatly outweigh the difficulties.

    Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START

    Produced and Edited by Mike Cosper and Narrativo

  • On the first episode of our podcast, host Krista Boan sits down with Tracy Foster. Krista and Tracy are co-founders of START, which is short for Stand Together And Rethink Technology. On this episode, they discuss the foundational ideas of START, and they ways they hope to encourage families to reexamine the ways that kids and parents interact with technology. They also talk about real-life examples of the challenges parents face when introducing technology and apps, and in particular, how to talk to your kids when they’ve overstepped a boundary.

    This is just the beginning for our podcast, and a first taste of the ways we hope to equip families to participate in the digital world in ways that lead to flourishing.

    Screen Sanity is Executive Produced by Krista Boan and START

    It is produced and edited by Mike Cosper and Narrativo