Do you ever catch yourself treating screens like contraband—tolerated in tiny doses, never to be openly celebrated?

Ash Brandin, author of Power On: Managing Screen Time for the Benefit of the Whole Family, urges us to view screens as morally neutral and to focus on how they can serve the whole family’s needs.

In this Brave Writer podcast episode, Ash shares their “Screen Time ABCs”:

• Access that adapts to context rather than rigid caps
• Behavior as neutral data rather than blame
• Content choices that create better stopping points

They offer practical tactics like sticky-note reminders for Minecraft, reducing scarcity with predictable access and occasional “yes days,” using body doubling for schoolwork, and setting YouTube Kids to Approved Content Only to eliminate ads and algorithms. Ash also addresses AI, encouraging us to teach kids digital literacy and vetting skills rather than fear.

Their perspective replaces guilt with guidance, helping families connect through technology instead of fighting against it. Tune in to hear Ash’s thoughtful strategies and mindset-shifting advice.

Show Notes

Start with needs, not minutes

Ash points out that parents often ask, “Is there a right amount?” Instead of hunting for a magic number, they recommend evaluating needs and trade-offs. If an hour of Minecraft results in ninety minutes of meltdown, the exchange rate is poor. If a PBS show during a delayed dinner brings calm to the table, that’s a benefit worth naming. The goal isn’t austerity; it’s alignment—matching screen use to the people, the moment, and the mission.

Use the ABCs to guide decisions

One of Ash’s most practical tools is the “Screen Time ABCs”:

• A is for Access: When, where, and how long? Access flexes with real life. The American Academy of Pediatrics now emphasizes a family media plan over rigid time caps, a shift Ash applauds.
• B is for Behavior: Behavior is data, not judgment. A child’s outburst after gaming isn’t proof that “screens are bad”—it’s an opportunity to notice patterns, teach self-awareness, and practice regulation.
• C is for Content: Different media have different exit ramps. A Mario Kart race ends naturally; Minecraft doesn’t. Ash suggests asking, “How will you know you’re done today?” and, “What’s the first thing you’ll do when you come back?” A sticky note reminder can turn a meltdown into a manageable pause.

Reduce scarcity; increase trust

Ash reminds us that scarcity breeds desperation. Predictable opportunities—plus the occasional “yes day”—can normalize screen use and build trust. Children who know their passions are honored are more likely to accept limits without resentment.

Sit closer to their digital life

Parents don’t have to love every game to love the child who plays it. Ash encourages curiosity: peek over a shoulder, help set up a console, or ask, “What was the best part of that session?” Sometimes, body doubling—working side by side—can ease online schoolwork struggles. Even offline drafts before typing into an online portal can help.

Smart safety without panic

Ash emphasizes principle over panic. On YouTube Kids, for example, the “Approved Content Only” setting eliminates ads and the algorithm while preserving real choice through trusted channels like PBS Kids. Free apps, on the other hand, often come at the hidden cost of data, attention, or intrusive ads.

About AI (and why tone matters)

Ash is clear: AI isn’t going back in the bottle. Their advice? Teach digital literacy and emotional safety. Help kids understand what AI is (a pattern-predicting tool, not a friend), and model curiosity and vetting skills. Invite children to run an “AI audit” by asking ChatGPT about a subject they know well, then evaluate what it got right and wrong.

Ash’s work shifts the conversation from guilt to guidance. When we adopt their neutral, practical approach, we empower our families to use technology wisely and sustainably—for connection, creativity, and calm.

Resources

• Follow Ash Brandin on Instagram: @thegamereducator
• Read Power On: Managing Screen Time for the Benefit of the Whole Family by Ash Brandin
• Fall class registration is open! 
• Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!) 
• Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
• Join us at the Brave Learner Home: https://bravewriter.com/brave-learner-home
• Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
• Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
• Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
• Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
• Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie

• Instagram: @juliebravewriter
• Threads: @juliebravewriter
• Bluesky: @bravewriter.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

Connect with Melissa

• Website: melissawiley.com
• Substack: melissawiley.substack.com
• Instagram: @melissawileybooks
• Bluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social

Produced by NOVA

Do you ever wonder how to keep teens reading—joyfully, deeply, and on their own terms?

In this conversation with Brave Writer Director of Publishing Dawn Smith, we explore practical ways to sustain a teen’s love of books:

• continuing read-alouds,
• using buddy-reading systems with sticky-note annotations,
• deciding when a movie should come before (or after) the book,
• and leveraging picture books, audiobooks, and graphic adaptations as scaffolds into harder texts.

We also share a simple framework for building teen book lists—evaluating a single title, the mix across a year, and the overall “reading diet”—so families preserve joy while expanding range and rigor.

Show Notes

When we treat reading as shared culture rather than mere curriculum, teens build stamina for hard texts, confidence with analysis, and—most importantly—a positive association with books that lasts.

Keep Reading Aloud (Yes, Even to Teens)

Reading aloud isn’t just for early years. Teen ears benefit from tone, cadence, and vocabulary they might skip in silent reading. Try a hybrid: launch a classic with an audiobook or a few read-aloud chapters to establish rhythm and pronunciation, then hand the book off. As teens race ahead, let them summarize to you—an effortless way to practice narration and reveal what’s resonating.

Buddy Reading Makes It a Book Club

Instead of “assigning,” read alongside. Share a copy with color-coded sticky tabs or keep a traveling notebook for quotes, questions, and connections. Schedule a weekly chat (chapters 1–3 by Friday), and let teens bring the passage starters. Ownership rises when they get to say, “Let’s look at this scene together.”

Book First or Movie First? It Depends

Old “rules” fall apart when we consider real kids. For some, a film (or even a spoiler-filled recap) lowers stress and provides visual hooks so they can relax into the language of the book. Others relish building their own mental movie first. Either path can spark richer compare/contrast conversations about adaptation choices, medium constraints, and theme.

Picture Books and Graphic Texts Are Powerful Scaffolds

Picture books are compact masterclasses in structure, imagery, and sophisticated vocabulary—perfect for teens learning a new era, idea, or genre. Graphic adaptations (think epics and Shakespeare) create onramps to complex works without diluting ideas. “Windows and mirrors” apply here too: choose texts that both reflect your teen’s world and open onto others.

Curate with Three Lenses: Book, Year, and Diet

When selecting titles, ask: Why this book? What voice or community does it represent? Does the author speak from within that experience, and how do reviews from that community respond? Then zoom out: Across the year, do we have variety in genre, era, and perspective? Finally, over the whole high-school “reading diet,” are we preserving a love of reading while nudging range and rigor? Every “yes” to one long book is a “no” to three medium ones—choose intentionally.

Prioritize Joy to Power Rigor

When teens associate reading with delight and agency, they can draw on that goodwill to tackle denser academic texts later. Let them choose plenty; then support the stretches with scaffolds (audio, film, excerpts, discussion questions). Our goal isn’t to check every “canon” box—it’s to raise readers who keep reading.

Lean on Tools That Invite Discussion

Rich guides (like our teen literature studies, Boomerang and Slingshot) offer think-piece questions, writer’s-craft insights, and historical context so you don’t have to carry it all alone. Use them to seed conversation, frame comparisons, or jumpstart a paper topic—while keeping the tone invitational, not interrogational.

When we lead with companionship, flexibility, and purpose, teens don’t just finish books—they become readers for life.

Resources

• Find Jim Trelease’s The Read-Aloud Handbook in the Brave Writer Book Shop
• Check out our Boomerang and Slingshot guides for teens.
• Fall class registration is open! 
• Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!) 
• Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
• Join us at the Brave Learner Home: https://bravewriter.com/brave-learner-home
• Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
• Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
• Give your child the gift of music! Sign up for a free month of private lessons with Maestro Music and let your child discover their own musical voice: www.maestromusic.online/brave
• Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
• Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
• Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie

• Instagram: @juliebravewriter
• Threads: @juliebravewriter
• Bluesky: @bravewriter.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

Connect with Melissa

• Website: melissawiley.com
• Substack: melissawiley.substack.com
• Instagram: @melissawileybooks
• Bluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social

Produced by NOVA