I was quite moved in speaking with a remarkable group of parents who lost their kids, together with child advocates, at the Youth4Youth Summit put together by LookUp and The Social Dilemma. The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more

Chavie Lieber’s New York Times‘ article highlights the LOL Dolls toy phenomenon and I describe how unboxing videos impact kids’ brains.  Read the New York Times’ article here Photo: Josh Riemer on Unsplash The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more

Nellie Bowles’ New York Times‘ article reveals how those who have hooked us on tech are now claiming it’s really our problem, with no real mention of its impact on children. In the article, I describe how this attempt to flip is similar to cigarette industry tactics. Read the New York Times article Photo: Andrew Leu on Unsplash The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more

The Wall Street Journal graciously asked me to write an article about why parents should come together in groups such as Wait Until 8th and Concord Promise to push back the age when kids get smartphones. The counter argument is taken by Alexandra Samuel. The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more

Fortnite, more than any video game, is upending the lives of the children and teens I work with.  Wall Street Journal writer Betsy Morris interviewed me for her article “How Fortnite Triggered an Unwinnable War Between Parents and Their Boys.” (See comments below)   The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more

A troubling new digital divide is emerging: Children in more affluent areas are spending much less time on screens and phones than kids in less advantaged communities. New York Times’ writer Nellie Bowles interviewed me for her powerful article: “The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids Is Not What We Expected.” Families that have access to more resources […] The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more

Dr. Meghan Owenz and I have written a letter to the American Psychological Association (APA) that has brought national attention to the issue of persuasive design, which is the use of behavioral psychology to pull users onto devices and keep them there for as long as possible. The letter, organized by the Children’s Screen Time Action Network, raises concerns that psychologists–who […] The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more

Multiple national news outlets brought attention to the effort Dr. Meghan Owenz and myself are undertaking with leading psychologists and the Children’s Screen Time Action Network to ask that psychologists not be involved in the development of video games and social media products that hook kids. We have presented a letter written by myself and Dr. […] The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more

Pedram Shojai, The Urban Monk, interviews me for his podcast about the power and impact of technology in our children’s and even in our own lives. We also consider the powerful effects of persuasive technology, and how that’s hooking kids to their devices. Listen here. The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more

Nita June Davanzo was kind enough to interview me for her Waldorf Education Podcast. She works with Shining Mountain Waldorf School, and we had a great talk and I’m hopeful you find it interesting. Best to you all. Listen here. The post Blog first appeared on Richard Freed ..read more