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Screen time and sleep: what the research actually says
FTC advances stronger COPPA rules for kids' data — what would change for families
The proposed updates would limit data retention, tighten ad targeting, and push platforms toward real age checks — none of it final yet.
Screen time and sleep: what the research actually says
The short version: more evening screen use tracks with later bedtimes and less sleep across most studies, but the research can't prove screens alone cause it. Here's what's solid, what's a recommendation, and what's still your family's call.
Do phonics apps actually teach kids to read?
A new university study tested 309 reading apps against what actually teaches phonics. Here's what held up, what didn't, and how to tell the difference.
How child-influencer earnings laws actually work
What does research say about educational TV for preschoolers?
Half a century of evidence, from Sesame Street studies to today's co-viewing research, shows content quality and adult company matter more than the hour count.
How do you teach kids to read art? Visual literacy basics
Children can learn to decode images the way they decode text — through questions, vocabulary, and slow looking, long before they can name a single artist.
In Rotation
Screen time and sleep: what the research actually says
Aleksandr Volkov
What is a parasocial relationship, and why does your child feel like a YouTuber is their friend?
Kids watch you scroll: modeling healthy phone habits
Children learn phone habits from what you do, not what you say — here's how to model the relationship with your phone you want them to copy.
Fresh off the Set Family
What COPPA actually covers when your child under 13 signs up for an app
The federal children's privacy rule governs data, not content. Here is what it requires of an app, what the 2025 amendments changed, and where the decision is still yours.
How to talk to kids about scary news
Ask what they already heard, tell the truth in age-sized pieces, and end with what is being done and who is helping.
Screen-free weekend activities that actually work
Screen-free time survives only when it is planned, social, and slightly novel; boredom alone is not a plan.
How to set up shared family streaming accounts safely
Separate profiles, kids' modes, purchase locks, and a short conversation about terms: the whole setup takes one evening.
What Everyone's Talking About
Lifestyle
What movie, TV, and game ratings actually tell you
Three separate voluntary systems label the screens in your home, each run by different people and each measuring different things. Here is who assigns them, what the labels mean in their own words, and where the research says they fall short.
Kids watch you scroll: modeling healthy phone habits
Children learn phone habits from what you do, not what you say — here's how to model the relationship with your phone you want them to copy.
Entertainment News
Screen time and sleep: what the research actually says
The AAP retired its screen-time limit. Here's what replaces it, by age
Youth News
What age does each platform say you have to be?
FTC advances stronger COPPA rules for kids' data — what would change for families
The proposed updates would limit data retention, tighten ad targeting, and push platforms toward real age checks — none of it final yet.