
265: Screens, Toxic Stress & Staying Connected with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
Ask Lisa: Untangling Family LifeShow Notes
If you're raising a tween or teen in a world of social media, smartphones, and AI, this conversation is for you.
How do you protect your kid from the psychological harms of today's digital world (disturbing content, social media, and AI) without pushing them away or damaging the relationship you've worked so hard to build with them? That's the question at the heart of this special episode of Ask Lisa.
Live from the Common Sense Summit on Kids and Families, clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour sits down with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, award-winning physician, researcher, and California's inaugural Surgeon General, for a conversation that will genuinely change how you think about your kid and their devices. Together, they bring decades of clinical expertise and hard-won parenting experience to the questions families are struggling with most right now around tech and their kids.
💡 YOU'LL LEARN
- Why what kids see online can rewire their developing nervous systems (and what parents can do about it right now)
- The one thing you should say to your tween or teen before they ever go online
- How to set a phone contract that's tied to developmental readiness, not just age (and what to say when your kid isn’t ready)
- Why teaching kids to recognize algorithm manipulation is more powerful than any parental control
- The questions that keep conversation open when your teen encounters disturbing content, appearance pressure, or harmful online trends
- What parents of kids who have experienced adverse childhood experiences need to know about AI risks for kids and algorithm-driven platforms
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the digital world your kid is growing up in, this conversation will leave you feeling more grounded, more equipped, and even closer to your teen.________________
Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday.
________________
Episode keywords: nadine burke harris, toxic stress in kids, adverse childhood experiences, ACEs parenting, kids and online content, teen smartphone rules, when to give child a phone, phone contract for teens, teen social media harm, kids seeing disturbing content online, boys and body image social media, teen appearance pressure, AI risks for kids, algorithm manipulation teens, teen screen time rules, buffering caregiving
Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from Ask Lisa: Untangling Family Life
Your seventh grader walks in the door in tears because the group chat just made it painfully clear she’s being pushed out (this time, over Halloween costumes), and now you're wondering whether to coach her on what to say or stay quiet so you don't make it worse.
You're thinking about signing your kid up for a travel-heavy club team with a price tag that makes you wince - and a co-parent who sees the whole thing differently. Might saying yes to club sports support your talented kid while undermining the rest of family life?
Right now, a lot of families are thinking about how to talk with their kids — especially their sons — about consent and how sexual partners deserve to be treated. And if you find something graphic on your teen's screen, you face another challenging question: what is this actually teaching my teen, and is it already too late to do something about it?
Your sobbing middle schooler has just seen a Snapchat of their friend group hanging out without them and feels devastated …and you have no idea whether you should call the other parents, try to help your child cheer up, or just stay out of it.
Perhaps your kid has left college before graduation and seems to be drifting along. Or maybe your high school student doesn’t seem to be “lit up” about anything. If this is your teen, every well-meaning "how's your kid doing?" from a friend can feel like it’s poking at an emotional bruise.