Why 'screen time' is the wrong lens

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Dr. Kathy Weston is one of the leading national experts on parenting, family life and parental engagement in children's lives. In 2018, she established Tooled Up Education, a holistic bank of evidence-based resources for whole-school communities. Tooled Up supports 166 schools in 8 countries, delivering bespoke CPD for educators as well as 'on tap' resource support for parents.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode

1. Why parental dialogue is one of the strongest protective factors for children’s wellbeing
2. What the pandemic revealed about the strengths and gaps in home–school partnerships
3. Why “screen time” is the wrong lens for understanding children’s digital lives
4. How evidence-based parenting support improves both learning and mental health
5. How AI can support parents and educators—without replacing trust or nuance

✨ Episode Highlights
[00:00:00] Dr. Weston on why technology shouldn’t be scapegoated in children’s lives
[00:02:54] How the pandemic reshaped parent–school relationships
[00:07:52] Why parents, not schools alone, do the “heavy lifting” in education
[00:09:33] The problem with blanket screen time bans
[00:13:23] Real examples of digital tools supporting focus, learning, and wellbeing
[00:20:25] Introducing AI-powered support for parents inside Tooled Up Education
[00:23:23] Dr. Weston on why AI can reduce educator workload without harming pedagogy

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