Episode 351: AI and the Tech Wise Family with Andy Crouch

11 snips

Feb 19, 2026

Andy Crouch, author and thinker about faith, culture, and technology, explains how screens reshape relationships. He discusses parasocial media, AI companions becoming trusted voices for teens, and why frictionless digital ties can stunt growth. He urges families to be intentional with rhythms and boundaries around meals, sleep, and bedrooms.

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INSIGHT

Perennial Human Needs Vs. New Tech

Human developmental needs (like being seen and attended to) are perennial and unchanged by technology.
New tech creates alternatives that interfere with those personal, two-way presences.

INSIGHT

Rise Of Parasocial Connection

Parasocial relationships offer seeming connection without reciprocal presence and are amplified by modern platforms.
TikTok and similar feeds produce repeated brief bonds with people you'll never meet, replacing two-way social learning.

ADVICE

Design Tech To Build Wisdom

Make family tech choices to cultivate wisdom and courage rather than convenience or efficiency.
Focus on redesigning the home so adults don't solve parenting problems by handing kids devices.

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Sissy and David sit down with Andy Crouch to talk about what kids need in a tech-saturated world—and why their deepest needs haven’t changed. Andy explores how today’s screens foster “parasocial” connection, how AI companions could become adolescents’ most trusted voices, and why frictionless digital relationships can keep kids from growing through real-life conflict and disappointment. He encourages families to be “tech-wise, not tech-free,” creating intentional rhythms and boundaries—especially around meals, sleep, and bedrooms—so kids can stay grounded in embodied relationships and grow in wisdom and courage.

Resources mentioned:

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch
The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World by Andy Crouch
My Tech-Wise Life: Growing Up and Making Choices in a World of Devices by Andy and Amy Crouch

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