

The Plugged In Show
Focus on the Family
Join Focus on the Family's media and culture analysts for lighthearted reviews for parents and conversation about entertainment, pop culture and technology. Through this 30-minute podcast from Focus on the Family, you'll hear practical information from a Biblical worldview to help guide decisions about what to watch, listen and visit. And connect to a ton of related Christian resources and articles.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 10, 2020 • 28min
The Coronavirus's Legacy for Families' Entertainment and Technology Habits
Our relationship with screens and entertainment had been a pretty big issue before the coronavirus appeared, and now researchers say kids screen time is up by another 50%. The Plugged In team discusses how some of their entertainment habits have changed, as well as what changes or resets you might think about making as we move into the fall and a new school year. You’ll be encouraged to examine your family’s media habits in light of the pandemic and consider a reset.Subscribe to Clubhouse and Clubhouse, Jr.https://store.focusonthefamily.com/topics-issues/parenting/kids-magazinesClubhouse Magazine Websitehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/clubhouse-magazine/Clubhouse Jr. Magazine Websitehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/clubhouse-jr-magazine/Plugged In Blog Post: How to Help Your Kids Thrive During the 2020 School Yearhttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/how-to-help-your-kids-thrive-during-the-2020-school-year/Plugged In Review: Charlie’s Angels (2019)https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/charlies-angels-2019/Plugged In Review: The Way Backhttps://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/way-back-2020/Plugged In Review: The Hunthttps://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/hunt-2020/Plugged In Review: The Call of the Wild (2020)https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/call-of-the-wild-2020/The Plugged In Show Episode 37: Fun Non-Screen Ideas for Your Kids and Familyhttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/shows/the-plugged-in-show/?sapurl=LytiazI3L2xiL21pLys0YnE0Zno0P2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZQFocus on the Family Broadcast: Navigating Screen Time During the Coronavirus Outbreakhttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/episodes/broadcast/navigating-screen-time-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/Focus on the Family: A Parent’s Guide to Screen Time During Coronavirushttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/a-parents-guide-to-screen-time-during-coronavirus/Plugged In Blog: Entertainment That Might Cure Your Boredom and Benefit Othershttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/entertainment-that-might-cure-your-boredom-and-benefit-others/Focus on the Family: Setting Media Standardshttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/setting-media-standards/Focus on the Family: Making Wise Entertainment Choiceshttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/making-wise-entertainment-choices/Plugged In: Tech Guidehttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/tech-guide/Focus on the Family: How to Develop Media Intelligence in Your Homehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/how-to-develop-media-intelligence-in-your-home/Focus@Homehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/streaming/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

Sep 3, 2020 • 33min
Entertainment's Sexualization of Young Girls
Netflix’s forthcoming movie Cuties has whipped up a tempest of controversy regarding the sexualization of young girls in entertainment. The Plugged In team explores why controversy draws our attention and why the entertainment industry pursues these boundary-pushing topics. You’ll discover what you need to know about this movie, how to protect your children from uncomfortable content, and how begin an intentional conversation with your kids.A Special Conversation about Christopher Nolan’s New Movie Tenethttps://youtu.be/r9Uyxddoa7cPlugged In Review: Tenethttps://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/tenet-2020/7 Traits of Effective Parenting Bookhttps://store.focusonthefamily.com/singleitem/checkout/donation/item/don-plugged-in-2020-09-03#refcd=987801 Launch into the Teen Years Kithttps://store.focusonthefamily.com/launch-into-the-teen-years-kit Counselinghttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/get-help/counseling-services-and-referrals/ Plugged In Blog: There’s a Better Way Than Using Sex to Empower Women, Hollywoodhttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/theres-a-better-way-than-using-sex-to-empower-women-hollywood/ Plugged In Blog: How the Super Bowl Halftime Show Fed Sexual Exploitation and Traffickinghttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/how-the-super-bowl-halftime-show-fed-sexual-exploitation-and-trafficking/ Plugged In Blog: Culture Clips: TikTok Troublehttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/culture-clips-tik-tok-trouble/ Plugged In Blog: Entertainment, Media and Mental Health: The Influence of Social Mediahttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/entertainment-media-and-mental-health-the-influence-of-social-media/ Plugged In Blog: Predators and Gaming: What’s a Parent to Do?https://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/predators-and-gaming-whats-a-parent-to-do/ Focus on the Family: Setting Media Standardshttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/setting-media-standards/ Focus on the Family: Making Wise Entertainment Choiceshttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/making-wise-entertainment-choices/ Plugged In: Tech Guidehttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/tech-guide/ Focus on the Family: How to Develop Media Intelligence in Your Homehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/how-to-develop-media-intelligence-in-your-home/ Focus@Homehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/streaming/

Aug 27, 2020 • 23min
Episode 40: Hamilton's Cultural Encore
The musical Hamilton made an enormous splash on Broadway back in 2015 and hit the small screens on Disney+ earlier this year. The Plugged In team reflect on their favorite musicals and unpack Hamilton’s popularity and cultural influence on our world today. You’ll learn some interesting things about the musical and how you might want to navigate viewing it with your family.Plugged In Blog: What We Get—and Lose—By Turning History into Entertainmenthttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/what-we-get-and-lose-by-turning-history-into-entertainment/Plugged In Review: HamiltonPlugged In Blog: Disney’s Hamilton is Cleaner Than the Broadway Version, but That Doesn’t Make It Cleanhttps://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/hamilton-2020/Plugged In Blog: Hamilton! Oh, and Some Other Important News Too.https://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/disneys-hamilton-is-cleaner-than-the-broadway-version-but-that-doesnt-make-it-clean/Focus on the Family: Setting Media Standardshttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/setting-media-standards/Focus on the Family: Making Wise Entertainment Choiceshttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/making-wise-entertainment-choices/Plugged In: Tech Guidehttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/tech-guide/Focus on the Family: How to Develop Media Intelligence in Your Homehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/how-to-develop-media-intelligence-in-your-home/Focus@Homehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/streaming/

Aug 20, 2020 • 26min
Episode 39: When Pop Stars Outgrow Our Kids
With the release of Taylor Swift’s latest—and more mature—album, we’re once more reminded of what happens when pop stars outgrow our kids. The Plugged In team reflects on their personal past music choices, examines Taylor’s new offering, and discusses why these pop stars ditch their role model status to follow a different path. You’ll be encouraged to engage and dialogue with your child about who they admire and how to ground themselves in a biblical worldview.Plugged In Review: Folklorehttps://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/folklore/Plugged In Blog: Naked and Assimilatedhttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/naked-and-assimilated/Plugged In Review: Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petzhttps://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/miley-cyrus-and-her-dead-petz/Plugged In Blog: There’s a Better Way Than Using Sex to Empower Women Hollywoodhttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/theres-a-better-way-than-using-sex-to-empower-women-hollywood/Plugged In Blog: Culture Clips: Billie Eilish Confronts Objectification in a Surprising Wayhttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/culture-clips-billie-eilish-confronts-objectification-in-a-surprising-way/Focus on the Family: Protecting Our Kids From Harmful Entertainmenthttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/protecting-our-kids-from-harmful-entertainment/Focus on the Family: Setting Media Standardshttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/setting-media-standards/Focus on the Family: Making Wise Entertainment Choiceshttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/making-wise-entertainment-choices/Plugged In: Tech Guidehttps://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/tech-guide/Focus on the Family: How to Develop Media Intelligence in Your Homehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/how-to-develop-media-intelligence-in-your-home/Focus@Homehttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/streaming/

Aug 13, 2020 • 29min
Episode 38: Navigating the Impact of Television in Our Lives
The Emmy Awards are just a month away. As the entertainment industry shines a light on the television medium, you might notice most of the nominated shows have problematic content. The Plugged In team gives you an inside look at some of these programs and offers you ways to navigate those with your family.https://store.focusonthefamily.com/singleitem/checkout/donation/item/don-plugged-in-show-podcast-august-2020#refcd=975001https://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/emmy-noms-confirm-its-a-streaming-world-and-not-too-friendly-for-families/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/game-of-thrones/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/veronica-mars-2019/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/veronicamars/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/breakingbad/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/riverdale/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/transformers-war-for-cybertron/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/glee/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OigTZTvCT-k&feature=emb_logohttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/protecting-our-kids-from-harmful-entertainment/https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/setting-media-standards/https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/making-wise-entertainment-choices/https://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/tech-guide/ https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/how-to-develop-media-intelligence-in-your-home/ https://www.focusonthefamily.com/streaming/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/the-mandalorian/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/never-have-i-ever/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/breakingbad/https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/kids-and-teens-drive-daytime-tv-viewing-and-streaming-increases-during-covid-19/

Aug 6, 2020 • 31min
Episode 37: Fun Non-Screen Ideas for Your Kids and Family
With COVID-19 keeping our kids home from spring break into summer and maybe beyond, you may be looking for some great family activities that don’t involve screens. The Plugged In team recalls some of their favorite summer memories and offers thoughts on fun things you can do with your kids. As summer comes to a close, you’ll be inspired to get creative and find fun ways to engage your family.https://store.focusonthefamily.com/topics-issues/parenting/kids-magazineshttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/clubhouse-magazine/https://www.focusonthefamily.com/clubhouse-jr-magazine/https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/a-parents-guide-to-screen-time-during-coronavirus/https://www.focusonthefamily.com/episodes/broadcast/four-things-your-family-can-do-during-coronavirus/https://www.focusonthefamily.com/episodes/broadcast/navigating-screen-time-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parenting-during-coronavirus-help-your-family-stick-together-and-work-through-tough-emotions/ https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/7-ways-to-keep-your-family-close-during-these-challenging-times/ https://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/tech-guide/

Jul 30, 2020 • 29min
Episode 36: Appreciating the Influence of Books in a Screen-Based World
Although screens have permeated our culture, books continue to have a lasting impact on our lives. The Plugged In team reflects on their love of the written artform and the books that have influenced their lives. These immersive stories draw us in and invite us to go deeper in ways that screens cannot. You’ll better appreciate the endurance of your favorite stories and how you can share those with your family.https://store.focusonthefamily.com/the-read-aloud-familyhttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/episodes/broadcast/connecting-with-your-kids-through-reading/https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/the-baby-sitters-club/https://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/summer-before/https://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/silver-chair/https://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/island-of-blue-dolphins/https://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone/https://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/fellowship-of-the-ring/https://store.focusonthefamily.com/the-silver-chair-cd https://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/tech-guide/

Jul 23, 2020 • 31min
Episode 35: The Enduring Appeal of War Movies
With the return of Tom Hanks in the new World War II movie Greyhound, the Plugged In team explores the draw of war movies. While this genre reminds us of the bravery that compels men and women to risk their lives for their country and their fellow sailors and soldiers, there’s still a lot of content that can negatively impact your family. You’ll learn how to navigate these powerful films with your family.https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/greyhound-2020/https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/13-hours-the-secret-soldiers-of-benghazi/https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/dunkirk-2017/https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/1917-2019/https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/savingprivateryan/https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/midway-2019/https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/outpost-2020/https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/passionofthechrist/

Jul 16, 2020 • 32min
Episode 34: What You Need to Know About Online Predators
Worrying about your kids’ safety isn’t a new thing, but in the ever-evolving internet age, worrying about online predators is. The Plugged In team explores the risks of online interactions and offers practical ways you can help you child understand the gravity of encountering strangers on the internet. You’ll be encouraged to open the dialogue with your child about online stranger danger.

Jul 9, 2020 • 34min
Episode 33: Media Discernment in Action
The phrase “media discernment” is bandied about in Christian and parenting circles, but what does it really mean? The Plugged In team—experts in media discernment—deconstructs the concept and offers practical ways you can help your family be more media savvy. You’ll learn how to apply biblical truth to your family’s entertainment choices.


