How much screen time is too much — and what is it doing to kids?

In this episode of HELLO FUTURE, Kevin Cirilli speaks with Jennifer Kelman, a licensed clinical social worker and mental health expert with more than 30 years of experience working with teens and families.

The conversation comes as new data raises serious questions about the relationship between screen time and youth mental health. According to the CDC, teens who spend four or more hours a day on screens are twice as likely to report symptoms of anxiety and depression compared with those who spend less time online.

Cirilli and Kelman explore why the modern digital environment can amplify stress and isolation for young people — and how the constant feedback loop of social media, notifications, and online comparison can worsen anxiety.

They also discuss what a “digital detox” actually looks like in practice, why simply banning screens often backfires, and how parents can start healthier conversations with their kids about technology without making devices the enemy.

As technology continues to shape how young people grow up, this episode asks a simple but urgent question: how can families build a healthier relationship with the digital world?

Listen to learn practical strategies for navigating screens, social media, and mental health in the age of constant connectivity.

How much screen time is too much &mdash; and what is it doing to kids?
In this episode of HELLO FUTURE, Kevin Cirilli speaks with Jennifer Kelman, a licensed clinical social worker and mental health expert with more than 30 years of experience working with teens and families.
The conversation comes as new data raises serious questions about the relationship between screen time and youth mental health. According to the CDC, teens who spend four or more hours a day on screens are twice as likely to report symptoms of anxiety and depression compared with those who spend less time online.
Cirilli and Kelman explore why the modern digital environment can amplify stress and isolation for young people &mdash; and how the constant feedback loop of social media, notifications, and online comparison can worsen anxiety.
They also discuss what a &ldquo;digital detox&rdquo; actually looks like in practice, why simply banning screens often backfires, and how parents can start healthier conversations with their kids about technology without making devices the enemy.
As technology continues to shape how young people grow up, this episode asks a simple but urgent question: how can families build a healthier relationship with the digital world?
Listen to learn practical strategies for navigating screens, social media, and mental health in the age of constant connectivity.

HELLO, FUTURE with Kevin Cirilli is the daily podcast where tomorrow’s biggest questions come alive. Are aliens already visiting us? Could your next job be in space? What if satellites could find lost cities, or stop the next wildfire? What happens if America loses the space race… or if every satellite went dark tomorrow? From Mars to UFOs, from flying cars to “civilization starter kits,” each episode blends science, technology, and imagination with the real choices shaping our world. It’s smart, fast, and curious, built for anyone who’s ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what comes next. This isn’t science fiction. It’s the future, knocking on your door. 

Kevin Cirilli is the founder of meet the future™ (mtf.tv). Cirilli has advised some of the nation’s leading military nonprofit philanthropists and policymakers and he is an emerging playwright. As a journalist, he is the former Chief Washington Correspondent for Bloomberg Television and Radio, where he covered the White House, Congress, and global economic policy while anchoring a daily geopolitical business affairs program.

Before founding mtf.tv, Kevin appeared across nearly every major network — including CBS News, MSNBC, CNN, FOX News, C-SPAN, NPR, and Yahoo Finance — providing nonpartisan political and economic analysis and conducting exclusive interviews with some of the most influential figures of the 21st century. He was also a media fellow at the Atlantic Council in the Global China Hub.

He has reported from across the United States and around the world — including assignments in Israel, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia — covering pivotal moments in global affairs and the people driving change.

HELLO, FUTURE with Kevin Cirilli&nbsp;is the daily podcast where tomorrow&rsquo;s biggest questions come alive. Are aliens already visiting us? Could your next job be in space? What if satellites could find lost cities, or stop the next wildfire? What happens if America loses the space race&hellip; or if every satellite went dark tomorrow? From Mars to UFOs, from flying cars to &ldquo;civilization starter kits,&rdquo; each episode blends science, technology, and imagination with the real choices shaping our world. It&rsquo;s smart, fast, and curious, built for anyone who&rsquo;s ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what comes next. This isn&rsquo;t science fiction. It&rsquo;s the future, knocking on your door.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-cirilli-943b162a/">Kevin Cirilli</a>&nbsp;is the founder of meet the future&trade; (mtf.tv). Cirilli has advised some of the nation&rsquo;s leading military nonprofit philanthropists and policymakers and he is an emerging playwright. As a journalist, he is the former Chief Washington Correspondent for Bloomberg Television and Radio, where he covered the White House, Congress, and global economic policy while anchoring a daily geopolitical business affairs program.
Before founding mtf.tv, Kevin appeared across nearly every major network &mdash; including CBS News, MSNBC, CNN, FOX News, C-SPAN, NPR, and Yahoo Finance &mdash; providing nonpartisan political and economic analysis and conducting exclusive interviews with some of the most influential figures of the 21st century. He was also a media fellow at the Atlantic Council in the Global China Hub.
He has reported from across the United States and around the world &mdash; including assignments in Israel, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia &mdash; covering pivotal moments in global affairs and the people driving change.

HELLO FUTURE with Kevin Cirilli

How much screen time is too much — and what is it doing to kids?  In this episode of HELLO FUTURE, Kevin Cirilli speaks with Jennifer Kelman, a licensed clinical social worker and mental health expert with more than 30 years of experience working with teens and families.

HELLO FUTURE: Digital Detox: Kids, Screens, and the Mental Health Crisis

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a7f2ebef-6d8d-4c0f-a127-b42001083eeb/transcript