In her January 2026 Congressional testimony, Emily Cherkin put it simply: “Parents are not naive — we know our children will use technology for work and life in adulthood. We just want to ensure they have a childhood first.”
That testimony — covering the impact of screens, AI, and EdTech on kids — echoed so much of what I hear from parents and teachers alike: real questions about technology’s place in the classroom and its effect on development. So I invited Emily to jump into the discussion on the podcast.
Known as the Screentime Consultant, Emily has spent over a decade at the intersection of technology and child development. She’s an author, speaker, and consultant, an associate professor of public policy at the University of Washington, and has testified before both the U.S. Senate and U.K. Parliament. She’s also the lead plaintiff in a landmark lawsuit against EdTech companies over children’s privacy — making her one of the most courageous, outspoken voices holding the industry accountable. Her book, Screentime Solution, lays out her practical, no-nonsense approach.
In this episode, Emily shares the questions every parent and educator should ask before introducing a new technology, why “tech-intentional” beats both anti-tech and tech-everywhere, and one of my favorite truisms: “The best preparation for a digital future is an analog childhood.”
If you’re trying to push back against the creeping screen-centered focus in early childhood spaces, this conversation is for you.
You can also find Not Just Cute: The Podcast on Spotify and Amazon Music!
Notes from the Show:
(*May contain affiliate links.)
Learn more about Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant on her website.
Get Emily’s Book, The Screentime Solution
Read Emily’s Substack: First Fish Chronicles
I first learned of Emily from her Congressional testimony in this Senate hearing on the impact of technology on America’s youth.
Follow Emily on Instagram.
Get Emily’s EdTech Toolkit.
When we talked about rearranging rooms so that technology is not the center, Emily mentioned the book Ming Lo Moves the Mountain.
Related Resources:
This is Your Child’s Brain on Books vs Screentime (CNN)
Children and Screens: Driven to Distraction (Watch timestamps 6:00-20:00 for ECE applications)
Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood
Ready to explore play? My book, Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood, explores the spectrum of playful learning. It was written to be accessible, practical, and worth sharing with your whole team.
Find the book, a free study guide, and more here.
Show Highlights:
Key Principles for Tech in ECE:
Less is more. (Could we do less. Do we need this?)
Later is better. (Could this tech wait until they’re older/more developed?)
Relationships and skills before screens. (What skill are we skipping over? What relationship opportunities are we replacing?)
Key questions when choosing to use tech:
What do we gain?
What do we lose or replace?
What do we model?
Discussion starters about tech in ECE focus on curiosity over judgment:
“Can you help me understand why…”
“Could you show me the research behind how this supports…”
“What are my options/alternatives for me to do this differently?”
“I wonder…” “I notice…” “Tell me more about…”
Favorite Takeaways:
Be a sanctuary from screentime
We’re not anti-tech; we’re tech-intentional.
“If you want to learn something, friction is required.”
“The best preparation for a digital future is an analog childhood.”
“Early childhood is the “canary in the coalmine.”
The greatest concern and the greatest hope: We’re seeing the extreme impact in early childhood, and finally realizing we must make a change. ECE is forcing the conversation earlier. We’re not content to “wait and see” anymore.
Emily’s Checklist for Certifying Tech-Intentional Schools:
No internet connected 1:1 devices in school.
No AI use for students.
Tech ed not ed tech.
More handwriting, more paper, more books, more teachers.
