Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillary Wilkinson.
Hi Hillary, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In March 2018, our founding board members joined together to talk about the growing concerns surrounding smartphone use. Studies show that excessive exposure to activities like video gaming, social media, and pornography are having resounding negative effects on child development, mental, emotional, interpersonal, and physical health. These problems all seem to stem from the same root: overuse of screen time.
We knew something needed to change. Healthy Screen Habits 501(c)(3) was founded as the result of these conversations.
Our mission is to educate and empower families to create healthy habits for screen use, and to maintain technology as a tool, never a replacement, for human connection.
We bring awareness so that people understand the effects of technology and social media use on the brain and well-being. We enable people to decide for themselves how they will use technology in their lives. We do this by providing support in 4 different areas: our website which provides users with resources and free downloadable tools, in-person presentations, the Healthy Screen Habits Podcast – with over 150 episodes it is a leading voice in digital wellness, and our Healthy Screen Habits for Tweens and Teens workbook.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Creating Healthy Screen Habits has been a journey of passion fueled with commitment. Our 4 founding members are all moms, and we have 14 kids amongst us. Juggling our own family needs while creating a set of 5 Core Habits to help families with the changing needs of digital balance has not been easy, but it is SO worthwhile!
As a nonprofit, we continually struggle with funding. We provide many free resources and hope to continue this practice. The money we receive from donors goes directly to supporting the tools, templates, and resources we provide.
Originally, we had thought we would be a local resource for our surrounding schools. This all changed with the COVID-19 pandemic. When kids were sent home to participate in online learning formats, parents had a front row seat to the wild west of ed tech and the inability of children to regulate their screen usage. Our in-person presentations were cancelled, but people needed more help than ever! This is when the Healthy Screen Habits Podcast was born. Suddenly, we had a voice in our global community, and we have now presented Healthy Screen Habits to communities far beyond our local schools – in fact, last month I presented (virtually) in Kenya!
Technology is amazing – we want to teach kids how to embrace the wonders that it can hold without losing control of their use.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Jack of all trades/Master of none! As a credentialed teacher, I am incredibly fortunate to have had a profession I loved. I stepped away from the classroom when having my own children and subsequently took on the title “Community Organizer”. What that means is – I was the Room mom, Den Mom, Troop Leader, Team Mom, etc. I lead parenting workshops and book clubs, I taught classes on intentional parenting and boundary setting, and ultimately have learned much more from the others I have worked with than I ever taught them! Co-founding Healthy Screen Habits has been a whole other type of education that has been equally fun. As a podcast host and producer, I officially have a license to talk to some of the most interesting people on the planet about the topics that I care about the most! It’s awesome..
I am most proud of my family. My children are kind, caring, human beings who live with integrity and notice details….and they are funny too!
I think what sets me apart is my complete commitment to things that I decide to do. I don’t do things in halves and am super fortunate to have a husband who is incredibly supportive of the issues I take on.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Wonderfully, the world has woken up to the concerns surrounding Big Tech and our children. These for-profit models of data mining, attention economy-driven companies, are not flying under the radar anymore. Parents know that kids have better focus, attention to tasks, and develop greater resilience to life challenges when living most of their life off-screen.
Some of my biggest changes/immediate concerns in digital wellness are primarily AI-based. We are already seeing the ramifications of what can happen when kids engage with chatbots and Character AI models. Sadly, some families have lost children due to suicide and experienced in-home violence, as suggested by AI chatbots towards parents. Talking with your kids about chatbots and asking questions about their own online experiences are great ways to start laying the groundwork of understanding and create a zone of safety if your child feels they need help.
Stay engaged, stay involved, keep dinners phone free, and charge devices outside of the bedroom.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.healthyscreenhabits.org/
- Instagram: @healthyscreenhabits
- Facebook: healthyscreenhabits
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaHzCisEsfI3iZU-lgQyCjA
- Other: https://www.healthyscreenhabits.org/Podcast
