About Emily

Emily Cherkin, MEd., The Screentime Consultant, empowers parents to understand and balance family screentime by inspiring a movement around becoming tech-intentional.

As a mother of two (12 & 15) and former teacher, she is intimately familiar with the daunting challenges facing families in today’s highly digitized world.

Emily’s book, The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family, was published in January 2024 by Greenleaf Book Group.

Emily Cherkin, MEd., The Screentime Consultant, empowers parents to understand and balance family screentime by inspiring a movement around becoming tech-intentional.

As a mother of two (12 & 15) and former teacher, she is intimately familiar with the daunting challenges facing families in today’s highly digitized world.

Emily’s book, The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family, was published in January 2024 by Greenleaf Book Group.

Emily Cherkin, MEd., The Screentime Consultant, empowers parents to understand and balance family screentime by inspiring a movement around becoming tech-intentional.

As a mother of two (12 & 15) and former teacher, she is intimately familiar with the daunting challenges facing families in today’s highly digitized world.

Emily’s book, The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family, will be published in January 2024 by Greenleaf Book Group.

The Screentime Problem

There is growing research about the impact of technology on children, learning, mental health, relationships, families, and more. I believe strongly in using evidence-based research and data to inform my work. Increasingly, screen use, especially for children, is not only correlated with– but causational– to later health and educational outcomes.

“Screentime” challenges existed before the global pandemic started in 2020. But the experience of lockdown, remote work and learning, increased isolation, and increased screentime, especially for children, added fuel to the fire.

Here are just a few statistics to illustrate the current situation:

What Emily Believes

I am not “anti-technology”; I am Tech-Intentional™. We all know that screen-based technology can be amazing. There are so many ways that it can improve our lives. But things get complicated, especially when it comes to children, whose brains are very different from adult brains.

Here is my philosophy about children, parenting, and screentime:

Real-world connection to our children is key to our success in setting and sticking to screentime limits.
A little screentime is okay, and a lot is too much. It’s about balance. Not all screentime is the same.
Nuance is key. What works for one family may not work for another. That’s okay.
Children learn best through hands-on, 3-D, tactile experiences in the context of human relationships. How parents use screens directly impacts how children use screens. Our adult behavior matters.
We must replace judgment with curiosity. This is hard.
When we know better, we do better, and we are constantly growing and learning. And that is a powerful example to set for our children.

Previous parenting generations never had to deal with screentime battles. It is not like the TV-watching and video games of our childhood (see: persuasive design, streaming services, the internet, etc.). And the impact of excessive screen use on our children’s brains and emotional health is significantly different. In fact, I believe that we are fighting for our children’s future cognitive, mental, emotional, and physical development when we tackle the screentime challenges in childhood. It is that important.

Here is my philosophy about children, parenting, and screentime:

Real-world connection to our children is key to our success in setting and sticking to screentime limits.
A little screentime is okay, and a lot is too much. It’s about balance. Not all screentime is the same.
Nuance is key. What works for one family may not work for another. That’s okay.
Children learn best through hands-on, 3-D, tactile experiences in the context of human relationships. How parents use screens directly impacts how children use screens. Our adult behavior matters.
We must replace judgment with curiosity. This is hard.
When we know better, we do better, and we are constantly growing and learning. And that is a powerful example to set for our children.

Work With Emily

A judgment-free guide for parents who want to better understand and balance family screentime in the digital age.

Author Emily Cherkin―aka The Screentime Consultant―has written a compelling and necessary book about parenting in the modern digital age. Unlike any previous generation, children’s excessive screen use today at home and at school impacts mental health and family relationships.

With humor, empathy, and experience, Emily invites parents to:

become tech-intentional, without feeling judged, shamed, or blamed;
implement her research-supported, developmentally appropriate tools to find screentime balance; and
build a movement around tech-intentionality (this is good for everyone―children and adults alike).

The Screentime Solution will remain useful even as technology changes because being tech-intentional is an approach that can―and should―remain a constant.

With humor, empathy, and experience, Emily invites parents to:

become tech-intentional, without feeling judged, shamed, or blamed;
implement her research-supported, developmentally appropriate tools to find screentime balance; and
build a movement around tech-intentionality (this is good for everyone―children and adults alike).

The Screentime Solution will remain useful even as technology changes because being tech-intentional is an approach that can―and should―remain a constant.

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Emily's Activism

Co-founder of The Student Data Privacy Project

Op-Ed in The Hill on Student Privacy Laws

Filed appeal against EdTech Science curriculum

Why work with Emily?

My mission is to empower parents to better understand and balance family screentime by building a Tech-Intentional™ movement.

Relationships

Before we can change anything else, we have to start with relationships. Relationships before screens, always.

Research

There is a lot of tech-funded "research" about the benefits of technology. My recommendations are rooted in the science of childhood development from independent researchers.

Balance

It’s not practical to ban technology. It is critical to find a sustainable balance that keeps our children safe and reinforces our core values.

Courage

I believe deeply in what I teach. It's why I am not afraid to speak up and fight for what is best for children, not companies.

Why work with Emily?

My mission is to empower parents to better understand and balance family screentime by building a Tech-Intentional™ movement.

Relationships

Before we can change anything else, we have to start with relationships. Relationships before screens, always.

Research

There is a lot of tech-funded "research" about the benefits of technology. My recommendations are rooted in the science of childhood development from independent researchers.

Balance

It’s not practical to ban technology. It is critical to find a sustainable balance that keeps our children safe and reinforces our core values.

Courage

I believe deeply in what I teach. It's why I am not afraid to speak up and fight for what is best for children, not companies.

Why work with Emily?

My mission is to empower parents to better understand and balance family screentime by building a Tech-Intentional™ movement.

Relationships

Before we can change anything else, we have to start with relationships. Relationships before screens, always.

Research

There is a lot of tech-funded "research" about the benefits of technology.

My recommendations are rooted in the science of childhood development from independent researchers.

Balance

It’s not practical to ban technology. It is critical to find a sustainable balance that keeps our children safe and reinforces our core values.

Courage

I believe deeply in what I teach. It's why I am not afraid to speak up and fight for what is best for children, not companies.

Are you interested in featuring Emily?

Emily Cherkin, MEd., The Screentime Consultant, empowers parents to understand and balance family screentime by inspiring a movement around becoming tech-intentional. As a mother of two (12 & 16) and former teacher, she is intimately familiar with the daunting challenges facing families in today’s highly digitized world.

Emily’s book, The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family, was published in January 2024 by Greenleaf Book Group.

Media Kit

Are you interested in featuring Emily?

Emily’s book, The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family, was published in January 2024 by Greenleaf Book Group.

Media Kit

Are you interested in featuring Emily?

Emily’s book, The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family, was published in January 2024 by Greenleaf Book Group.

Media Kit

“I thoroughly enjoyed Emily’s workshop and found it to be tremendously helpful. It’s been easier to stick to limits knowing I’m not the only parent doing it. I am grateful for the work Emily does!”
Dr. Maggie V., MFT, PhD
“Emily is a true expert in her field. I walked away from her presentation with information on how to help balance technology at home and steps to put it into practice. Emily presents with first-hand knowledge, well-researched material, humor, and always without judgment.”
K.A.
Parent
“I cannot rave enough about the life-changing nature of working with Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant… One-on-one coaching was well worth the investment because we could really customize a way forward that worked for our unique family dynamic.”
C.C.
Client
“Working with Emily has been such a joy… With her help, we are doing the real work of building a relationship with our daughter outside of screens and instead founded on our familial values and beliefs that will hopefully guide us through most, if not all, of life’s stumbling blocks.”
J.M
Client
“I thoroughly enjoyed Emily’s workshop and found it to be tremendously helpful. It’s been easier to stick to limits knowing I’m not the only parent doing it. I am grateful for the work Emily does!”
Dr. Maggie V., MFT, PhD
“Emily is a true expert in her field. I walked away from her presentation with information on how to help balance technology at home and steps to put it into practice. Emily presents with first-hand knowledge, well-researched material, humor, and always without judgment.”
K.A.
Parent
“I cannot rave enough about the life-changing nature of working with Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant… One-on-one coaching was well worth the investment because we could really customize a way forward that worked for our unique family dynamic.”
C.C.
Client
“Working with Emily has been such a joy… With her help, we are doing the real work of building a relationship with our daughter outside of screens and instead founded on our familial values and beliefs that will hopefully guide us through most, if not all, of life’s stumbling blocks.”
J.M
Client
“I thoroughly enjoyed Emily’s workshop and found it to be tremendously helpful. It’s been easier to stick to limits knowing I’m not the only parent doing it. I am grateful for the work Emily does!”
Dr. Maggie V., MFT, PhD
“Emily is a true expert in her field. I walked away from her presentation with information on how to help balance technology at home and steps to put it into practice. Emily presents with first-hand knowledge, well-researched material, humor, and always without judgment.”
K.A.
Parent
“I cannot rave enough about the life-changing nature of working with Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant… One-on-one coaching was well worth the investment because we could really customize a way forward that worked for our unique family dynamic.”
C.C.
Client
“Working with Emily has been such a joy… With her help, we are doing the real work of building a relationship with our daughter outside of screens and instead founded on our familial values and beliefs that will hopefully guide us through most, if not all, of life’s stumbling blocks.”
J.M
Client
“I thoroughly enjoyed Emily’s workshop and found it to be tremendously helpful. It’s been easier to stick to limits knowing I’m not the only parent doing it. I am grateful for the work Emily does!”
Dr. Maggie V., MFT, PhD
“Emily is a true expert in her field. I walked away from her presentation with information on how to help balance technology at home and steps to put it into practice. Emily presents with first-hand knowledge, well-researched material, humor, and always without judgment.”
K.A.
Parent
“I cannot rave enough about the life-changing nature of working with Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant… One-on-one coaching was well worth the investment because we could really customize a way forward that worked for our unique family dynamic.”
C.C.
Client
“Working with Emily has been such a joy… With her help, we are doing the real work of building a relationship with our daughter outside of screens and instead founded on our familial values and beliefs that will hopefully guide us through most, if not all, of life’s stumbling blocks.”
J.M
Client

Are you ready to be Tech-Intentional™?

Click below to contact Emily and see if a Tech-intentional™ approach is right for you!

Contact Emily

Are you ready to be Tech-Intentional™?

Click below to contact Emily and see if a Tech-intentional™ approach is right for you!

Contact Emily

Are you ready to be Tech-Intentional™?

Click below to contact Emily and see if a Tech-intentional™ approach is right for you!

Contact Emily

Emily Cherkin’s mission is to empower parents to better understand and balance family screentime by building a Tech-Intentional™ movement.

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Terms & Conditions

and The Screentime Consultant, LLC™ are registered trademarks.

Emily Cherkin’s mission is to empower parents to better understand and balance family screentime by building a Tech-Intentional™ movement.

Get the Newsletter

Terms & Conditions

and The Screentime Consultant, LLC™ are registered trademarks.

Emily Cherkin’s mission is to empower parents to better understand and balance family screentime by building a Tech-Intentional™ movement.

Get the Newsletter

Terms & Conditions

and The Screentime Consultant, LLC™

are registered trademarks.