The Child Psych Podcast

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the digital world our children grow up in, creating opportunities for learning and connection—but also ushering in complex new challenges for safety, attention, identity, and mental health. In this timely episode, we sit down with Dr. Scott Kollins, Chief Medical Officer at Aura and a nationally recognized expert in ADHD, digital health, and youth mental wellness.Together, we explore how AI-driven platforms represent a significant evolution from earlier forms of digital media. Dr. Kollins explains how algorithmic personalization, generative content, and immersive engagement tools influence children’s attention patterns, behavior, and even neurological development. He highlights emerging concerns surrounding AI-generated characters and influencers designed to mimic friendship and connection—raising important considerations for social development, empathy, and identity formation in childhood.The conversation also delves into the growing difficulty children face in distinguishing real from artificial experiences online, and how this blurring of reality can shape emotional regulation, perception, and worldview. Dr. Kollins discusses the mental health implications of AI systems that feel responsive or “alive” to young users, and what it means to parent in an era where digital platforms may seem to be constantly listening.This episode offers an essential, research-grounded understanding of the digital landscape parents are navigating today, and provides guidance for supporting children’s well-being as technology continues to evolve at unprecedented speed.For more information: Join the Study: Click herehttps://www.aura.com/ https://meetcircle.com/The Parent Coach: We’re launching The Parent Coach—your new go-to place for instant parenting support. Ask a question and get immediate guidance plus a three-minute expert video, all at your fingertips. No more endless scrolling or long courses.Join now and become one of our first 1,000 early adopters to lock in a heavily discounted introductory price.The 2026 ICP Parenting Summit is coming!Join us March 16–19 for 35+ expert masterclasses and four interactive half-day workshops, featuring leading voices like Ross Greene, Laura Markham, Robert Melillo, Lawrence Cohen, Kim John Payne, and Jon Fogel. We’ll be diving into the topics parents need most: screens, discipline, anxiety, emotional regulation, neurodiversity, resilience, play, and more.The summit is completely free, and VIP packages include lifetime access, toolkits, certificates, and a digital copy of The Parenting Handbook.Click here to save your seat! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this insightful conversation, Tania sits down with The Danish Way of Parenting co-author Jessica Joelle Alexander to explore what Denmark — one of the happiest nations in the world — can teach us about raising healthy, grounded kids in a digital age.Together they discuss how Danish families approach screens with balance, community values, and trust — focusing not on restriction, but on digital citizenship. Jessica shares practical ways parents can cultivate empathy, responsibility, and critical thinking through the use of Digital Citizen Cards, a tool that helps children learn to navigate online spaces with integrity and awareness.This conversation offers a hopeful reframe: technology isn’t the enemy — disconnection is. By raising digital citizens, not digital consumers, parents can help kids thrive both online and offline.To find out more about Raising Digital Citizens, click hereTo purchase the conversation cards, click hereWanting more from ICP? Get 50 % off our annual membership with the coupon code: PODCAST5090+ courses on parenting and children's mental healthPrivate community where you can feel supportedWorkbooks, parenting scripts, and printablesMember-only Webinars Course Certificates for Continuing EducationAccess to our Certification ProgramLive Q & A Sessions for Parents & ProfesssionalsBi-Annual Parenting & Mental Health ConferencesDownloadable Social Media CollectionRobust Resource LibraryClick here for more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The holidays can be magical… and messy. In this episode, registered psychologists and co-founders of the Institute of Child Psychology, Tammy Schamuhn and Tania Johnson, sit down to talk honestly about the emotional roller coaster many parents face this time of year.From financial pressure and overstimulation to family dynamics, grief, and the weight of traditions, Tammy and Tania unpack why this season can feel so overwhelming and what parents can do to stay grounded. You’ll learn practical tools for managing stress, setting realistic expectations, supporting sensitive kids, and creating moments of connection that matter more than the “perfect” holiday.Whether you love Christmas, dread it, or feel a bit of both, this compassionate conversation will help you breathe a little easier, let go of guilt, and find your calm in the midst of the chaos.Stay Tuned for ICP's exciting new news!Wanting more from ICP? Get 50 % off our annual membership with the coupon code: PODCAST5090+ courses on parenting and children's mental healthPrivate community where you can feel supportedWorkbooks, parenting scripts, and printablesMember-only Webinars Course Certificates for Continuing EducationAccess to our Certification ProgramLive Q & A Sessions for Parents & ProfesssionalsBi-Annual Parenting & Mental Health ConferencesDownloadable Social Media CollectionRobust Resource LibraryClick here for more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s world, teens are facing an unprecedented rise in chronic illness, anxiety, and disconnection. But a new generation of changemakers is fighting back: with knowledge, heart, and holistic wellness. In this powerful episode, Tania sits down with the inspiring young authors of Teen Health Revolution: Unlocking Lifestyle Secrets for the Mind, Body, and Soul ,all under 18, to explore how small, daily choices can transform mental and physical health.Together they discuss the intersection of nutrition, gut health, sleep, stress, and screen time, and how lifestyle medicine can empower teens to take charge of their wellbeing. From tech balance to mindfulness, gratitude to nature connection, this conversation highlights the growing movement of youth leading the charge toward a healthier, more conscious world.These teen authors remind us that the revolution isn’t coming : it’s already here, and it’s being led by the next generation.To purchase" The Teen Health Revolution, unlocking Lifestyle Secrets for the Mind, Body, and Soul", click hereWanting more from ICP? Get 50 % off our annual membership with the coupon code: PODCAST5090+ courses on parenting and children's mental healthPrivate community where you can feel supportedWorkbooks, parenting scripts, and printablesMember-only Webinars Course Certificates for Continuing EducationAccess to our Certification ProgramLive Q & A Sessions for Parents & ProfesssionalsBi-Annual Parenting & Mental Health ConferencesDownloadable Social Media CollectionRobust Resource LibraryClick here for more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parents are often told that boredom fuels creativity, but for neurodiverse kids, “just be bored” can feel more like distress than inspiration. In this insightful episode, Tania sits down with cognitive specialist and author Bea Moise to explore why boredom impacts autistic and ADHD brains differently, and what children actually need in those moments.Together they unpack how novelty, structure, and movement support regulation and focus, and why sensory and executive-function differences make unstructured downtime hard for many neurodiverse kids. Bea offers compassionate, realistic tools to help parents balance stimulation with rest, foster creativity without chaos, and build environments where all kinds of brains can thrive.This conversation reframes boredom not as a skill to be forced, but as a signal to be understood.To find out more about Bea's work, click hereBea's Youtube Channel is also on fire, to subscribe click hereTo purchase : "Our Neurodivergent Journey", click hereTo purchase :"The Neurodivergent Home", click hereWanting more from ICP? Get 50 % off our annual membership with the coupon code: PODCAST5090+ courses on parenting and children's mental healthPrivate community where you can feel supportedWorkbooks, parenting scripts, and printablesMember-only Webinars Course Certificates for Continuing EducationAccess to our Certification ProgramLive Q & A Sessions for Parents & ProfesssionalsBi-Annual Parenting & Mental Health ConferencesDownloadable Social Media CollectionRobust Resource LibraryClick here for more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.