During our initial gatherings, 'Creating a Tech Healthy Family' and 'Untangling Teens and Tech,' with Andrea Davis, we collectively recognized a shared concern among parents about the impact of technology on our children's lives. These discussions illuminated not just the challenges but also the need for ongoing dialogue and collective action. The overwhelming feedback highlighted a community-wide desire to further explore this issue, seeking effective strategies to ensure our children's well-being in the digital age.
Weare developing a third event- a pivotal panel discussion and conversation ‘Navigating Technology Together: A Community Conversation’- this event aims to unite our community in a meaningful dialogue about our children's digital lives.
Goals
● Open Dialogue: Foster an open dialogue to share diverse perspectives on technology use, highlighting both challenges and opportunities.
● CommunityCollaboration: Strengthen community efforts to create a tech-healthy environment, supporting children in navigating the digital world responsibly.
● Slow Tech Approach: Encourage and advocate for a slow tech approach, underpinned by the latest research and data on the mental health impacts of technology use. (discuss Jonathan Haidt’s 4 pillars- no smartphones until high school, no social media until 16, phone free schools)
● Enhance School-to-Family Collaboration: Aim to significantly bolster the collaboration and communication between schools and families concerning strategies to promote healthy technology use among children between home and school environments. (supports digital well-being both in educational settings and at home)
Panellists
● Moderator: Doug Beardsley
● Experts: ● Keynote: Dr. Nicholas Karadaras
● AndreaDavis, Founder of Better Screen Time
● AmandaParrott, School Safety and Prevention Specialist
● PeteHughes, School Resource Deputy (HRVHS)
● BeccaChown-Parent and Eye Doctor
● RebeccaSchwartztruber- HRVHS Teacher
● Student from the community- Gabe Becerra (HS Sr, ASB Pres., Isa Arndt (MS)
● Victor Mondragon- Translation Services (translation earpieces provided by Hood River School District)
Biographies
Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D., LCSW
Dr. Kardaras is an Ivy-League educated psychologist, a best-selling author, an internationally renowned speaker, and one of the country’s foremost experts on mental health, addiction and the clinical and social impacts of the digital age. He is the Founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Omega Recovery in Austin, Texas and a Clinical Professor at Stony Brook Medicine in NY where he specialises in teaching the neurophysiology and treatment of addiction and mental health.
Dr. Kardaras is the author of the best-selling “Glow Kids” (St. Martin’s Press, 2016), the seminal book on screen-effects (“Glow Kids” has now been translated into 13 languages) and is also the author of “Digital Madness: How Social Media is Driving our Mental Health Crisis” (St. Martin’s, 2022). He has appeared on ABC’s 20/20, Good Morning America, the CBS Evening News, CNN, FOX & Friends, NPR, Good Day New York and in Esquire, New York Magazine and Vanity Fair, and has written for TIME Magazine, Scientific American, Psychology Today, Salon and FOX News. He was featured on the 2019 A&E TV series “Digital Addiction” and the Amazon documentary “Screened Out”.
Considered a pioneer in issues related to the digital age and technology’s impact on mental health, education and our society. He has been an in-demand speaker on the subject for both national news media and as a keynote speaker at both national and international mental health and/or education conferences; he has presented in London, Athens, New Zealand, Maui, and at prestigious venues such as the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, the Colony Club in NY and at universities such as Villanova.
Pete Hughes
Graduated from Hood River Valley High School in 1990 Began working with the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office in 1994 and is the current School Resource Deputy working in Hood River County Schools. He earned a bachelor's degree in administrative justice from Portland State University Started with the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office as a Reserve Deputy in July 1994. Hired for full time patrol in 1997. Promoted to Sergeant in 2013. Retired from patrol August of 2022 and was contracted to become the School Resource Deputy to present. Have been a member of the Interagency School Safety Committee in Hood River County since 2008. Also, an instructor at the Oregon Police Academy since 2002.
Amanda Parrott
Graduated with a Masters Degree in Education from Portland State University. She’s a licensed teacher with a certification in Special Education and was an elementary school teacher for 10 years. She is currently the School Safety and Prevention Specialist at the Columbia Gorge Education Service District serving Hood River, North Wasco, South Wasco and Dufur school districts. Her areas of focus in this role are suicide prevention, Behavioral Safety/Threat Assessment, anti-bullying, and helping schools improve their climate and culture.
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