Real World Kids

About Real World Kids

Teacher Mom. Doctor Dad. Conversations where parenting, education, health, and technology meet. Hosted by Jill Anderson, teacher and founder of Mindful Tech Lessons, and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of Pencils Over Pixels. Together, they bring perspectives from the classroom and the clinic to explore today's biggest questions about raising healthy children in the real world. Through conversations with leading authors, researchers, educators, physicians, and parents, they explore parenting, education, health, technology, play, and the everyday choices that help children thrive.

Publisher

Jill Anderson and Dr. Yair Lev

Category

kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Aug 2026

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   The Screen Generation Reaches College Featuring Dr. Jessa Lingel

   We've spent a lot of time talking about how smartphones, social media, educational technology, and now AI are affecting our children.But what happens when they become college students?In this conversation with Dr. Jessa Lingel, professor at Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication we discuss what she is seeing firsthand in higher education.How has technology and AI been changing attention, independence, communication, and learning?What are professors seeing as students arrive at college after growing up with devices at home and in school?Most importantly, what should families and schools be thinking about before college and careers begin?We’ll explore the transition from teenager to young adult, and how we can better prepare and support them.Learn more about Dr. Lingel's work: The Gentrification of the Internet (https://www.ucpress.edu/books/the-gentrification-of-the-internet/paper) How the internet got gentrified (https://www.npr.org/2026/03/04/nx-s1-5720754/how-the-internet-got-gentrified) **Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator, mom, and founder of ⁠Mindful Tech Lessons⁠ (https://mindfultechlessons.com/), and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist, dad and co-founder of ⁠Pencils Over Pixels (https://pencilsoverpixels.org/)⁠, as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world.

2. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Tech Insider Turned Child Protector with Ifeoma Ozoma

   For our 10th episode, wer'e honored to speak with Ifeoma Ozoma! Ifeoma is a nationally recognized tech policy expert and one of the country’s leading voices on technology accountability. Ifeoma has held public policy roles at Google, Facebook, and Pinterest, helped drive California’s landmark Silenced No More Act, and created the Tech Worker Handbook to help technology workers speak out when the public interest is at stake. Today, she is bringing that same accountability lens to AI in our schools. In New Mexico, Ifeoma has raised urgent questions about unvetted AI tools, children’s voice data, parental consent, corporate transparency, and what happens when technology reaches classrooms before safeguards catch up. Who decides what technology enters our classrooms? What happens to our children’s data? And are schools asking the right questions before embracing AI? In this episode of Real World Kids, we talk about what parents and educators need to know and the questions we should be asking now. **Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator, mom, and founder of ⁠Mindful Tech Lessons (https://mindfultechlessons.com/)⁠, and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of ⁠Pencils Over Pixels (https://pencilsoverpixels.org/)⁠, as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world. Learn more about Ifeoma and her work: Student Data Privacy Framework (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pulHAIx0ARW97UWNnZyqwXwylfXjxxFE/view?usp=drive_link) (Ifeoma created and encourages anyone to use or adapt as needed) Breaking the Code of Silence: Workers Rights and Systemic Change in Tech – A Conversation with Ifeoma Ozoma (https://untoldmag.org/worker-rights-tech-silence/) Tech whistleblowers are having a moment, and one woman who’s been there has found a new way to help (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/10/ifeoma-ozoma-published-a-handbook-to-help-whistleblowers-in-tech.html) Amira Opt Outs SFPS (https://www.amiraoptoutsfps.com/)

3. 

   20 Sept 2026

   Big Tech on Trial with Nicki Petrossi

   What the Social Media Lawsuits Are Revealing About Children, Addiction, and AccountabilityWe are thrilled to welcome Nicki Petrossi, founder and host of Scrolling 2 Death, former social media marketing professional, parent advocate, and one of the most relentless voices tracking the growing legal reckoning facing Big Tech.Nicki has been following the major social media trials, lawsuits, testimony, internal documents, and emerging evidence with extraordinary attention, helping parents understand what is being revealed about addictive design, algorithms, child safety, and what these companies knew about the impact of their products.This conversation will take us inside the courtroom and behind the headlines. What are these cases uncovering? Why do they matter for parents and schools? And could this growing wave of litigation finally change the way technology companies are allowed to design products for children? Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator, mom, and founder of ⁠Mindful Tech Lessons⁠, and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of ⁠Pencils Over Pixels⁠, as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world.Links: Scrolling 2 Death Podcast (https://www.scrolling2death.com/) Tech-Safe Learning Coalition (https://www.techsafelearning.org/) Social Media Evidence Library | Motley Rice (https://www.motleyrice.com/social-media-lawsuits/evidence-library) The Anxious Generation (https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/) i-Ready Parent / Teacher Resource (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OFVExVrUN02uY-Ejx6Tm8KbIM1EK9Xw7jI7epybijyM/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.r3tqcznf055a) i-Ready: 13 Million Students, Zero Meaningful Evidence (https://thedigitaldelusion.substack.com/p/i-ready-13-million-students-zero) i-Ready Finally Has Real Research…And It Changes Nothing (https://thedigitaldelusion.substack.com/p/i-ready-finally-has-real-researchand) Schools Beyond Screens (https://www.schoolsbeyondscreens.com/) Distraction Free Schools Policy Project (https://www.distractionfreeschools.com/) Mindful Tech Lessons (https://mindfultechlessons.com/)

4. 

   11 Aug 2026

   Bringing Back Childhood: Lessons, Leagues, Overscheduling, and the Loss of Play

   * Harry Potter Ending Spoiler Alert* Perk Musacchio, a remarkable educator with more than 50 years of experience watching how childhood has shifted. Perk is a educator, author, educational consultant, child advocate, founder of Skills2Soar (https://www.skillstosoar.com/about), and creator of the PeaceWalk Conflict Resolution Mat. After decades of working with children, families, and educators, she has watched childhood become increasingly scheduled, supervised, and screen filled, leaving less room for boredom, imagination, outdoor play, independence, resilience, and real connection. Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator, mom, and founder of ⁠Mindful Tech Lessons⁠ (https://mindfultechlessons.com/), and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of ⁠Pencils Over Pixels⁠ (https://pencilsoverpixels.org/), as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world. Perk is the co-author of: The Struggle is Real...But There is Hope! Amazon- https://tinyurl.com/struggleandhope (https://tinyurl.com/struggleandhope) Youthlight- https://www.youthlight.com/The-Struggle-is-Real...-But-There-is-Hope! (https://www.youthlight.com/The-Struggle-is-Real...-But-There-is-Hope!) Creator of the PeaceWalk® Conflict Resolution Mat https://www.youthlight.com/product.php?id=3286 (https://www.youthlight.com/product.php?id=3286)

5. 

   5 Aug 2026

   100 Years of EdTech: What History Can Teach Us About AI in Education

   Schools are moving rapidly toward artificial intelligence, but this is not the first time a new technology has been promoted as the future of learning. We are honored to welcome Danny Zeliger, an experienced high school English teacher, parent advocate, and compelling voice on education technology, AI, phones, and student learning. Danny has helped parents and educators in his local community think more critically about how technology affects reading, writing, attention, and childhood, and has presented to educators and school leaders on the history of education technology. Drawing on his own classroom experience, Danny will take us from the teaching machines of the 1920s to programs such as NoRedInk and iReady, and now to AI tutors and AI thought partners. What worked? What failed? And are we repeating old mistakes with much more powerful technology? Danny offers a powerful reframing: the growing pushback against education technology is not a pendulum swinging backward. It is a course correction toward what is right for our children. Who should decide what the future of education looks like? Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator, mom, and founder of ⁠⁠Mindful Tech Lessons⁠⁠ (https://mindfultechlessons.com/), and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of ⁠⁠Pencils Over Pixels⁠⁠ (https://pencilsoverpixels.org/), as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world.

6. 

   4 Aug 2026

   Are Schools Caught in a Digital Delusion?

   Classroom technology is everywhere, Chromebooks, iPads, learning apps, and now AI tools. But are these tools actually helping kids learn, or are schools moving too fast without enough evidence? Join us for our first webinar together with Jared Cooney Horvath, a cognitive neuroscientist, educator, and author of The Digital Delusion. He earned his master’s degree from Harvard University and his doctorate from the University of Melbourne, and has been speaking nationally, including recent events in Washington, DC, about learning, screens, and classroom technology. Practical and thought provoking conversation for parents, educators, and community members who want to better understand how children actually learn, what research says about screen based instruction, and why so many families are starting to question educational technology in schools. Jared’s recent work focuses on how classroom technology may be harming learning and what schools can do differently. Topics include: * What neuroscience says about attention, memory, and learning * Whether classroom technology is improving outcomes * Why so many schools may be caught in a digital delusion * What parents and educators should be asking now Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator, mom, and founder of Mindful Tech Lessons (https://mindfultechlessons.com/), and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of Pencils Over Pixels (https://pencilsoverpixels.org/), as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world.

7. 

   4 Aug 2026

   The EdTech Backlash, Emily Cherkin on Screens and Childhood

   As more parents and educators begin questioning the digitization of childhood and the rapid expansion of screens in schools, this conversation feels more urgent than ever. Join us for a powerful discussion with Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant, a parent, author, speaker, educator, and former teacher who has become one of the clearest voices in the country challenging the assumptions behind EdTech. Earlier this year, she testified before the U.S. Senate about the impact of technology on children and has been warning families and schools about the costs of overreliance on screens, AI, and digital platforms in childhood and education. Practical conversation for parents, educators, and community members about what has happened to childhood in the digital age, why so many families are rethinking EdTech, and what schools should be asking right now. Topics include: * Why Emily says the digitization of childhood is going too far * The difference between Tech Ed and EdTech * Screens, AI, learning, and what children may be losing * Student privacy, data, and the business model behind classroom technology * What parents and educators should be asking schools now Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator, mom, and founder of ⁠⁠Mindful Tech Lessons⁠⁠ (https://mindfultechlessons.com/), and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of ⁠⁠Pencils Over Pixels⁠⁠ (https://pencilsoverpixels.org/), as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world.

8. 

   4 Aug 2026

   The Missing Voice, Teachers on Children, Screens, and School

   As we know discussions revolving around screens, school issued devices, and educational technology are recieving much attention nationally and internationally, but the people with some of the deepest insight into this issue are the educators who work with children every day. Teachers and school leaders see firsthand how screens and EdTech are affecting attention, learning, behavior, and school life. Yet their voices are often barely heard, especially compared with the depth of experience and perspective they bring! That is why this conversation matters. We need to listen to educators, not as an afterthought, but as essential voices in understanding what is happening to children in classrooms across the country. Join four experienced educators, each with more than 20 years of classroom and education experience, for a powerful national Zoom conversation grounded in what teachers are actually seeing with children every day. Featuring Jill Anderson, Randy Freiman, Randi Harris, and Dean Rosencranz

9. 

   4 Aug 2026

   Dr. Alaimo on the Classroom Screen Crisis

   Dr. Alaimo is a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University, author of Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls, And How We Can Take It Back, and one of the clearest public voices on social media, screen time, children, families, and education. Since 2016, she has written opinion and analysis for CNN on how social media is reshaping our lives, especially the lives of women and girls. She speaks frequently with parents, teachers, and schools about how to navigate children’s social media use, and brings a rare combination of academic expertise, public policy experience, and real world communication insight from her work with the United Nations and the Obama administration.In her recent analysis, Dr. Alaimo asks the question many parents and educators are now asking: if screens often make it harder for students to learn, why are schools still giving children so much technology? This conversation explores what school screen use may be doing to attention, learning, reading, writing, physical health, social development, and childhood itself. We will also discuss what parents, educators, and communities can do now to push for healthier, more human, more evidence based classrooms. Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator, mom, and founder of ⁠⁠Mindful Tech Lessons⁠⁠ (https://mindfultechlessons.com/), and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of ⁠⁠Pencils Over Pixels⁠⁠ (https://pencilsoverpixels.org/), as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world.

10. 

    4 Aug 2026

    THE AMAZING GENERATION with Catherine Price

    Catherine is the bestselling author of How to Break Up with Your Phone and coauthor with Jonathan Haidt of The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun & Freedom in a Screen-Filled World, the #1 New York Times bestseller written directly for tweens and teens. Inspired by the global impact of The Anxious Generation, The Amazing Generation is a powerful book that helps tweens and teens understand how phones and apps capture their attention, and how much freedom, fun, friendship, confidence, and real life they can reclaim by disconnecting. This conversation not only focuses on how parents talk to their children about the impact of smartphones, gaming and social media but also includes real questions from 5th graders who have not only read the book but created a play to teach their peers adn family. Listen to learn how this powerful hybrid nonfiction and graphic novel impact students, Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator, mom, and founder of Mindful Tech Lessons (https://mindfultechlessons.com/), and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of Pencils Over Pixels (https://pencilsoverpixels.org/), as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world.

11. 

    4 Aug 2026

    Dads, Gaming and Addictive Tech

    Why do video games, phones, and persuasive design pull children away from real life, and what can parents do? We are honored to welcome Richard Freed, PhD, (https://www.richardfreed.com/ ) child and adolescent psychologist, author, father, and one of the leading national voices on children, screens, persuasive design, and mental health. Dr. Freed is the author of Better Than Real Life: The Secret Science Addicting Kids to Screens, and How to Save Childhood and Wired Child: Reclaiming Childhood in a Digital Age. His work has helped parents understand how Big Tech uses powerful psychological tools to capture children’s attention, reshape behavior, and pull kids away from real life. In this special webinar, we will focus on a critical and often underdiscussed angle: boys, video games, phones, and the urgent need for more fathers to step into this movement. This session turns to another urgent part of the story: how addictive technology, especially video games and phone based entertainment, is affecting family life, motivation, school, and childhood itself. Join Jill Anderson, M.A. in Educational Psychology, educator and founder of ⁠Mindful Tech Lessons⁠ (https://mindfultechlessons.com/), and Dr. Yair Lev, cardiologist and co-founder of ⁠Pencils Over Pixels⁠ (https://pencilsoverpixels.org/), as they talk with experts about raising healthy, connected kids in the real world.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

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