Forming Faithful Kids in a Screen-Filled World with Jamie Gordon

Phones at the dinner table. DMs at midnight. Screens that seem impossible to put down.

Digital life is part of everyday life. But how do we raise wise, healthy, spiritually grounded kids in the midst of it?

In this episode of The Teach Your Children Well Podcast, host Sarah Cowan Johnson talks with Jamie Gordon, a licensed social worker, mom of three, and director of the social work program at Screen Sanity, an international nonprofit equipping parents to navigate tech and screen use with clarity and purpose. Jamie also serves as the intake coordinator at legal firm Husch Blackwell’s human trafficking clinic, where she supports survivors with care and expertise.

Sarah and Jamie unpack the real-life effects of screen time, from emotional dysregulation and loneliness to redefined friendships and dopamine-driven addiction cycles. But they don’t stop at the problem. With warmth, insight, and numerous practical tips, they offer tools to guide families toward digital health, deeper connection, and Christ-centered purpose amid our tech-saturated world.

Tune in to a conversation that will leave you encouraged and equipped to parent intentionally and faithfully in the digital age.

This episode highlights the following themes:

✅ The science behind dopamine, addiction, and screens
✅ A faith-based lens for forming your family’s tech boundaries
✅ How to talk with your kids, not just at them, to understand the “whys” behind their technology choices

Links from the episode:

✅ Explore free and paid resources at screensanity.org (screensanity.org)
✅ Explore Screen Sanity’s Social Media Playbook (screensanity.org/tool/social-media-playbook/)
✅ Explore Screen Sanity’s First Phone Comparison Chart (screensanity.org/tool/first-phone-comparison-chart/)
✅ Read Andy Crouch’s book The Life We're Looking For (amzn.to/4eLthK0)
✅ Read Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation (amzn.to/3GortcZ)
✅ Learn more about Sarah Cowan Johnson
✅ Read Teach Your Children Well by Sarah Cowan Johnson (www.ivpress.com/sarah-cowan-johnson)
✅ Read the transcript here (drive.google.com/file/d/1N8zp5q5Tbl2ZHOy31Jjh2xH2g9sT5hAn/view)
✅ Take the survey here (forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx)

Credits

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com (ivpress.com) and use the code IVPTEACH25 for 25% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.
✅Producers: Helen Lee, Kaitlin Borek, and Travis Albritton
✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts (honestpodcasts.com/)
✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne
✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard
✅Theme Song: "Childlike Wonder" by Reveille

=== Time Stamps ===

00:00 – Introduction
03:24 – About Jamie Gordon
05:03 – Jamie’s Story and Passion for Tech Awareness
10:25 – How Tech Shapes Kids’ Brains, Emotions, and Friendships
15:43 – Dopamine, Addiction, and Emotional Dysregulation
19:39– Screen Habits That Impact Mental Health
22:30 – A Faith-Based Lens for Family Tech Use
27:08 – Practical Tech Boundaries at Every Age
31:54 – “Ride, Practice, Drive”: A Tech Maturity Model
39:24 – Parenting Question: Am I Hurting My Child’s Social Life by Delaying a Phone?
47:23 – Steal This Idea: A Family Practice of Tech Fasting and Feasting

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

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