Screens Down, Look Up

The Straits Times
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  • Parenting

Synopsis: Join us for a five-part limited-edition podcast series by The Straits Times from Nov 2-30, 2026, where we discuss the challenges of raising kids in a world that's always plugged in. Every parent knows the feeling of the digital tug-of-war. You’re exhausted, the kids are restless and the glowing screen seems like the only way that can get them to be still.  We’re not here to tell you how bad phones are and to put them down. We want to sit down with experts and parents to unpack the realities of raising children, listen to what the science is saying about kids and screens, and have honest conversations about what childhood looks like today in a world that’s always plugged in.   If you’re a parent wanting more connection, more play and fewer screen battles, this is the right place for you. Host: Elisha Tushara Produced and edited by: Studio+65 and Fa'izah Sani Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Amelia Teng A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Are school tablets changing how kids learn?

    How parents can better navigate the home-school conflict. Synopsis: Join us for a five-part limited-edition podcast series this November by The Straits Times where we discuss the challenges of raising kids in a world that's always plugged in. When MOE fast tracked their plan to provide students with their own personal learning devices because of the Covid-19 pandemic, classrooms in Singapore schools shifted a lot of their lessons online. While teachers grappled with brushing up their skills to effectively integrate online tools into their lessons, many parents also had to deal with managing the use of these devices at home. In this episode, Host Elisha Tushara is joined by Professor May Lim, Associate Vice President of Lifelong Learning at Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), who is also a mother of two. Two strong themes surfaced during this discussion was whether this has resulted in a generation of students who lack engaging with complex and long texts, and whether they should be taught intentionality when learning online. Highlights (click/tap above): 0:00 Intro  4:26 Is digital learning necessary for lower primary pupils? 5:59 Pen and paper or tablets: Which is better? 7:55 Using gaming to learn, with the right intentions 11:15 Not about the screen duration, but the screen activity 15:45 No smartphones in schools, effective in the long run? 19:58 Good digital habits: Eye breaks, multitasking myths  23:40 Nurturing a generation of hasty readers 27:28 Home-school conflict --- Read more ST Screen Timeout articles: https://str.sg/screentimeout  Host: Elisha Tushara (elisha@sph.com.sg) Read Elisha’s articles: https://str.sg/5VVJ Follow Elisha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/94WA Produced and edited by: Studio+65 and Fa’izah Sani Executive producers: Ernest Luis, Amelia Teng --- Follow Screens Down, Look Up limited series every Monday (Nov 2 - 30): Channel: https://str.sg/bKan  Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/57aK  Spotify: https://str.sg/agZP  YouTube: https://str.sg/yxuv  Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX #screensdownlookup See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Are school tablets changing how kids learn?

  2. Nov 1

    Are parents making their kids' screen habits worse?

    How to better connect with a child offline and online.  Synopsis: Join us for a five-part limited-edition podcast series this November by The Straits Times where we discuss the challenges of raising kids in a world that's always plugged in. For many children and teens, there is little distinction between the online and offline world.  Many parents worry that screens are getting in the way of their relationship with their children.  But instead of pulling our children away from their digital worlds, should parents step into them, and journey with our children? In this episode, Host Elisha Tushara is joined by Natalie Pang, a professor at the National University of Singapore.  Having done research on digital well-being and online harms, and as the mother of a teenage boy, she recommends gaming with your children. Highlights (click/tap above): 0:00 Intro  4:05 Why the online world is important to our children 7:42 Being offline and being left out 8:30 Bringing online rules into the offline world 10:50 What I learned about my child by gaming together: Natalie Pang 14:21 Screen use: Measuring by purpose, instead of time 17:55 What happens when parents are glued to their screens themselves? 21:22 It’s natural for children to get upset when screentime is over 26:02 Why do some parents find it hard to set screentime boundaries? — Read more ST Screen Timeout articles: https://str.sg/screentimeout  Host: Elisha Tushara (elisha@sph.com.sg) Read Elisha’s articles: https://str.sg/5VVJ Follow Elisha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/94WA Produced and edited by: Studio+65 and Fa’izah Sani Executive producers: Ernest Luis, Amelia Teng — Follow Screens Down, Look Up limited series every Monday (Nov 2 - 30): Channel: https://str.sg/bKan  Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/57aK  Spotify: https://str.sg/agZP  YouTube: https://str.sg/yxuv  Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg — Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts — Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX #screensdownlookup See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Are parents making their kids' screen habits worse?
  • 2 Episodes

About

Synopsis: Join us for a five-part limited-edition podcast series by The Straits Times from Nov 2-30, 2026, where we discuss the challenges of raising kids in a world that's always plugged in. Every parent knows the feeling of the digital tug-of-war. You’re exhausted, the kids are restless and the glowing screen seems like the only way that can get them to be still.  We’re not here to tell you how bad phones are and to put them down. We want to sit down with experts and parents to unpack the realities of raising children, listen to what the science is saying about kids and screens, and have honest conversations about what childhood looks like today in a world that’s always plugged in.   If you’re a parent wanting more connection, more play and fewer screen battles, this is the right place for you. Host: Elisha Tushara Produced and edited by: Studio+65 and Fa'izah Sani Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Amelia Teng A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.

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