Pixel Parenting

Your child wants a new game, and the app store says it's educational. That label is checked for age, not for learning. In this episode I sit down with Dr. Erik Harpstead, Associate Research Professor at Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction Institute, who studies the data behind kids' games to see whether anyone is learning anything, to replace the label with a check you can run in minutes. Dr. Harpstead teaches game designers how to build games that teach, and he is part of the team behind The Vault, a free online library of learning games made by education researchers. He walks us through the check he trains his own students to run: what does the game want your child to learn, what does your child spend most of their time doing, and does the kind of learning in that loop match? And he leaves us with the answer he gives most often: any age-appropriate game you play with your child is a good game. What you'll learn What the "educational" tag on an app store listing is checked for, and what it is not The three-part check: learning goals, core gameplay loop, and the kind of learning involved Why a game that teaches makes your child do the thing it wants them to learn How researchers tell learning from lucky guessing in play data The Vault: free, browser-based learning games made by education researchers, filterable by age His picks to start with, and the two answers he gives parents who ask "what game should I get?" In this episode 00:00 - Welcome: "educational" is checked for age, not for learning01:03 - Meet Dr. Erik Harpstead: the data behind game-based learning02:03 - Learning curves, and the balance-beam game where guessing worked05:44 - All games teach something; the question is what06:34 - The app store "educational" tag, and who checks it06:58 - The three-part framework he teaches his students10:38 - What a "bad" educational game means11:38 - Age-checked, not learning-checked12:44 - The 15-minute sizeup: watch real play, not the marketing13:29 - Integration: a game that teaches makes them do the thing15:37 - The three questions, in brief17:33 - Finding the core loop, with Minecraft19:55 - Where the learning happens, and interest curves22:05 - The Vault: a free home for researcher-made games25:08 - His pick: Wake: Tales from the Aqualab27:09 - Who the Vault is for: K-12 ranges, skewing older28:14 - For older kids: Nicky Case's explorable explanations28:57 - The one thing to walk away with31:19 - Three things to keep About the guest Dr. Erik Harpstead is an Associate Research Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute, where he studies how people learn from play, using data from real gameplay to see whether a game teaches what its designers intend. He teaches the Design of Educational Games course at CMU, is part of the Open Game Data community, and is part of the team behind The Vault, a free online library of learning games built by education researchers. Resources and links The Vault, free learning games made by education researchers: https://vaultlearninggames.org/ Wake: Tales from the Aqualab (Field Day Lab), his pick: https://vaultlearninggames.org/wake The Evolution of Trust (Nicky Case): https://vaultlearninggames.org/evolution-of-trust The Wisdom and/or Madness of Crowds (Nicky Case): https://ncase.me/crowds/ That's Your Right, his civics pick: https://vaultlearninggames.org/thats-yo... Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome: "educational" is checked for age, not for learning(00:01:03) - Meet Dr. Erik Harpstead: the data behind game-based learning(00:02:03) - Learning curves, and the balance-beam game where guessing worked(00:05:44) - All games teach something; the question is what(00:06:34) - The app store "educational" tag, and who checks it(00:06:58) - The three-part framework he teaches his students(00:10:38) - What a "bad" educational game means(00:11:38) - Age-checked, not learning-checked(00:12:44) - The 15-minute sizeup: watch real play, not the marketing(00:13:29) - Integration: a game that teaches makes them do the thing(00:15:37) - The three questions, in brief(00:17:33) - Finding the core loop, with Minecraft(00:19:55) - Where the learning happens, and interest curves(00:22:05) - The Vault: a free home for researcher-made games(00:25:08) - His pick: Wake: Tales from the Aqualab(00:27:09) - Who the Vault is for: K-12 ranges, skewing older(00:28:14) - For older kids: Nicky Case's explorable explanations(00:28:57) - The one thing to walk away with(00:31:19) - Three things to keep

Everything in the app store says "educational". A lot of it says "expert backed" and "research backed" too. None of those words are regulated, and none of them tell you whether the app in your hand does anything for your three-year-old. In this episode I sit down with Charlotte Anne Wright, a learning designer and researcher at Begin and former president of the Bay Area chapter of the Children's Media Association, to swap the label for a framework you can use. Charlotte taught young children for nearly a decade, then studied early childhood policy and spent almost three years as a LEGO Foundation Research Fellow working on playful learning with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. She walks through six characteristics that learning scientists keep finding wherever powerful learning happens, and turns each one into a question you can ask while your child is using the thing. Then she gives us "ask, find, make", three offline extensions that take about five minutes after the screen goes off. Her closing message: this is genuinely hard, it is not just you, and you are doing better than you think. What you'll learn Why "educational" and "research backed" are unregulated claims, and what to check instead The six characteristics of playful learning, each as a question you can ask in the moment How to tell an engaged child from an overstimulated one What stars, coins and points are really doing to your child's motivation What a good learning app does when your child gets an answer wrong Ask, find, make: three five-minute offline extensions after any show, game or app About the guest Charlotte Anne Wright is a learning designer and researcher at Begin, an early learning media and technology company for children and families, and former president of the Bay Area chapter of the Children's Media Association. She was an early childhood educator for nearly a decade before returning to graduate school to study early childhood policy, where she created the Explanatory Rubric for Play in Early Childhood (ERPEC). She then spent nearly three years as a LEGO Foundation Research Fellow working on playful learning and parenting alongside Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, and has published research with collaborators including Sesame Workshop. Resources and links Charlotte Anne Wright on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotteawright/ Begin: https://www.beginlearning.com/ Children's Media Association, Bay Area chapter: https://www.childrensmediaassociation.org/board/charlotte-wright/ ERPEC, the Explanatory Rubric for Play in Early Childhood: https://www.erpecplay.com/ Charlotte Anne Wright on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5lHFqN4AAAAJ Her writing for BOLD: https://boldscience.org/authors/charlotte-anne-wright/ Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek: https://kathyhirshpasek.com/ Dr. Roberta Golinkoff: https://roberta-golinkoff.com/ If you are a parent of a child aged 6 to 17, we are running a survey on how families in different countries use AI for kids' learning. Anonymous, about ten minutes: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf8_kpH2rvRTESLUPFfxQD...

Your child asks to play Roblox, or some app that didn't exist when you were their age, and the first instinct is to Google the parental controls. In this episode I sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov, founder of DigitalParentingCoach.com and Roblox's first head of parental advocacy, to talk about why that instinct is only half the answer. Her reframe: parental controls are the training wheels, and it's the conversation that teaches your family how to steer. Dr. Milovidov explains what Roblox actually is (a platform with millions of user-created games, not one single game), what the new Roblox Kids and Roblox Select age tiers change for families, and how to keep a kid from shutting down when you bring any of it up. We get practical: the curiosity-first opener, the 5 W's, letting kids set their own limits so the limits stick, the exact question to ask when you suspect they saw something they shouldn't have, and why it's never too late to start. What you'll learn What parental controls do well, and what only a conversation can do How to flip from interrogating to curious, so your kid shows you their world Strategies before rules: preparing kids for hard moments online the way we teach them to cross the street What Roblox actually is, and what Roblox Kids (5-8) and Roblox Select (9-15) change The 5 W's: who, what, where, when, and at what time The exact question to ask when you think your child saw something inappropriate In this episode 00:00 - Welcome, and what we're getting into today01:22 - Two founders, one domain: the digitalparenting.com story02:39 - Why we Google "parental controls" instead of "how to talk to my kid"03:35 - Training wheels: what controls do well and what they can't replace04:31 - The curiosity flip: interested, not interrogating05:39 - When the answer isn't what you want to hear: strategies first06:43 - Kids set the rules: turning limits into a conversation08:05 - The kid who shuts down: trusted adults, cool cousins, small moments10:52 - What Roblox actually is (a platform, not a game)12:30 - Who makes the games: user-generated content, explained14:07 - The Learning Hub, and why you should never say "educational games"14:46 - "My child wants to play Roblox. Is that okay?"15:08 - Roblox Kids and Roblox Select: what the new age tiers change17:18 - What the kitchen-table conversation actually sounds like17:53 - A ten-minute research date: checking Common Sense Media together20:14 - The 5 W's every parent can keep in mind21:43 - The "icky in your stomach" question for hard moments23:11 - Lean on other parents: the community layer23:52 - Started late? You can start tomorrow25:28 - Coffee-chat agreements: shared norms for play times, devices, and AI26:44 - Three things to remember this week28:58 - Never too late, and a closing word About the guest Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov has spent more than twenty years helping families navigate digital life. She is the founder of DigitalParentingCoach.com and co-founder of Digitalem.org with her son Maximilian, a youth safety advocate. She serves as an independent expert on digital parenting and children's rights for the Council of Europe, has advised Microsoft and European Schoolnet, and served as senior counsel on digital gaming and metaverse at the LEGO Group. In 2025 she became Roblox's first head of parental advocacy, where she is Senior Director of Global Parental Advocacy. Resources and links Digital Parenting Coach: https://www.digitalparentingcoach.com/ The Roblox Learning Hub: https://www.roblox.com/games/92498145666402/...

Have you ever wondered what happens when a child starts talking to an AI like it's a friend? In this episode I sit down with Dr. Mathilde Cerioli, a cognitive neuroscientist and Chief Scientific Officer at the nonprofit everyone.ai, to unpack what AI companions actually are, what they do to a child's developing brain, and why preteens and teens are especially drawn to them. Mathilde explains why an AI can feel so social and so sticky, why the friction of real friendship is a feature of development rather than a flaw, and how the way an AI talks can quietly reshape the relationship a child thinks they can have with it. We get practical too: the red flags and green flags to watch for, why kids often turn to an AI instead of us, and what to actually say if you discover your child has been chatting with an AI companion for months. The throughline is simple: lead with curiosity, not panic. What you'll learn What an "AI companion" really means, and how it differs from ChatGPT or Gemini Why the preteen and teen brain is primed to treat anything social as rewarding Why friction and "productive struggle" in real friendships build social skills an AI skips The difference between an AI that supports a child and one that "sucks them in" Red flags and green flags for AI use at home Why kids sometimes talk to an AI instead of a parent, and the role of shame and vulnerability A simple gut-check to teach your kid: "Am I running with AI, or is AI running for me?" What to do in the first 24 hours if you find out your child has been using an AI companion In this episode (chapters) (00:00) What we're unpacking: kids and AI companions (01:46) From child neuropsychologist to studying AI and kids (02:49) What "AI companion" actually means (04:03) Signs a child is starting to bond with an AI (06:26) AI in toys, and why younger kids are a different case (06:48) Sensitive periods: the social skills AI can interrupt (09:45) "The AI understands me": anthropomorphism and the teen brain (12:00) Why friction is a feature of friendship, not a bug (14:05) When help tips into outsourcing confidence (16:00) The parasocial pull: how an AI's tone frames the relationship (22:01) Red flags worth paying attention to (25:13) Why kids talk to an AI instead of us (34:07) Productive struggle, agency, and self-worth (37:36) Green flags, and the "running with AI" gut-check (37:54) What to do if you discover months of AI companion use (40:36) A hopeful vision: child-centered AI design (44:11) Closing takeaways Timestamps are approximate and based on the recording; adjust after final edit. About the guest Dr. Mathilde Cerioli is a cognitive neuroscientist (PhD, Université de Montréal) and Chief Scientific Officer at everyone.ai, a nonprofit focused on the opportunities and risks of AI for children. She began her career as a child neuropsychologist studying how environments, especially digital ones, shape who children become. At everyone.ai, and in partnership with the Paris Peace Forum, she helped launch the Beneficial AI for Children Coalition, a multistakeholder initiative working with governments, tech companies, and organizations including UNICEF, UNESCO, and Common Sense Media. Moments worth remembering "That friction is not a bug. It's really a feature of development. That's how they learn to adjust." "Am I running with AI, or is AI running for me?" "You could have good advice, but depending on how it's said, it really matters in how it frames the relationship." On a teen who pulled back from an AI companion: "I was g...

What actually happens in your child's brain when they hand an assignment to AI — and is it really as harmless as it seems?Patricia Cangas sits down with Missy Widmann — doctor of education, co-founder of Neural Education, and visiting assistant professor at Pacific Lutheran University. A former health and fitness teacher of 26 years, Missy found that movement isn't just good for the body; it fundamentally shapes how the brain learns. The conversation unpacks what attention really is, why productive struggle matters more than we admit, and what's actually at stake when kids hand their thinking over to AI. Can a device ever be a tutor instead of a shortcut? In This Episode: (00:00) Patricia explains why kids reaching for devices the moment things get hard is worth paying attention to (04:46) What attention actually is and why novelty will always pull it away first (09:11) Productive struggle: why the hard, messy part is exactly where learning sticks (13:41) The teacher who used AI to prep students for a competition — and what happened next (19:32) The very human skills that no screen or AI can build on its own Share with someone who would benefit, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes! About the Show Patricia Cangas Rumeu, a seasoned expert in digital literacy and educational technology, hosts Pixel Parenting - where she empowers busy parents to navigate their kids' tech use with confidence and science-based insights. This bi-weekly podcast cuts through digital parenting confusion by exploring everything from screen time strategies to educational apps with expert guests and practical tools. Patricia combines her background as both a mother and technology educator to help families build healthy digital habits that work for real life, creating a community where parents can learn what being "tech-savvy" really means for kids today. Resources:Neural Education: neuraleducation.org Missy's organization — offers brain-aligned learning resources, open education tools, and professional development for educators.Pacific Lutheran University: plu.edu Where Missy serves as visiting assistant professor; relevant for listeners who want to explore her academic context.Pixel Parenting AI Survey Anonymous, 7–10 minute survey for parents of children ages 6–17 about how families are currently using AI for learning. Dr. Marian Diamond video: My love affair with the brain: https://youtu.be/fIB1v0pLhNM?si=8snqtYK8oSIyE0bO Pixel Parenting Digital Resources: https://pixelparenting.org/digital-education-resources/Pixel Parenting Podcast: https://pixelparenting.org/podcast/Pixel Parenting Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553247026258Pixel Parenting IG: https://www.instagram.com/pixelparentingtips/