Building Digital Wellbeing Together: Highlights from our Parent Workshop with Ellen Mahoney

How can we support our children’s online lives in line with our values and informed by reliable research? This was the central question at our recent parent workshop led by Ellen Mahoney, Founder and CEO of Sea Change, an international expert in adolescent development and digital wellbeing. 

Connection Before Content

The workshop began with Ellen inviting parents to reflect on the values they want to uphold within their families, such as presence, respect, connection. Ellen emphasised that conversations about technology are most effective when they are grounded in clearly defined family values, rather than driven by rules, fear, or assumptions about screen time.

In anchoring digital decisions in shared values, parents explored how technology can both support and challenge what matters most to their families. This values-led approach provided a meaningful foundation for the session, helping parents frame technology not as the focus itself, but as one of many influences shaping young people’s wellbeing and development.

What the Research Actually Says 

Through an interactive “Fact or Fiction” activity, Ellen helped debunk common myths about technology. She noted that while there is a rise in youth mental health concerns, there is no definitive causal link to smartphones alone. Instead, she encouraged parents to look for problematic use behaviors, such as compulsive usage that impacts sleep or replaces face-to-face friendships.

Respect as a Motivator 

Ellen referenced a frequently cited neuroscience study (published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University) suggesting that when teens hear parental criticism, brain networks involved in cognitive control and perspective-taking show reduced activity. To counter this, she introduced a strategy from David Yeager’s book 10 to 25. The Mentor Mindset encourages parents to:

1. Validate adolescent needs by recognising their biological drive for status, respect, and contribution.
2. Collaborate on boundaries by involving children in creating tech agreements that reflect their own evolving identities and values.
3. Protect the relationship by prioritising family bonds rather than focusing on device use, ensuring that the lines of communication stay open.

A Community of Practice

The workshop concluded with parents reflecting on how to adjust their own tech habits to model the presence they want to see in their children. By rooting our digital choices in shared family values, we can move from policing technology to mentoring children toward making informed choices to thrive in a connected world.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Ellen Mahoney for her expertise and to our participating parents for their openness and partnership. This Expert-in-Residence visit was made possible by the generosity of our community through Annual Giving.