Barbies, Bots… and a Bed I Miss in Hong Kong 🛏️


Hi Reader,

How’s your summer going? I feel like I’ve been living in three time zones at once — after crossing the Pacific twice in just a few weeks, I’m finally back in Hong Kong and dreaming in my own bed.

Somewhere between airport lounges, sleepless flights, and a lot of parenting in motion, I stumbled into a rabbit hole: Character.AI, the chatbot app that’s suddenly everywhere with kids and teens.

It all started with a screen time alert about my youngest. One thing led to another… and soon I found myself simulating our family dinner table, testing out celebrity parents, and even chatting with a imaginary “boyfriend from camp.” My oldest tried it too. What surprised me wasn’t just what these bots can do, but what they quietly replace.

I pulled together my thoughts in this latest post:
👉 When Barbie Met the Bot: Why Character.AI Is Not Your Kid’s Imaginary Friend

If you’ve got kids at home (or scattered across time zones, like me), I hope it sparks a conversation — maybe even over your real dinner table.

More soon — and sending a deep exhale from wherever you’re reading this. School will be back before we know it, so let’s all start practicing our teacher “thank-yous” now!

Warmly,
Arcadia

P.S. Hit reply and tell me where your summer has taken you — I’d love to hear.

The Infinite Screentime Movement Newsletter

Helping families create healthier relationship with technology through research, storytelling, and practical strategies for parenting in the digital age.

Read more from The Infinite Screentime Movement Newsletter
Parenting Empowered

Hello Reader, When I first imagined Infinite Halls, I knew I wanted it to be more than a collection of stories from parents. I wanted to create a space where I could sit down with people who've spent years thinking deeply about children, relationships, technology, and learning. The people whose work quietly shapes families, even if their names aren't the ones making headlines. I wanted a place where I could ask them the questions I've been wrestling with myself—and invite all of us into that...

What happens when the parent breaks the screen time rules? Episode 3 explores why screen time is a shared family struggle.

Hello Reader, When I first imagined Infinite Halls, I knew the conversations I wanted to have. I just had absolutely no idea how to make a podcast. Editing? Audio? Publishing? I was completely clueless. Around that same time, Wellesley sent out a call to alumnae: Hire a summer intern. Tina applied. A rising sophomore studying Psychology and Sociology at the time, she casually mentioned she’d already produced and hosted her own podcast in high school. Perfect. Because I needed someone who knew...

DearReader, Oof. This is my wake up moment in the next podcast episode. Mary is standing in a government center with her son, Alex. He needs to use the bathroom. She shows his disability card. She tries to explain. There's a language barrier. The staff member doesn't understand. And before she can bridge that gap, he wets himself. In public. In front of other families. She described it as dehumanizing. What struck me wasn't just the incident itself. It was realizing that for Mary, this wasn't...