Helping families create healthier relationship with technology through research, storytelling, and practical strategies for parenting in the digital age.
EP3 LIVE: The Teacher Is Younger Than You!
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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 what they were doing. But it wasn’t her podcast experience that convinced me. It was something she wrote in her application: “Living in a digitized era, my screentime was my parents’ major concern, worried that I was too immersed in a ‘fantasy-world,’ resulting in fights, tension, and punishments where my phone was taken away for months. As technology use has become more pervasive, I often wonder if the same tactics like my parents’ were still effective….” I remember reading that and thinking, She’s asking exactly the questions I want this podcast to explore! At the start of the summer, I told Tina, “If we can finish one episode, I’ll consider this a success.” Instead, we finished rough cuts of three. This week’s episode is one of them. As we worked together, I became increasingly curious about Tina—not just her perspective, but the family that shaped it. So I invited her and her mom, Sophie, to join me for a conversation. What emerged wasn’t really about screentime. It was about what happens when children grow up, parents let go of certainty, and family rules slowly become family conversations. I also found myself connecting deeply with both Tina and Sophie's journey personally as well. As the daughter of Korean immigrants raised in America, and now an American raising my own children in Asia, I somehow could see the world through both of their eyes. In many ways, I’m Tina and Sophie rolled into one very curious, very imperfect, and occasionally very confused parent and child. and there is nothing like technology that can bring that identity to the forefront. After Tina left for college, Sophie realized she had become the one scrolling late into the night—the very habit she’d spent years trying to help her daughter avoid. Tina’s response was simple: “It’s a shared struggle.” Not a child’s problem. Not a parent’s problem. A shared human one. That line captures everything I hope Infinite Halls can be. A place where we stop asking, How do I control my child’s screen time? and start asking, How do we build healthier relationships with technology together? Listening back to this early production episode, I can hear both of us learning how to talk, how to share, and how to convey the story. The podcast wasn’t polished yet. Neither were we as we are going through this technology development process. And somehow, that’s exactly why I love it. I’d love to hear what resonates with you.
Before I sign off, I just want to say thank you again. The response to Infinite Halls has been far more encouraging than I ever imagined. Every text message, email, Instagram DM, and conversation reminds me why I started this in the first place. A few days ago, I received a voice message from a dear friend now living in Switzerland. She had just finished listening to one of the episodes and wanted to share what it meant to her. It completely made my day. Those messages matter more than you know. We’re only three episodes into this journey, and I genuinely look forward to sharing each family’s story with you. If an episode resonates, I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email, reply to this newsletter, DM me on Instagram—or, if you’re like my friend in Switzerland, send me a voice message. I absolutely love hearing your reflections. Thank you for listening, for sharing these stories with others, and for helping build a community that’s choosing curiosity over judgment. See you in two weeks. Peace, Love, and Hairgrease, Arcadia |
The Infinite Screentime Movement Newsletter
Helping families create healthier relationship with technology through research, storytelling, and practical strategies for parenting in the digital age.
Hey Reader, I recorded what I thought would be a conversation about screen time between a mother and her son. Rashida was calm, grounded—as you’d expect from someone who teaches yoga. Burhan was thoughtful, articulate, surprisingly self-aware. They weren’t arguing. They weren’t defensive. They were just… open. And then Rashida said something that I think all parents need to hear: “For me, it’s always just a screen… I’ve never thought what is actually going on, or that there are people on the...
Dear Reader, While recording this episode with Carmen, there was one moment I think we can all relate to. Carmen is the mother of Vincent, an autistic teenager, and the founder of Optism, a platform supporting families of children with autism in Hong Kong and across Asia. She was describing the first time Vincent began messaging her on WhatsApp. When he was first diagnosed with autism, he was nonverbal. Carmen remembered wondering whether there would ever be a day when she could write...
Hello there Reader, Okay, I’m just going to straight-up show off. One of the reasons I started Infinite Halls is that I have awesome friends. Truly. They rock so hard that it sometimes feels unfair that I get to have them in my life—and many of them I met through my kids. I know that you have too! They are thoughtful, interesting, and quietly intentional as parents. They’re not posting about parenting. They’re not trying to be examples. But the way they live and raise their families has...