MAMA is a grassroots movement of parents and allies fighting back against media addiction and creating a world where real-life experiences and interactions remain at the heart of a healthy childhood.
We envision a world where safeguards are in place to protect children and teens from the harms of media addiction, and kids can grow up without being relentlessly targeted by hidden algorithms and commercial messages that exploit their emotions for profit.
In this future, face-to-face human interaction continues to occupy the center of social life, and kids have a right to experience a healthy, balanced childhood in a world where technology serves humanity — not the other way around.
Abundant research, and our own collective experience, show what’s best for children’s well-being — and it isn’t endless screentime. MAMA was founded by Julie Scelfo, veteran journalist, media ecologist, and mother of 3, to take on today’s media-obsessed culture.
After years of reporting on youth mental health and suicide, Julie led a collective of experts and communicators in designing a platform to finally challenge the harms caused by today’s unhealthy media environment and runaway tech. The result: MAMA.
MAMA is the only organization led by a mother with a journalist’s courage to speak truth to power — and the determination to see it through.
MAMA has a three-part mission: educating parents; getting smartphones out of schools; and ensuring technology products have basic safeguards like other consumer products.
And we work in three ways: we form local chapters that give parents a platform to band together and take collective action in their communities; we provide thought leadership with a regular presence in national and local media, and through our monthly online Expert Insights Series; and we work with community leaders and local and national policymakers to address the impacts of media addiction.
Young people spend as many as 9 hours a day on screens, a habit linked to depression, loneliness and anxiety.
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Time and again, when moms get involved, social movements win. We’re turning the tide for our kids and our world.
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Become a member, attend an event or start a chapter in your community. It’s easy to get involved — and it’s urgent.
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Law Professor at Seton Hall University, Speaker, Author
Gaia Bernstein is a Law Professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law. She is the founding Director of the Institute for Privacy Protection and Gibbons Institute of Law Science and Technology. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Gaia is the author of the award-winning book Unwired: Gaining Control Over Addictive Technologies, which Kirkus Reviews said “sets an agenda to rein in the tech behemoths that have run rampant for years.” She advises policymakers and other stakeholders on technology policy matters, including the regulation of addictive technologies, social media and artificial intelligence. Gaia has spearheaded a pioneering and nationally acclaimed Student-Parent Outreach Program, which addressed overuse of screens by children. In her popular TEDx talk, Gaia describes herself as a “Twenty-First Century Mom.” She is the mother of three children who grew up in a world of screens, smartphones, and social media.
Psychologist, Intersectional Mental Health Advocate, Founder of The AAKOMA Project
Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble (known professionally as Dr. Alfiee) is a pioneering psychologist, scientist, author, mental health correspondent, and founder of the innovative nonprofit, The AAKOMA Project. She is also a Melinda French Gates Global Leader, championing innovative solutions to advance the health and wellbeing of women and girls worldwide as lead of the MATTIE Fund, a 20-million-dollar effort (part of Melinda’s groundbreaking $1 billion philanthropic investment). For over 25 years, Dr. Alfiee has been a trailblazer in mental health and suicide prevention for Youth and Young Adults of Color (including LGBTQAI+ and those w/disabilities) along with educating the public about culturally relevant burnout prevention, mindfulness and gratitude practices. She is a regular media contributor for outlets like The Grio, Today Show, The Breakfast Club and the New York Times.
Tech Entrepreneur, Artist, Founder of CEO Citia
Linda Holliday is an entrepreneur at the intersection of design, media and tech. She is founder and CEO of Citia, a revolutionary, patented, no-coding platform for modernizing content — making it live, multi-channel, organized and data-gathering for superior experiences and results. Citia has been featured in various publications such as Forbes, The New Yorker, TechCrunch, and The New York Times. Linda is a stepmother and godmother.
Business Leader, Investor,
Philanthropist
As CEO of Unilever (2009–2019), he pioneered a more responsible and purpose-driven business model, demonstrating that sustainability delivers superior performance. During his tenure, shareholder returns increased by 290% while the company was consistently ranked as the world’s most sustainable business and one of the world’s best places to work. He is a father to three sons.
Speaker
New York Author
Andrew Postman has written, ghostwritten, or collaborated on more than two dozen books, on subjects as varied as business, health, sports, pop culture, technology, games, and more. His first such collaboration, Chasing Daylight, a New York Times bestseller, was included in The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, and he helped to update the granddaddy of all self-help books, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Postman updated and wrote the introduction to the 20th anniversary edition of Amusing Ourselves to Death, the landmark work on the impact of television on public discourse written by his father, Neil, and is co-producing a documentary about the book’s prescience and relevance. Postman is a father of three.
Actress, Writer, Producer of Big Bang Theory & Night Court, Co-founder of Oscar’s Kids U.S.
Melissa Rauch is an actress, writer and producer best known for her portrayal of Bernadette Rostenkowski on the hit k comedy show THE BIG BANG THEORY.. Rauch starred in the feature film, THE BRONZE, which she co-wrote and executive produced.. She also garnered critical acclaim for her award-winning portrayal of the former President’s daughter in her one-woman stage show, THE MISS EDUCATION OF JENNA BUSH, which enjoyed runs in New York City and Los Angeles, and was an official selection of the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
Computational Physicist, Co-founder of Global Disinformation Index, National Security Expert
Dr. Danny Rogers, PhD, is the co-founder and CTO of the Global Disinformation Index, a non-profit focused on catalyzing change within the tech industry to disincentivize the creation and dissemination of disinformation. Prior to founding the GDI, Rogers founded and led Terbium Labs, information security and dark web intelligence startup based in Baltimore, Maryland. He is also a parent.
Author, Media Critic, Founder of Team Human
Named one of the “world’s ten most influential intellectuals” by MIT, Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include the just-published Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, as well as the recent Team Human, based on his podcast, and the bestsellers Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Program or Be Programmed, Life Inc, and Media Virus.
Social Scientist, Author, Founder of MIT Initiative on Technology and Self
Sherry Turkle, PhD is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT, and the founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Professor Turkle received a joint doctorate in sociology and personality psychology from Harvard University and is a licensed clinical psychologist. Turkle is a mother and a grandmother.
Legal Scholar
Author
Tim Wu is a Silicon Valley veteran and Columbia Law School professor who served as Special Assistant to the President for technology and competition policy from 2021 to 2023. A leading voice on AI and tech regulation and the author of influential books on modern communication, the attention economy, and corporate concentration, Wu is also known for coining the term “net neutrality” before it became a federal law. In highly informative lectures and discussions, Wu speaks to private and public sector audiences across industries about innovation, economic fairness, the benefits and pitfalls of technology, and artificial intelligence.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. For crisis chat services or more information visit 988lifeline.org.
The Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. It is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
As an organization of parents, MAMA is unable to make treatment referrals and is not qualified to diagnose or give any type of medical advice. For assistance with clinical disorders, we encourage you to reach out to your local care provider.
DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
The information contained on this website, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material, are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If your child is experiencing negative consequences of problematic media and technology use, we encourage you to speak with your pediatrician.
