HELENA — The Helena Education Foundation brought a Washington-based author to town to hold a discussion about her book with the community. The focus, tech intentionality and online safety when it comes to kids.

The talk is part of the foundation's Face2Face initiative, which seeks to facilitate community conversations about screens and technology.

Emily Cherkin, a mother educator and author, explains the concept of tech intentionality and three things for parents to focus on.

“I take what I call a tech-intentional approach. And for me, what that means is there are really three things to keep in mind: later is better. Less is more, and relationships and skills first,” said Cherkin.

After experiencing the struggles of screen time with her own two kids, Cherkin realized that other parents might also be struggling to find a balanced schedule for their children.

“Eight to eighteen-year-olds are averaging 7 and half hours of screen time a day outside of school time,” said Cherkin.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey, half of U.S. teenagers aged 12 to 17 who were surveyed responded that they spent more than four and a half hours on screens daily. One in four teenagers with the same amount of screen time or more also said that they had experienced feelings of anxiety and depression in the two weeks leading up to the survey.

Beth Demmons brought the youngest of her five kids to Cherkin's discussion for both her own education and her child’s.

“I think this is important and on top of the latest research being done. Duke is my youngest of five kids, and this is something I've been tackling for 23 years. It moves faster than you can keep up with what’s happening in the world and how screen time is affecting our kids,” said Demmons.