1KHO 557: Raising Originals in a World of Clones | Andrew and Evan Hempe, ScreenStrong

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Ginny Yurich

Parenting, Kids & Family

4.9 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happens when you raise kids without smartphones, video games, or social media in a world where nearly everyone else is plugged in? Twins Andrew and Evan Hempe are living proof that screen-free childhoods don’t leave kids behind—they launch them ahead. In this powerful and refreshing episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich welcomes Andrew and Evan to share their firsthand experience growing up differently—and why it gave them the confidence, creativity, and connection so many of their peers are missing. From conversations about dating in the digital age to battling conformity with humor and real hobbies, these 21-year-olds deliver truth with clarity and heart. They also expose the myth of the “binge gamer,” give parents permission to follow their gut, and make the case that raising screen-free kids isn’t just possible—it’s better. This episode is a must-listen for every parent wondering if the effort is worth it. It is. You’ll walk away inspired, equipped, and ready to raise originals in a culture that desperately needs them. Get your copy of Kids' Brains and Screens Home Edition here Get your copy of The Adventures of Super Brain here *** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Cozy Earth - Upgrade your summer sleep at www.cozyearth.com and use code OUTSIDE for 40% off their best-selling sheets, loungewear, and more. Lagoon - Go to LagoonSleep.com/OUTSIDE and take their awesome 2 minute sleep quiz to find your match.Use the code OUTSIDE for 15% off your first purchase Brave Books - Right now, you can get 20% off your first purchase at www.BRAVEBooks.com/1000hours with the code 1000HOURS. COSMO - Right now, COSMO is running an amazing back-to-school deal, plus free shipping and a risk-free 30-day guarantee. Head to www.cosmotogether.com/1KHO to grab one today. NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast.
0:02.0	My name is Ginny Hurts and the founder of 1000 Hours Outside. And I have been super excited about these guests for a long time. They are young. You are going to love to hear from them. It's Melanie Hemphy Sun, so from Screenstrong, Andrew and Evan. Welcome. Hello, thank you so much for having. I'm happy to be here. So this is a really big deal. And we've had a couple younger people on the show giving their perspective because we're old. So I don't really know what it's like to grow up in a world steep with screens. And I do think that we are not empathetic enough as adults to what that might be like and that sort of plight and how that affects childhood. And so your mom has
0:38.7	been on, Melanie, talked about the story of your family, the older brothers, somewhat screenedicted.
0:44.4	And so she makes this big change for the two of you. And you are able to see this firsthand. You know,
0:50.0	how do things change and where are we at now? But there's one particular thing that Melanie said that has really stuck with me for, I guess it's been probably over a year. I think about it often. So I want to kick it off here and then we'll get into all these other topics. There's an incredible curriculum that parents can get in their home. Teachers can get for the school to help kids deal with their screen time.
1:11.3	But one of the things she said is that when you went off to college, so you're twins and you
1:15.6	go off to college and she said that one of the things that you noticed was that everyone
1:20.7	sort of seems like a carbon copy of each other. So you're like, oh, I'm interested in girls, you know,
1:25.2	but they all kind of seem the same. And someone that said that social media is the greatest conformity engine ever created.
1:32.7	And I don't know if anybody really stops to think about the downstream effect of that.
1:37.3	And I just read this book by Arthur Brooks, where he was saying that actually we're all looking for like the same, same, same compatibility.
1:44.0	But he says says you really
1:45.2	have to compliment each other there has to be differences there in order to have a vibrant
1:48.8	relationship so that's one of the things there's so many consequences of all of this screen time
1:54.0	that there are little pockets of it that no one really talks about and couldn't really imagine
1:59.8	and i think this is a big one.
2:01.8	So can you talk about the experience of going away to college and just noticing the homogenous.
2:07.7	And that's not even the word.
2:09.0	I'm struggling today.
2:10.4	Oh, yeah.
2:11.4	Yeah.
2:12.6	Everyone's the same.
	...

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