Cindy Poluta

Cindy Poluta is a veteran broadcaster, podcast host, trained lay counsellor, and mother of teenage daughters.

Through years of work with adolescents and families, she brings science, empathy, and real-world experience together in a way parents can relate to.

THE COST OF CONNECTION

Reclaiming Our Minds in a Hyperconnected World

Today’s teenagers are online all the time, they’re more connected than ever... yet levels of

anxiety, distraction, loneliness, and emotional overload are at an all-time high. The hard truth:

your teenager’s phone is shaping their brain; their confidence; their sleep; their mental health.

Designed for parents, educators, and caregivers, Cindy’s keynote reveals the brain science

behind constant connectivity - and how to support adolescents without control, conflict, or fear.

Because the most powerful algorithm in your child’s life isn’t TikTok or Instagram. It’s you.

This talk explores:

• How phones and notifications hijack attention and focus.

• What neuroscience reveals about screen time and developing brains.

• Why teens struggle with confidence, conversation, and real-life connection.

• The hidden risks of social media parents often don’t see.

• Why connection - not control - is the real solution.

You’ll leave with:

• Practical, realistic boundaries for home life.

• Tools to reduce conflict around phones.

• Simple changes that protect focus, sleep, and wellbeing.

• Confidence in your role as a digital-age parent.