Wayzata Community Ed

Erin is a parent, speaker, and author. She has worked with communities across the country who want to better understand child and adolescent development and cut through conflicting information about kids and technology. She is fiercely committed to bringing an equity lens and asset-based approach to our understanding of, and response to, youth and media. Her signature down-to-earth approach and sense of humor helps families and educators engage in complicated topics and leave feeling capable and motivated. 

Erin has enjoyed bringing science and tips to families and educators alongside her father Dr. David Walsh for nearly 20 years. They started together at the National Institute on Media and the Family before creating Spark & Stitch Institute in 2019. In addition to writing articles for several other publications including Psychology Today, she co-authored the 10th Anniversary Edition of the national bestseller Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen. Her new book It’s Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence will be published in May 2025 through Free Spirit Publishing. 

Before creating Spark & Stitch Institute in 2019, Erin taught undergraduate students for nearly a decade with the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs where she created and taught a class called Making Media, Making Change. Her work has been featured in local publications across the country as well as The Washington Post, the Star Tribune, Parents.com, and Yahoo News. Erin has served on a number of community boards and has worked with schools, school districts, parent groups, and other youth-serving organizations throughout North America on issues related to digital media, children, and youth. She lives in Minneapolis, MN with her family.