I don’t currently have children, so feel free to take my review of this book with as many grains of salt as you like.
I like that she starts with the obligatory “here is how screen time is affecting your children” and then goes into different tips and tricks depending on age group. By talking to various parents, ones who homeschool, ones who work, living in cities or in rural areas, they offer a great mixture of tips. Boredom is good, ensuring children have time outside is great, and the importance of reading to your kids. I was raised by a librarian, so I did spend a lot of time reading, it has made me into the avid reader who reviews things for y’all.
There were several things I liked, she had a further reading section at the end. She talked to parents who were rural and urban, so we aren’t just hearing this info from her idyllic forest home. The fact that she says we should be questioning how much screen time they get at school. I’m a fully grown adult, and for my job, I’m on my computer 8 hours a day. That’s not including any TV or social media that I do before or after work; it’s a lot is what I’m saying.
I appreciate that she isn’t “no technology ever, let’s go back to the 1800s.” Rather she says “This is not about bashing technology or fuelling moralistic panic over how digital media is ruining society. I do not want us to go back to living in the Middle Ages, threshing wheat in a field daily and dancing in the town square at night. (Well, some public dancing wouldn’t hurt.) This is about recognizing and respecting what technology can do, knowing where it belongs, and constructing healthy boundaries to keep it there. To be clear I am not anti-tech. I am anti losing so much else when tech is allowed to take over every aspect of our lives.” (pg. 34).
She talks about the parents role in raising their children. I like how she talks about the importance of family meals for teens. A time to disconnect and slow down. I can remember being raised with a “no TV hour” which was right before dinner. I could do homework, read, and play, but I had nothing to do with the TV. It’s short, 142 pages not including citations and further reading, which makes it easy to read in one sitting. Written in a conversational tone but it doesn’t feel like “oh no the kids aren’t alright” panic.
If you’re looking for a way to lower the hold screens have on your children, or are just interested in some practical advice this book is an excellent source of information with a wonderful literature review of further reading to explore.
Sly Fox Reviews 