Screen-Smart Parenting:
How to Find Balance and Benefit in Your Child’s
Use of Social Media, Apps, and Digital Devices
As a mom and grandma, I have lived through many decades of changes in the digital world. From cell phones that were the size of shoeboxes to game consoles that will fit in your pocket; I am amazed at the technology changes that have been developed in my lifetime.
When our older group of children we young, we really only had to worry about the shows on the television or things they heard from their friends. Today parents are faced with far greater reaching concerns with media and social platforms.
The book by Jodi Gold, Screen-Smart Parenting: How to Find Balance and Benefit in Your Child’s Use of Social Media, Apps, and Digital Devices, discusses the impact of too much digital input.
Topics covered include:
How much screen time is too much at different ages
What your kids and teens are actually doing in all those hours online
How technology affects social, emotional, and cognitive development
Which apps and games build smarts and let creativity shine
How your own media habits influence your children
What you need to know about privacy concerns, cyberbullying, and other dangers
Ways to set limits that the whole family can live with
I liked the book and was able to pull nuggets of information that I will apply in our daily digital profiles but overall it read more as a counseling session instead of a presentation of the facts. I found myself thinking.. That’s nice… but… more than once. Again, this book could be helpful to parents struggling to find balance for the family. Personally, I ended the book with the feeling that the author felt almost all digital input was unhealthy and I don’t agree with that for the world we live in and the future our children will face. Yes, we all could use more unplugged time..but that doesn’t make the device evil.
About the Author:
Jodi Gold, MD, is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist in private practice and Clinical Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. A nationally recognized expert, Dr. Gold speaks, writes, and makes media appearances on her developmental approach to parenting in the age of digital technology. She lives with her husband and three children in New York City.
You can purchase the Screen-Smart Parenting
Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned in this article in exchange for my honest opinion. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation. Regardless, I will only recommend products or services I use personally or believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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