Raising a Screen-Smart Kid

Embrace the Good and Avoid the Bad in the Digital Age

By: Julianna Miner

Narrated by: Julianna Miner

For parents who didn't grow up with smartphones but can't let go of them now, expert advice on raising kids in our constantly connected world

Most kids get their first smartphone at the same time that they're experiencing major developmental changes. Making mistakes has always been a part of growing up, but how do parents help their kids navigate childhood and adolescence at a time when social media has the potential to magnify the consequences of those mistakes? Rather than spend all their time worrying about the worst-case scenario, readers get a bigger-picture understanding of their kids' digital landscape. Drawing on research and interviews with educators, psychologists, and kids themselves, Raising a Screen-Smart Kid offers practical advice on how parents can help their kids avoid the pitfalls and reap the benefits of the digital age by:

using social media to enhance connection with friends and family, instead of following strangers and celebrities, which is a predictor of loneliness and depression

finding online support and community for conditions such as depression and eating disorders, while avoiding potential triggers such as #Thinspiration Pinterest boards

learning and developing life skills through technology--for example, by problem-solving in online games--while avoiding inappropriate content

Written by a public health expert and the creator of the popular blog Rants from Mommyland, this book shows parents how to help their kids navigate friendships, bullying, dating, self-esteem, and more online.

The best book I’ve read all year!

I think like most parents, I worry a lot about social media. I’m constantly questioning my decisions. This book calmed my nerves and helped me come up with strategies to help me parent my kiddos through this digital age. Big thank you to the author of this book!!

She used the work “junkie”

Surprised to hear the author use the word “junkie” when describing someone who suffered from a drug addiction. This is a educational book.

Could be said in 10 minutes not 5 hours

I could not finish this book. It was redudant and could be said in a few minutes instead of an entire book. As parents we cannot continually shelter them.