10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: How Parents Can Stop Smartphones, Social Media, and Gaming from Taking Over Their Children’s Lives

This informative guide from psychologist Twenge (Generations) seeks to help parents raise kids to have a healthy relationship with technology. Twenge argues that parents should set strict boundaries with their children when it comes to phone and laptop use, considering that legal protections to keep kids from accessing inappropriate content online are flimsy at best. She encourages setting firm screen-time limits backed by parental control software to ensure that technology use doesn’t interfere with activities like socializing and exercising, and she proposes that parents should wait to give kids smartphones until they’re old enough to drive, pointing to studies that show delaying smartphone use improves mental health outcomes. One positive, tech-free way to help kids enjoy increased independence as they grow up, she suggests, is to promote real-world experiences, citing the example of a U.K. journalist who sent her teen sons on an unsupervised campout without their smartphones. They returned with glowing reports of playing guitar and building campfires. In 10 clear, actionable steps backed by research and real-life stories, Twenge provides a comprehensive manual for caregivers. Parents of school-age children, as well as educators tired of competing for students’ attention, will find this a boon. (Sept.)