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, listeners 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.

©2019 Julianna Miner (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Most of us have a love/hate relationship with technology, especially when it comes to how - and how much - our kids use it. With empathy, humor and a ton of solid research, Julianna offers an essential guide to helping families navigate cell phones, gaming, and social media.” (Glennon Doyle, author of number one New York Times best seller Love Warrior, and founder of Together Rising)

"A facts-over-fear approach to modern parenting in the digital age. A must-read for parents who want to really understand what kids are doing on their devices." (Jean M. Twenge, PhD, author of iGen)

“Raising a Screen-Smart Kid will be a frequent reference for me, a dog-eared and well-thumbed resource. It answers the most difficult questions parents face - about how to raise kids with character, boundaries, and healthy habits in a world where technology is everywhere - and anticipates about fifty other questions that we may never have considered. This book is smart, well-organized, exhaustively researched, and deserves a place on every parent’s shelf.” (Jessica Lahey, New York Times best-selling author of The Gift of Failure)

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.