The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life

“Enjoy screens. Not too much. Mostly with others.” This brief but powerful dictum forms the backbone of National Public Radio lead digital education correspondent Anya Kamentz’s philosophy in The Art of Screen Time: How Families Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life.

The newest generation of children is exposed to more technology than any previous generation. They are photographed with smartphones from the moment they’re born, and begin interacting with screens at around four months old. Researchers have been quick to declare this the dawn of a neurological and emotional crisis, but solid science on the subject is surprisingly hard to come by. The truth is there’s no road map for navigating this territory.

Ms. Kamenetz candidly addresses her own parental worries and tackles them head on by surveying hundreds of fellow parents on their practices and ideas and cutting through a thicket of inconclusive studies and overblown claims. Most importantly, she discovers that the crucial questions of digital parenting aren’t only about our kids. They’re about our use of digital media, too. Are you embraced by the virtual village or menaced by the cyber mob? Is the phone a magical work-life balancer or a constantly bleeping attention-sucker? Is it a babysitter or source of fun, wonder and excitement for the entire family?