Welcome to Litsy!

A deep dive into studies of how social media & phone use are affecting our kids. I appreciate the tangible changes suggested. Waiting until high school to give your kids a phone/ social media, banding together with other parents to create a like-minded community, & lobbying your school to keep phones completely out of schools, are all great ideas. But unstructured play, age-appropriate risks & responsibilities, & less parental hovering is key!

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The four foundational reforms Haidt proposes in this book are no smartphones before high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, and far more unsupervised play and childhood independence. The book itself isn‘t without its flaws, but the subject matter provides great food for thought and is certainly worth our society‘s continued collective consideration.

⭐️⭐️ As the parent of two sons on the cusp of Gens Z and Alpha, none of this is news. Unfettered access to a smartphone is clearly not ideal, and the parents aware enough to seek out such a book are likely not the true target. Play-based vs phone-based in terms of upbringing needs a happy medium. This research doesn‘t really address gray areas, but incessantly reiterates a this-or-that mentality rather than a compromise.

This is a really important book that all parents and educators should read. It shows how the epidemic of mental illness stems directly from our shift from ‘play based‘ to ‘phone based‘ childhoods. The data and evidence in this book is truly mind blowing. I had not heard the term ‘sociogenic illnesses‘ before but it makes total sense to me and something I‘ve long suspected is happening. It‘s not all doom and gloom. There are solutions. Read it!

#Wardens2024 #ReadAway2014 #WinterGames #XmasChaCha

🤓🤯🥺 A fantastic read with free & excellent resources to add even more depth to the subject at hand. Very highly recommended❤️‍🔥

🎄: 55

This book deserves all the attention it is getting. Every parent, every educator, and any person who has an adolescent in their life needs to read this book. I wish I could turn back the clock and do things differently with my children and technology, especially my youngest.

#WinterGames #XmasChaCha

New audiobook start🎧🤓

🎄: 5

Not reading this whole book and I totally disagree with the author‘s “peer contagion” nonsense regarding trans identities… but I have to say this graph is striking. So even though I think Haidt is wrong on other things, maybe we should all go out and spend more time with friends?

None of this is rocket science to anyone born before smart phones, had kids before the phone based childhood ( my kids born 99/02 are on the edge) and/or work in education. Girls and boyse are hit differently ( I only have boys) and at different ages. We need to return to a play based childhood at home and at school. Phones have no place at school and using them to entertain your child while you shop, drive, eat is a disaster

This is a MUST read for all parents and educators and everyone who has or works with children of any age. It will open your eyes to what tech companies are doing, knowingly, that harms our children's mental health and development. More importantly, it tells us how to take back our power and mitigate the damage.

Meh. Not anything groundbreaking. Things we‘ve heard before, but I guess I believe the major problem starts at home. Parents not parenting anymore.

Not my favorite genre, but appropriate as I raise a pre-teen. While there was a lot I didn‘t agree with, there was also a lot I did. I definitely like the 4 foundational reforms: no smartphone before high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, more unsupervised play & childhood independence.

Very interesting! I love the idea of play based childhood and free range children!

4-6 Jun 24 (audiobook)
Definitely a case of preaching to the converted, but I think this book is so important for parents and older adolescents to read/listen to and consider the impact of a screen based, over-protected childhood. Even my 8 year old found the bits she overheard quite interesting. Of course, she is a little disappointed that she won‘t be getting an iPhone until she is 16. If I had my time again, neither would her teenaged sister.

Not too preachy (though I completely agree with a ban of phones in schools and a focus of developing independence as a parent), well researched, and easy to read. I really like the parallel points- physical independence opportunities for kids and online limits. As a teacher, I wished for a chapter of the crazy helicoptering parents have for their children in school and the ramifications of that behavior on their children‘s development as well.