No one understands the digital landscape and its complex presence in our children’s lives better than Jodi Gold. This book is a ‘must read’ for all parents who want to protect their children while still giving them access to all of the benefits technology has to offer. Dr. Gold’s realistic approach to navigating the cyber-culture is invaluable—she gives easy-to-follow and commonsensical advice. As parents, many of us are new to the digital world, while our children are naturals. This guide gives spot-on strategies for closing that gap and making the whole family’s approach to technology effortless.”—Holly Phillips, MD, general internist and CBS News Medical Contributor
"Dr. Gold gives advice that’s clear, practical, and trustworthy. Every parent should have this book to guide them in making decisions so that their children—from newborns to teens—can reap the benefits of technology while avoiding the pitfalls. I am buying extra copies of this book for my sons, who are both raising young kids."—Peg Dawson, EdD, coauthor of Smart but Scattered "An essential read for any parent or caretaker concerned about the effects of our children being constantly plugged in. Dr. Gold provides invaluable information and guidance, and helps us feel calmer and more comfortable in these heretofore uncharted waters."—Debra Messing, actress and mother "Dr. Gold teaches you everything you need to know about what your kids are doing online, how it may affect their development, and what you can do about it. She reviews just about every form of digital media your kids may experience and brings you up to date so you can speak their language. Great tips are provided on managing screen time at all ages. Pick up a copy or download this book now!"—Mitch Prinstein, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Director of Clinical Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “Dr. Jodi Gold has written the definitive guide to one of the most challenging issues facing parents today—raising kids in a digital age. Drawing on her wealth of experience as a mother and psychiatrist, Dr. Gold provides parents with a blueprint on how to cultivate wise media use at every stage of a child’s development. Thoughtful, well researched, and fun to read, this a book that all parents should have at the top of their reading list. Urgently needed and extremely practical, it is a godsend.”—Ellen Braaten, PhD, author, Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up "Dr. Gold provides a comprehensive framework that parents can rely on as they face this new, dynamic, and critical parenting challenge of our time."—Karen L. Bierman, PhD, Evan Pugh University Professor and Professor of Psychology, Human Development, and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University "This book is so great! As parents of a second and a fifth grader, it is challenging and, honestly, scary to always be on top of what content they are accessing and whom they are communicating with. Dr. Gold provides practical tools to help us establish digital rules and enforce them consistently. Her writing style is easy to read and digest—it is extremely personable and never judgmental. Reading this book together has encouraged us to talk about how to prepare our kids for their digital journeys and how to actively protect and guide them along the way. We will definitely refer back to Screen-Smart Parenting often as our daughters grow."—Lisa and Steve Freedman, parents "As a parent who lives much of my life online and is at the same time concerned about my children’s media use, this is the book I’ve been waiting for. Here is a nonjudgmental, well-informed voice ringing out from the cacophony of anti-screen hysteria. Dr. Gold spells out in crystal-clear terms how we can help kids build the tech savvy they need to become good digital citizens. Most of all, she has helped me understand that in order to address the concerns many of us share about children's technology use, parents need to develop healthy digital lives ourselves."—Amy Shearn, parent and novelist “Just as our mothers and fathers worried about too much TV, today’s parents worry about their children getting lost in cyberspace....With Screen-Smart Parenting, Dr. Jodi Gold has provided the milestone book that will give important insights to every parent.”—From the Foreword by Tory Burch, CEO, designer, and mother of three
11/15/2014
Child and adolescent psychiatrist Gold (Weil Cornell Medical Coll.) seeks to place technology use into developmentally appropriate stages and into the context of a family's "digital habitat." The author recognizes that the "digital divide" is no longer the hot conversation, with usage trumping access concerns, and encourages parents to take a long, hard look at their parenting style, family culture, and own use of technology. Are you the one checking your phone at dinner? Do your kids have TVs in their rooms? While the adage "children live what they learn" is a large part of Gold's proposed self-examination, she recognizes that technology has many rich benefits and is not, in fact, the sole catalyst for poor school performance or decreased social skills. Indeed, she notes, "overly restrictive parents are less likely to allow for the online mistakes and missteps that are critical to the development of resilience." Moving into technology use by age groups, Gold presents recommendations and discusses pitfalls for kids as young as two up to young adulthood. VERDICT While Gold sometimes loses track of her audience with scientific reports ("When children are exposed to multiple and frequent video game stimuli, their neuronal pathways will adapt…"), she has a proactive approach to the topic and helps parents contextualize technology as both an appropriate and positive part of growing up. Recommended.
