Digital Citizenship Books: Essential Resources for Families
A must-read for any parent considering allowing their children to game or seeking more motivation to reduce or eliminate time spent on video games. The multi-billion dollar video game industry thrives on creating fun and enticing games that can lead to video game addiction. As addicted gamers indulge in these digital experiences, real life is often neglected, causing their reality to crumble around them.
"Hooked on Games" is authored by Brooke Strickland and Dr. Andrew Doan, MD, PhD, a physician with a research background in neuroscience, who has battled his own video game addiction. Dr. Doan, once an addicted gamer himself, spent over 20,000 hours playing games over nine years. His reckless compulsion transformed him into a version of himself that jeopardized his family, marriage, and career. He utilizes his expertise to educate others on the dangers of video game addiction and to offer hope for those struggling with this issue and their families. Dr. Doan provides essential steps for gaming addicts to achieve recovery, along with screen time resources for families and loved ones to effectively intervene. Without addressing this rapidly growing addiction, our society risks creating a Generation Vidiot, filled with millions who lack the innovation and skills necessary for digital citizenship in the physical world.
Dr. Andrew Doan is a recognized expert in digital media addictions, speaking globally and training over 1,000 mental health providers on this crucial topic. With a Ph.D. in neuroscience and an M.D., his expertise in molecular neuroscience and the vision system offers profound insights into gaming and digital media addictions. Order here now!
New October 2022! From a world-renowned expert on creative play and the impact of commercial marketing on children, a timely investigation into how big tech is hijacking childhood—and what we can do about it.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, digital citizenship was becoming essential as digital technologies had already woven themselves into the fabric of children’s lives. This shift occurred despite a growing body of research detailing the harms of excessive immersion in the unregulated, powerfully seductive, profit-driven world of the “kid-tech” industry and the risks associated with screen time resources.
In Who’s Raising the Kids? Linn—one of the world’s leading experts on the impact of Big Tech and big business on children—explores the roots and consequences of this monumental shift toward a digitized, commercialized childhood, focusing on kids’ values, relationships, and learning. From birth, kids have become lucrative fodder for a range of tech, media, and toy companies, from producers of exploitative games and social media platforms to “educational” technology and branded school curricula of dubious efficacy.
Noting that many Silicon Valley elites wouldn’t dream of exposing their young kids to the very technologies they’ve unleashed on other people’s children, Who’s Raising the Kids? is unique—a highly readable social critique and guide to protecting kids from exploitation by the tech, toy, and entertainment industries. Linn provides a deep and eye-opening dive into exactly how new technologies enable huge conglomerates to transform young children into lifelong consumers by infiltrating their lives and influencing their values, relationships, and learning. She persuasively argues that our digitized-commercialized culture is damaging for kids and families as well as society at large, and maps out what we must do to change course.
Written with humor and compassion, the book concludes with two hopeful chapters—“Resistance Parenting” and “Making a Difference for Everybody’s Kids”—that chart a path for protecting kids from targeting by the tech, toy, and entertainment industries that treat them as lucrative bundles of data and as mini-consumers ripe for exploitation rather than as the children they need to be. This is particularly vital in the context of addressing issues like video game addiction and ensuring that our children’s interactions with technology promote healthy lifestyles.
We’ve all seen them: kids hypnotically staring at glowing screens in restaurants, playgrounds, and friends' houses—and the numbers are growing. Like a virtual scourge, these illuminated faces—the Glow Kids—are multiplying. But at what cost? Is this just a harmless indulgence or a fad, akin to a digital hula-hoop? Some argue that glowing screens might even serve as beneficial screen time resources, acting as interactive educational tools for kids.
Don’t believe it.
In Glow Kids, Dr. Nicholas Kardaras explores how technology—specifically, age-inappropriate screen tech with its glowing ubiquity—has profoundly affected the brains of an entire generation. Brain imaging research indicates that engaging with stimulating glowing screens activates the brain’s pleasure center similarly to sex. An increasing body of clinical research links screen tech to disorders such as ADHD, addiction, anxiety, depression, increased aggression, and even psychosis. Most shockingly, recent studies reveal that excessive screen exposure can neurologically damage a young person’s developing brain in the same way that cocaine addiction can.
Kardaras dives into the sociological, psychological, cultural, and economic factors associated with this global tech epidemic, with one major goal: to examine the impact of our shiny new technology on kids. Glow Kids also includes an opt-out letter and a quiz for parents to assess their children's digital citizenship. Purchase this book via Amazon here.
In preparation for your child accessing the internet, this is essential reading for parents to understand the very real risks children face online. 'The Glass Between Us' serves as a value-based guide for navigating screen-driven challenges, filled with research, stories, interviews, practical tips, conversation starters, and evidence-driven solutions to tackle the complexities of our teens’ digital lives. This book addresses crucial questions about digital citizenship: How can teens develop online habits that promote mental health? Is porn consumption inevitable, or can teens be empowered to reject it? How can we raise teens to value people over pixels? What does it look like to expose and stand against online exploitation? How can we set healthy boundaries around tech? How can we become digital mentors in a screen-driven world? Additionally, it offers valuable screen time resources for parents seeking to combat video game addiction. This book presents a new framework that empowers teens to become digital pioneers, charting new courses that lead them away from the exploitative side of the web and closer to the vision and purpose they desire for their lives. You will learn to inspire teens to place their core values at the forefront of their digital interactions so that their choices online resemble who they are, rather than how they are told to behave. Order here now!
Prevent or reset problems! Increasing numbers of parents grapple with children who are acting out without obvious reason. Revved up and irritable, many of these children are diagnosed with ADHD, bipolar illness, autism, or other disorders but don’t respond well to treatment. They are then medicated, often with poor results and unwanted side effects. Based on emerging scientific research and extensive clinical experience, integrative child psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Dunckley has pioneered a four-week program to treat the frequent underlying cause, known as Electronic Screen Syndrome (ESS).
Dr. Dunckley has found that everyday use of interactive screen devices — such as computers, video games, smartphones, and tablets — can easily overstimulate a child’s nervous system, triggering a variety of stubborn symptoms, including those linked to video game addiction. In contrast, she’s discovered that a strict electronic fast single-handedly improves mood, focus, sleep, and behavior, regardless of the child’s diagnosis. This aligns with principles of digital citizenship, as it encourages healthier interactions with technology.
Offered now in this book, this simple intervention can produce a life-changing shift in brain function — all without cost or medication. Dr. Dunckley provides hope for parents who feel that their child has been misdiagnosed or inappropriately medicated, by presenting an alternative explanation for their child’s difficulties and a concrete plan for treating them. Additionally, she shares valuable screen time resources to help families navigate technology use effectively. Order here!
Durability guru and science writer Jenifer Joy Madden reveals how to achieve lasting body, mind, and digital wellness in a world filled with screen time resources. Read this book to: Sharpen your mind, improve your concentration, reduce stress and anxiety, exercise without trying, eat and sleep better, protect your vision and hearing, and live in harmony with your technology. Then help your family do the same with tips for parents at the end of each chapter. Uplifting stories and research-based lessons are enriched with the wisdom of world-renowned durable humans, including Buddhist philosopher Thich Nhat Hanh, Seven Habits author Stephen Covey, and humane tech design pioneer Tristan Harris.
"An all-too-relevant and eminently practical book that offers health strategies in a gadget-packed world.” – Kirkus Reviews. What readers say about How to be a Durable Human: ♥
"Very positive, very helpful, very accessible information for everyone." ♥
"I love the idea of really getting back to our authentic selves and stepping out in a life that shines with purpose." ♥
"I was caught up, engaged, and motivated to take your advice and suggestions and put them into practice." Don’t settle for resilient. Be DURABLE. Your lifespan will thank you.
Additionally, this book addresses important topics like digital citizenship and offers insights into managing video game addiction. Purchase via Amazon today!
This is a heartfelt and beautifully told tale of a regular little girl engaging in seemingly innocent online activities, with a mother who is acutely aware of the risks posed by internet predators, addiction, and mental health issues. However, it only takes one chat during a visit at a friend's house that spirals into many over two years, resulting in devastating consequences for both herself and her parents.
The author, Jen Hoey, does a fantastic job of sharing this cautionary tale while also providing valuable screen time resources and tips to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
This story emphasizes that even with parents' vigilance, unfortunate events can still happen to our precious children. Jen handled her daughter's situation with care, sensitivity, and wisdom. The inclusion of support networks at the end is a wonderful touch. This is a 'must read' for all parents interested in protecting their little ones, as it highlights the importance of digital citizenship and the reality that such issues can affect anyone.
Purchase this short story, paperback book via Amazon here.
Jen lives in Sydney, Australia, and has been an avid supporter of children’s mental health and a vocal advocate of digital wellness since 2019. Jen is currently completing a Degree in Cyber Security and Behaviour, along with a Certificate in Counselling and Psychology, and other certifications in online safety. As the founder of “Not My Kid,” she also administers a parent support Facebook group and offers consultations on Parent Cyber Safety, addressing concerns like video game addiction.
As children are exposed to social media at younger ages and frequently see school friends and peers online, parents face the challenge of explaining the risks associated with social media use, including the mental health and self-esteem challenges that can arise from excessive screen time. The story of Alice offers a whimsical approach to teach children about the importance of healthy, in-real-life experiences, emphasizing digital citizenship without relying on social media for validation. Delaying access to smartphones and social media until high school, or at least encouraging the #waituntil8th initiative, has shown significant preventative and protective benefits. Furthermore, children and teens struggle to manage their own social media time due to addictive app designs and their developing self-regulation skills. This book is not intended to promote social media use among young children, but rather to provide valuable screen time resources and address issues like video game addiction.
Want a comfortable way to talk with your kids about pornography and promote digital citizenship? This newly revised edition of the original bestseller from Defend Young Minds makes that daunting discussion easy! Good Pictures Bad Pictures is a read-aloud story about a mom and dad who explain what pornography is, why it’s dangerous, and how to reject it.
Featuring easy-to-understand science and simple analogies, this internationally-acclaimed book engages young kids to porn-proof their own brains while also addressing the importance of screen time resources.
With Good Pictures Bad Pictures, your child will never be caught off guard by disturbing videos or peer pressure! The 5-point CAN DO Plan™ teaches kids exactly what to do to protect their young minds when they see pornography, helping them navigate the challenges of video game addiction as well.
“I am so grateful for this book! It was a great way to talk to my children about pornography without that awkward, uncomfortable feeling.” Lisa
Parents don’t need to wonder what to say--simply read Good Pictures Bad Pictures to your child and move forward with confidence! You can even use this book before beginning the sex talks! Purchase this book via Amazon here.