Screen-Smart Parenting

Even for today's most tech-savvy parents, managing kids' technology use is a huge challenge fraught with uncertainties. What kinds (and amounts) of screen time boost learning and development--and what kinds may be harmful? When is the right age for a game console or a smartphone? How can kids and teens be protected from cyberbullying and learn to be good digital citizens? What impact do parents' technology habits have? In her busy psychiatry practice--and while raising her own kids--Jodi Gold sees every day both the mind-boggling benefits and the serious downsides of technology. In a positive, accessible style, she gives parents a wealth of practical strategies for navigating the digital frontier and creating realistic, doable rules and expectations for the whole family.

Jodi Gold, MD, is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist in private practice and Clinical Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. A nationally recognized expert, Dr. Gold speaks, writes, and makes media appearances on her developmental approach to parenting in the age of digital technology. She lives with her husband and three children in New York City.

"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, Child Study Center and Department of Psychology, 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 theirchildre