Catalog

Record Details

Catalog Search



Smartphone nation : why we're all addicted to our screens and what you and your family can do about it  Cover Image Book Book

Smartphone nation : why we're all addicted to our screens and what you and your family can do about it / Kaitlyn Regehr.

Regehr, Kaitlyn, (author.).

Summary:

"The compassionate, practical guide for raising -- and becoming -- healthy and informed digital citizens in the age of the smartphone, social media and AI. A must-read for parents of the smartphone generation. We know the dangers of consuming ultra-processed food. But what about the way algorithms are ultra-processing the information we consume online? How do today's parents, who grew up without digital devices and social media, parent a generation who are awash in it? Digital devices are everywhere in young people's lives -- in their schools and in their homes, with their friends and when they're alone. But parents know there is increasing evidence about both the risks and harms associated with online content. This presents an urgent dilemma: a digital-free life isn't realistic, but how can parents keep the risks to their children at bay? How do they help their kids to manage their online activity (not to mention their own)? Some have argued that the only way forward is to disconnect and opt your kids out. But the discourse around banning phones is backwards looking. It's us as geriatric millennials and Gen X-ers nostalgically reminiscing about our Nokias and their supposed innocence. Whether you like it or not, your kids will need to be on the internet, and their lives and careers will be shaped by AI. And it's the kids that understand the harms of technology and know how to navigate them effectively that will thrive. They will be at the front of the line. Smartphone Nation marshals the evidence and gives parents simple takeaways for implementing healthy digital nutrition for their families. This isn't a digital detox book recommending that we throw away our digital devices. This is a book that understands the realities and pressures that parents face. Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr argues that knowledge is power, and that by understanding your own relationship with the internet, social media and AI, you will develop the tools you need to make choices for you and your family"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781039057876 (hardcover)
  • Physical Description: 242 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Publisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2025.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references.
Subject: Digital media > Social aspects.
Digital media > Safety measures.
Electronics > Social aspects.
Internet and children.
Internet > Safety measures.
Information society.
Parenting.
Genre: Self-help publications.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Cookstown Branch 302.231 Reg 31681010430536 NONFIC Available -

  • Random House, Inc.
    “A candid, rigorous, and witty read on how to stop digital devices from wreaking havoc on our lives. As a leading expert on social media and internet policy, Kaitlyn Regehr illuminates what we can do—individually and collectively—to put our smartphones in their place.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking

    “This is one of the most important books I have read in a long time. It is an urgent and eye-opening description of the high-stakes battle for our attention, and our children’s attention, in the age of the ever-present smartphone.” —Heather Reisman

    A refreshingly candid guide to gaining agency with your smartphone, filled with exercises and science-backed strategies to help you and your children become healthy and informed digital citizens in the age of the smartphone, social media and AI.


    How many times have you looked at your phone today? Or rather, how many times did you look at your phone to do one thing, only to find yourself looking at something completely different ten minutes later? We’re all addicted to screens, but what can you do about it?

    Whether we like it or not, our lives and careers, as well as those of our children, will be shaped by social media, apps, and AI. In today’s attention economy, our minds and our attention equal the product that is sold to advertisers. Only those who learn how to navigate our digital world effectively will thrive.

    Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr breaks digital consumption into an accessible structure of the food pyramid we all grew up on and frames it into five digital nutrition categories: education and learning, at the bottom of the pyramid, where the most time should be spent; creativity, including interests like reading, music, or drawing; communication with friends and family; participation, such as searching and gaming; and passive, the activities we should do the least, like doomscrolling.

    Smartphone Nation encourages and supports readers, showing you how to:

    • Game your algorithm
    • Catch misinformation
    • Spot and tackle "microdosing" of harmful content
    • Navigate the attention economy, which prioritizes engagement at any cost
    • Improve your digital nutrition for better mental health
    • Spring clean your online viewing experience

    Uplifting and empowering, this pioneering, practical book will equip you—and your family—not only to survive in the digital space, but to thrive.

Additional Resources