Paperback available January 7, 2019
The tech giants of Silicon Valley design their products to hook even the most sophisticated adults. Imagine, then, the influence these devices have on the developing minds of young people. Touted as tools of the future, which kids must master to ensure a job in the new economy, they are in reality the culprits, stealing our children’s attention, making them anxious, agitated, and depressed.
What’s worse, schools across the country are going digital under the assumption that a tablet with a Wi-Fi connection is what’s lacking in our education system. Add to that the legion of dangers invited by unregulated access to the internet, and it’s clear that our screen-saturated culture is eroding some of the most important aspects of childhood.
In “Be the Parent, Please” noted former New York Post and Wall Street Journal writer Naomi Schaefer Riley draws from her experience as a mother of three and delves into the latest research on the harmful effects that excessive technology usage has on a child’s intellectual, social, and moral formation. Throughout each chapter, she backs up her discussion with “tough mommy tips” — realistic advice for parents who want to take back control from tech.
With the alluring array of gadgets, apps, and utopian promises expanding by the day, engulfing more and more of our lives, “Be the Parent, Please” is both a wake-up call and an indispensable guide for parents who care about the healthy development of their children.
Praise for “Be the Parent, Please”
“A lovely and important new book. . . . It’s sensible and accessible.”
— Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review
“[One] of the most thought-provoking and jarring books I’ve read in a long time.”
— Amy Chua, Yale Law professor; author, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” and “The Triple Package”
“This is a book that every parent — and every person who cares about children and childhood — should read. 5 stars.”
— Caitlin Flanagan, contributing editor, The Atlantic
Naomi Schaefer Riley is a resident fellow at the AEI, focusing on issues regarding child welfare, and a senior fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum. Her writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The Atlantic.
