Have you ever heard the saying “you’re most like the people you spend the most time with”? When I look around at the current culture, I see a lot of people overusing technology and overlooking the side effects it is having on their family. I realized early on in my mothering journey that if I wanted to live a low-tech lifestyle in a world where that had become increasingly uncommon, I’d need brave, wise, and educated friends to walk alongside me. People who would encourage me to minimize screen time, be a present parent, and cultivate a vibrant family culture.
For me, those friends have often been found in the pages of good books. Today I am sharing the ten best books for moms who want to limit screen time for their family.
Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids – and How to Break the Trance
by Nicholas Kardaras
This is an absolutely jarring read in the best way possible. The author addresses the problem of excessive screen time for children in an easy to understand but sobering way. Glow Kids shook me out of my comfort zone and evoked true change in our household screen time habits.
Through the real life stories the author shares, readers get a snapshot of the worst case scenario. Kardaras paints a vivid picture of how our children could potentially wind up if we continually allow them to indulge in too much screen time. Every modern parent needs to read this book.
The writer did a phenomenal job at explaining how screen time effects the brain of developing children while also motivating readers to go against the cultural norm. This is a great book for the parent who needs a good kick in the pants and a ton of inspiration to get their kids off of the digital hamster wheel and onto a healthier path.
After reading this book, be sure to grab Nicholas Kardaras’ follow up title, “Digital Madness: How Social Media Is Driving Our Mental Health Crisis—and How to Restore Our Sanity.”
Screen Schooled: Two Veteran Teachers Expose How Technology Overuse Is Making Our Kids Dumber by Joe Clement and Matt Miles
I would give this book ten out of ten stars for painting an accurate and convicting picture of what technology overuse is doing to our children today. The authors are not spectators—they are teachers in the trenches with children just like our very own.
If you’ve had a vague suspicion that technology is affecting your child’s learning, you are correct. This book puts into words what we all know deep down—we cannot avoid the consequences of upping our child’s technology usage beyond the recommended daily limits, even for “educational purposes.”
My Tech-Wise Life: Growing Up and Making Choices in a World of Devices by Amy Crouch and Andy Crouch
In a candid follow up to her father’s book “The Tech Wise Family,” young adult Amy shares what it was like growing up in a limited screen time home and how she navigates her daily technology choices based on her upbringing and her own convictions.
This book is a great read for any parent who worries about their child being the odd ball out amongst their peers. If you want to live a counter cultural low-tech lifestyle, but you’re concerned your child may resent you in the future, you will find this book to be an encouraging and informative read.
Reset Your Child’s Brain: A Four-Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen-Time by Victoria L. Dunckley
Reset Your Child’s Brain is both a practical and an inspirational book for parents. In my opinion, the author left no stone unturned on the dangers of screen time for kids. This is a thick read with lots of solid information. I enjoyed paging through it a little at a time while watching my children play outside day after day one summer.
My favorite part about this book was the real life stories of kids before and after digital detoxing. Those real life illustrations helped me as the reader imagine what life could be like for my children if I continued to limit screen time or if I allowed them to overindulge with tech.
I read this book with a couple of other moms a few years ago during a screen free summer challenge we did together. This book helped all of us understand the science behind how screen time truly affects our kids’ brains and behavior. It was a great read to accompany us and keep us motivated during our digital detox.
The negative consequences of too much screen time were explained well in this book. As a mom who has made mistakes with screen time over the years, I felt so encouraged as I read the positive outcomes for those who detoxed and changed their habits surrounding technology.
40-Day Social Media Fast: Exchange Your Online Distractions for Real Life Devotion by Wendy Speake
This is a self-help book for moms written from a Christian perspective. I enjoyed this author’s other book “The Forty Day Sugar Fast” and so when I found out that she had written about getting off of social media, I knew I had to grab a copy even though I had already been off of social media for years. This book is a great encouragement for the Christian mom who longs to put social media in its proper place as a tool, not a master.
Disconnected: How to Protect Your Kids from the Harmful Effects of Device Dependency by Thomas Kersting
This book is a quick, informative, and engaging read for modern parents. The author covers important topics such as social media addiction and the dangers excessive gaming. He also provides insight to the reader through real life stories of device dependent children and practical tips on how to manage screen time in more healthy ways.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Although this isn’t about limiting screen time in particular, I consider it a great self-help books for moms who want to reduce screen time for their family. The author provides a clear path to building good habits while breaking bad ones. If you are looking to form healthy habits, decrease excessive screen time for yourself, and change the trajectory of your family’s legacy, this book is a great place to start.
12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke
This Christian book addresses the problematic ways that our smartphones are changing us. This book will inspire you to think critically and evaluate your own digital habits while spurring you on to set the screen time boundaries that are most appropriate to your unique family.
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