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Title: How to Manage Techno Tantrums: 10 Strategies for Coping with
your Child's Time Online
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Author: David Boyle and
Judith Hodge
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Published: 2017
How
to Manage Techno Tantrums: 10 Strategies for Coping with your Child's Time Online is
a parenting self-help book about how to manage your child’s screen time
Image via Goodreads.
The
stated purpose of Techno Tantrums is “to
set out the knowledge that is out there and list some of the strategies that
other parents have used.” The authors
hope is for the book to be empowering to parents, and I believe it succeeds. It is a quick read that’s organized into four
sections and an introduction. The
introduction begins with a fascinating hook. As it turns out there are many high
ranking tech and gadget professional who strictly regulate the use of screen
time in their own homes.
Where I think the book could most
improve is in the first two sections, especially the section “From Fasting to
Chilling”. An overview is given of several common concerns about the impact of
too much screen time. Techno Tantrums does a great job of citing specific
studies and each study’s results. I appreciated
having some understanding about the scientific evidence for each concern
raised, including cutting off social interaction, suppressing emotion,
decreasing the ability to relax, etc. But overall I found the explanation for
each of these issues too cursory to be worthwhile. A full page or two of
discussion about each issue would allow the reader to feel more informed about
the current social research and whether or not it is conclusive.
An entire section is dedicated to the
experiences of other parents who try to promote restricted or healthy screen
time for their children. I found this
section to be incredibly helpful, and I plan to revisit it repeatedly as my
child continues to grow. The book ends with an outline of ten strategies
parents can use to setup a home life where screen time is regulated. It is
stressed that parents must follow these regulations as well. For example, if phones should be off and
charging for the night by 8pm, that means everyone’s phone in the family needs
to be off and charging, including mom and dad.
I have not come across any other books
on this topic before. How to Manage Techno Tantrums clarifies that it is not about online safety, but rather
about how the manage the time in front of online games and screens. It is an
excellent resource for parents looking for ideas about where to start.
Star Rating: 4/5 Stars
Techno Tantrums: 10 Strategies for Coping with Your Child's
Online Time is available to buy as a paperback or an e-book from Amazon UK or Amazon.com.
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Thanks
for reading! This is another #RBRT review organized by Rosie Amber who does phenomenal work on https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/
-Brittany
