(Be Smart About) Screen Time!: Stay Grounded, Set Boundaries, and Keep Safe Online

by Rachel Brian

In this timely primer from the creator of Consent (for Kids!), readers will learn how to be smart about using their tablet, phone, and/or computer and how to interact online in safe, healthy, and productive ways. The on-screen world is super exciting—there are games, and new friends, and funny videos! But too much of a good thing isn’t always healthy.  Luckily, this book is here to help you find the right balance! Learn how to use your devices responsibly, find content that’s right for you, and be a good friend on and offline. Ultimately technology should ENHANCE your life, NOT overtake it.  Through hilarious comics and vibrant illustrations, readers of all ages will discover how to make the best choices when it comes to screen time.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Parenting, Childrens

64 pages, Hardcover

Published November 19, 2024

Reviews

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lively instructional guide in comic-book format is a wonderful way to introduce boundaries for anyone who is just about to get an electronic device (or like me, already has one/some).

The suggestions are clear, simple, obvious, and significant. Many of them are specific applications of the same principles introduced in the author/illustrator's Consent (for Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of YOU - with the same appealing illustrational style.

It's brilliant to have this material in PRINTED format, and even more to have it in COMIC BOOK format, which demonstrates on every page, in every line, the alternative to online life.

I think every family should get this about a month before the kids get an electronic device, read it together, and keep it on hand for conversations - or read it every 6 months to make sure the best practices are reinforced.

I'm saying this because I am having trouble staying grounded and setting boundaries, and because "keeping safe online" is not a fixed set of practices; it's exhausting and perhaps impossible to continually update our awareness of the risks and what precautions we may need to take.

Highly recommended!

[Rachel N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This looks to be a great book for kids and their parents/adults to read together. Despite being "digital natives," children of the '10s and '20s still need guidance to navigate digital spaces and technology in a healthy way. I appreciate that the author wrote the book with input from her children who have grown up as digital technology has become more prevalent and necessary, and that input shows by the fact that this is a much more engaging and comprehensive book on these topics than any I have seen. (It really is a topic that would benefit from more books.)

The author mentions under "content to steer clear of" that there's sexual content, defined as "images or videos with naked people" with some notes on how kids may feel "curious, uncomfortable, or have no particular feeling about it," and it encourages talking to parents or a trusted adult about what they've seen. I appreciate the way that it's mentioned without detail that those images are out there and I agree that it's important for parents to talk with kids about what they may encounter, but I also know that parents may want a heads up before handing this book to their kids or reading it along with them.

Altogether, this book seems like a great book to read with a kid after they get an internet-enabled device which lets them explore the vast realm of knowledge that humanity has amassed.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my 11yo and we both appreciated Rachel Brian's light-hearted way of addressing serious topics. Each chapter offered opportunities for us to talk about how to set and support reasonable limits for screens and technologies that are becoming more and more present in our day to day life. It was also a great way for us to build trust around technoogy issues and practice having conversations about concerns that may come up.

[Christen · Rating 5 out of 5]

These helpful ideas should have been put in place in my house. I had no idea. I did so many things wrong out of ignorance. I should have taught my daughter how to play with the computer and the phone using good etiquette and enforcing good boundaries. I really bumbled my way through this teaching experience.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read three books from this series and I'm really impressed with them. And when I bring them home from the library, my kids read them, so that's good. The messages from these books seem to land better coming from a book rather than mom's mouth--go figure.

[Gretchen Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a parent with elementary aged kids I highly recommend this book. It was a great avenue for discussion and reflection. It gave more neutral language to the boundries and expectations we already have in place and helped the kids consider their own connection. Some great reminders for adults too.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I'm giving my older two daughters more freedom as they use tablets, this book was a really helpful resource to talk through things they might experience - either from their own time online or when with friends who have cell phones.

[Julia Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent messages in an engaging format.
All the books in this series need to be in every school library.

[Allie L]

Great way for parents and kids to better understand Internet safety and start discussions to determine the best practices and guidelines for their families