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The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones
A road map to free your kids from the harms of digital technology and to recover the beauty, wonder, and true purpose of childhood—by a leading tech policy expert
It’s no secret that addictive digital technologies like smartphones and social media apps are harming a generation of kids socially, mentally, and even physically. But a workable solution seems elusive. After all, don’t kids need phones, and won’t they be vulnerable or socially isolated without tech?
Clare Morell, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of its Technology and Human Flourishing Project, argues that the answer is no. She exposes the lies parents have been sold about managing the dangers of tech through parental controls and screen-time limits, and demonstrates that another way is possible—even if your children are already using smartphones or social media.
The Tech Exit maps a doable pathway to freedom from digital technology for families, local communities, and society. Drawing on dozens of interviews with experts and with families who have gone tech-free, as well as Morell’s own work as a policy expert, The Tech Exit shows how digital technology is anything but necessary for children to live happy, healthy, and socially full lives.
The Tech Exit is essential reading for any parent who has felt stuck between an awareness of the dangers of digital technology for kids and the feeling that tech is necessary and inevitable. Clare Morell’s message is simple and You and your family can be free. The life you want for your children is within reach.
It’s no secret that addictive digital technologies like smartphones and social media apps are harming a generation of kids socially, mentally, and even physically. But a workable solution seems elusive. After all, don’t kids need phones, and won’t they be vulnerable or socially isolated without tech?
Clare Morell, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of its Technology and Human Flourishing Project, argues that the answer is no. She exposes the lies parents have been sold about managing the dangers of tech through parental controls and screen-time limits, and demonstrates that another way is possible—even if your children are already using smartphones or social media.
The Tech Exit maps a doable pathway to freedom from digital technology for families, local communities, and society. Drawing on dozens of interviews with experts and with families who have gone tech-free, as well as Morell’s own work as a policy expert, The Tech Exit shows how digital technology is anything but necessary for children to live happy, healthy, and socially full lives.
The Tech Exit is essential reading for any parent who has felt stuck between an awareness of the dangers of digital technology for kids and the feeling that tech is necessary and inevitable. Clare Morell’s message is simple and You and your family can be free. The life you want for your children is within reach.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published June 3, 2025
124 people are currently reading
2817 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
May 29, 2025
The Tech Exit by Clare Morell is practical, interesting, and reads like a conversation! I am a parent of young kids and I am so glad I read this early because I feel like I am so much more equipped to handle the challenges of tech in our home (but even if you have older kids there are strategies of what to do as well).
It is a must read and I also found it so helpful to check my own tech use too. I would even recommend this book to people who don’t have kids because we all need to be more thoughtful on what our phones and social media is doing to us.
It is a must read and I also found it so helpful to check my own tech use too. I would even recommend this book to people who don’t have kids because we all need to be more thoughtful on what our phones and social media is doing to us.
May 29, 2025
Would highly recommend this resource! Great info for parents and people who serve youth about how to go screen lite / screen free. Appreciated the current research, especially about phones in schools.
November 5, 2025
Simple and practical - the title lives up to its name. I’m just taking off a star because there’s no book out there that will actually make this process easy for parents and not really hard work 🙃🙃 (This is obviously not the author’s fault)
November 5, 2025
Maybe I'm a biased luddite with a decades-long special interest in reducing my phone use. But the need for less tech in the hands of young people really does feel like a no-brainer and a relatively universal rallying point that most people should agree on.
As a childless reader, I found myself reading this book that was clearly written for parents. It felt like Venus Williams reading How to Raise the Next Tennis Superstar: Serving up Success with the Basics. In other words, the ethos here wasn't new to me, and I was more curious about the presentation, constantly asking, how is Clare Morell going to frame this issue to get the maximal readership on-board?
In-short: she did not frame the topic in a nuanced way.
I do feel that approaching this problem from a combative perspective makes for a good "hook" but by Part 2, a fairly inflexible pattern of thought emerges. This is best illustrated in Morell's own words; in her acknowledgements section, she states that this work is “unassailable.”
This is a dangerous way of thinking of one's non-fiction work because it rejects the basic scientific notion of remaining open to new evidence and alternative perspectives.
This book certainly presents a slew of steps to take and thoroughly considered reasons for removing screens from children's lives, and I agree with them all. However, when an obvious lack of expansive thought is applied, and low levels of evidence (like a reliance on a list of firsthand accounts) are provided, what is considered "unassailable" by the author felt intellectually claustrophobic to me.
For example, while I strongly support a "digital detox", that section of the book feels written only from the author's experiences and those of the families she hand-selected for interviews. This limits the potential for the large-scale adoption that Morell seems to be aiming for. She steps on her own tail when she repeatedly assumes that her readers are from a two-parent household that does not rely on a caregiver for their children. Her goals are achievable, but the recipe for getting there could have been written more flexibly. (Sticking with the recipe metaphor: there are no substitutes considered for granulated sugar - certainly not brown sugar, honey, or molasses - if you catch my drift).
Similarly, I think anyone who reads this will behoove themselves by starting with the Conclusions chapter and then perusing the acknowledgements section, to set the stage for Morell's slant. Here she thanks her "brilliant co-conspirators," who include Adam Candeub: author of a chapter in Project 2025, which calls for changes to the Federal Trade Commission. She also thanks Michael Toscano, who, along with Clare Morell authored "A Future for the Family: A New Technology Agenda for the Right." She also misinterprets a scientific research finding (one of the few mentioned in the entire book), stating in the same sentence that a 40-year longitudinal study found that “the best predictor of success as an adult is childhood self-control,” and then “according to the researchers, childhood self-control strongly predicts success.” It appears that Morell conflated a finding that “strongly predicts” with one that is “the best predictor.” Although this is maybe semantic nitpicking, it is also incredibly dangerous to replace scientific findings with superlatives, and it echoes a common practice by politicians who I've noticed cite intellectual contributions as “the best,” with no supporting evidence.
Altogether, I’ll still lead with recommending Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. It's been seven years since I read it, but it remains more broadly applicable and evidence-based than this. That said, I can see myself also recommending The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones (or adjacent titles) to burgeoning parents. It's firmly "anti-large tech companies" and calls for grassroots organizing to make public health changes- messages that cut across most political ideologies.
A tech exit feels like a very worthwhile endeavor for our society, one that is a relatively achievable step that would palpably benefit the greater good.
As a childless reader, I found myself reading this book that was clearly written for parents. It felt like Venus Williams reading How to Raise the Next Tennis Superstar: Serving up Success with the Basics. In other words, the ethos here wasn't new to me, and I was more curious about the presentation, constantly asking, how is Clare Morell going to frame this issue to get the maximal readership on-board?
In-short: she did not frame the topic in a nuanced way.
I do feel that approaching this problem from a combative perspective makes for a good "hook" but by Part 2, a fairly inflexible pattern of thought emerges. This is best illustrated in Morell's own words; in her acknowledgements section, she states that this work is “unassailable.”
This is a dangerous way of thinking of one's non-fiction work because it rejects the basic scientific notion of remaining open to new evidence and alternative perspectives.
This book certainly presents a slew of steps to take and thoroughly considered reasons for removing screens from children's lives, and I agree with them all. However, when an obvious lack of expansive thought is applied, and low levels of evidence (like a reliance on a list of firsthand accounts) are provided, what is considered "unassailable" by the author felt intellectually claustrophobic to me.
For example, while I strongly support a "digital detox", that section of the book feels written only from the author's experiences and those of the families she hand-selected for interviews. This limits the potential for the large-scale adoption that Morell seems to be aiming for. She steps on her own tail when she repeatedly assumes that her readers are from a two-parent household that does not rely on a caregiver for their children. Her goals are achievable, but the recipe for getting there could have been written more flexibly. (Sticking with the recipe metaphor: there are no substitutes considered for granulated sugar - certainly not brown sugar, honey, or molasses - if you catch my drift).
Similarly, I think anyone who reads this will behoove themselves by starting with the Conclusions chapter and then perusing the acknowledgements section, to set the stage for Morell's slant. Here she thanks her "brilliant co-conspirators," who include Adam Candeub: author of a chapter in Project 2025, which calls for changes to the Federal Trade Commission. She also thanks Michael Toscano, who, along with Clare Morell authored "A Future for the Family: A New Technology Agenda for the Right." She also misinterprets a scientific research finding (one of the few mentioned in the entire book), stating in the same sentence that a 40-year longitudinal study found that “the best predictor of success as an adult is childhood self-control,” and then “according to the researchers, childhood self-control strongly predicts success.” It appears that Morell conflated a finding that “strongly predicts” with one that is “the best predictor.” Although this is maybe semantic nitpicking, it is also incredibly dangerous to replace scientific findings with superlatives, and it echoes a common practice by politicians who I've noticed cite intellectual contributions as “the best,” with no supporting evidence.
Altogether, I’ll still lead with recommending Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. It's been seven years since I read it, but it remains more broadly applicable and evidence-based than this. That said, I can see myself also recommending The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones (or adjacent titles) to burgeoning parents. It's firmly "anti-large tech companies" and calls for grassroots organizing to make public health changes- messages that cut across most political ideologies.
A tech exit feels like a very worthwhile endeavor for our society, one that is a relatively achievable step that would palpably benefit the greater good.
June 3, 2025
The Tech Exit is well written, well researched, and left me equal parts disturbed and hopeful. I think every parent, educator, or person who works with children should read this book. Clare persuasively explains how data shows the deeply harmful effects screens, social media, and smart phones have on children. She also uses many real life examples. The book is written in a way that is not overly technical and would be easy for anyone to read.
Unlike most (or perhaps any) books on the market, Clare does a convincing job explaining why things like screen time limits, parental controls, or limited phone use don’t actually work for children. Additionally, unlike many books on the market, Clare offers practical ways to institute a tech exit on the individual, family, and government level. This book gave me hope that it is possible to take control of our kids technology use and to give them a predominately tech free childhood.
Unlike most (or perhaps any) books on the market, Clare does a convincing job explaining why things like screen time limits, parental controls, or limited phone use don’t actually work for children. Additionally, unlike many books on the market, Clare offers practical ways to institute a tech exit on the individual, family, and government level. This book gave me hope that it is possible to take control of our kids technology use and to give them a predominately tech free childhood.
August 1, 2025
This book is eye-opening, informative, challenging, clear, and helpful. It’s a page-turner.
Clare said it well in her conclusion, “The Tech Exit is the definition of a positive no. Their no to screens is a yes to so much more. The whole purpose of exiting digital technology is so that we, our children and ourselves, reenter the real world and reconnect with our fellow humans in real life.”
I highly recommend it.
Clare said it well in her conclusion, “The Tech Exit is the definition of a positive no. Their no to screens is a yes to so much more. The whole purpose of exiting digital technology is so that we, our children and ourselves, reenter the real world and reconnect with our fellow humans in real life.”
I highly recommend it.
July 26, 2025
This book is the perfect climax after the arc of The Tech-Wise Family and The Anxious Generation. I'm sold. Let me forsake the "harm reduction" approach of limiting screen time and using useless parental controls and embrace an embodied childhood for my children that is aimed at self-transcendence.
Heads up: audiobook is a great way to go!
Heads up: audiobook is a great way to go!
October 8, 2025
While having some good point I feel like this book had a a lot of flawed arguments and seems to skip the most basic idea of actually communicating with your kids.
July 26, 2025
A must-read. Clare Morell writes an incredibly well researched and hard hitting book regarding the use of screens in our children’s lives, family’s life, and even our own life. This book brings to light the dangers of media, while providing an encouraging and clear course of action in response. I would recommend this book to any parent or anyone examining their own technology use!
November 27, 2025
Full of great tips and recommendations for those trying to limit tech exposure with their children. I could have done without so many anecdotes but I suppose some people like that. I would have preferred the author lean more heavily on the plethora of research to connect with her recommendations which she does at times. Overall helpful but could have been shorter with less anecdotes IMO.
October 23, 2025
The most practical book on tech for parents I've read - if you enjoyed Tech Wise Family's or Anxioux Generation, you'll appreciate this one too. A great aid not just for saying no to excessive screens but yes to all that is good I God's world, not just for kids but for parents as well.
November 13, 2025
Don’t miss the appendix. It was possibly the most helpful part of the book. Sometimes the book seemed a little redundant, but it was well worth reading.
July 16, 2025
Good. Practical. Helpful.
Yet another in a series of phone/social media books that clearly detail the dangers of living a purposeless life and the role that tech companies play in addicting us to unintentionality.
Yet another in a series of phone/social media books that clearly detail the dangers of living a purposeless life and the role that tech companies play in addicting us to unintentionality.
October 19, 2025
So inspiring and informative! It was encouraging to read about groups of families, schools, and states that are taking the smartphone addiction seriously and making healthier choices related to phones, computer use, etc.
July 18, 2025
Go ahead and call me a Luddite, but there truly isn't a legitimate reason for kids and teenagers to have smartphones. Great book. More of a practical, hands-on follow up to Haidt's Anxious Generation. Lots of wisdom and insight for adults as well. Makes me want to get rid of my phone. I will gladly wear the Luddite badge!
November 25, 2025
I have so many feelings after reading this book. My 12-year-old child wanted to know why I was always reading about limiting and restricting her. I have fallen down a rabbit hole lately about kids and technology. I think she makes a really good case in this book for cutting it completely and gives real life examples of how you do that. But after reading the book it still feels HARD in today’s world. I knew this book would go farther than I was wiling but I really enjoyed her perspective and the research she had to back it up. I see so much in my own world of how phones are changing kids and even adults around me.
I loved so much of what she said in the conclusion and it just resonated with me. Too much to put here but I’ll leave you with one quote…
“Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death has proved prescient, as today’s teens are not only amusing themselves but also literally and figuratively scrolling themselves to death. Such a shallow purpose—only breeds despair, which we see in spiking rates of self-harm and suicide among teens. As live becomes about living for the next dopamine hit—the next like, the next message, the next video—it isn’t just what kids consume on screens; its’ the very habit of endless consumption that leaves them distracted, numb, and missing out on the meaningful experiences that make us into whole, flourishing, human beings”
I loved so much of what she said in the conclusion and it just resonated with me. Too much to put here but I’ll leave you with one quote…
“Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death has proved prescient, as today’s teens are not only amusing themselves but also literally and figuratively scrolling themselves to death. Such a shallow purpose—only breeds despair, which we see in spiking rates of self-harm and suicide among teens. As live becomes about living for the next dopamine hit—the next like, the next message, the next video—it isn’t just what kids consume on screens; its’ the very habit of endless consumption that leaves them distracted, numb, and missing out on the meaningful experiences that make us into whole, flourishing, human beings”
July 29, 2025
A sobering work with numerous examples on the dangers that social media and smartphones, in particular, cause to children. I must admit, I was leery of this book due to the title. I thought Mrs. Morrell might be reminiscent of simpler era where we blissfully close our eyes and run away from current technology and returned to a latent golden era in her mind. While protecting children from harm is certainly at the forefront, she does have another goal that is less discussed until the end: human flourishing. Mrs. Morrell provides an acronym FEAST on how we can take back our digital lives and connect with each other which I won’t go into too much detail about.
In case you were wondering what this book is about, I will let Mrs. Morrell define it: “This is the definition of the Tech Exit: no smartphones, social media, tablets, or video games during childhood.”
Before you panic, this definition is not as cut and dry as it seems, and she even devoted a whole chapter on “adopt alternatives” (part of FEAST).
I left this book book sobered and resolved again to do what is best for my children, even if screens have some part in their life. I believe you will too if you pick it up.
In case you were wondering what this book is about, I will let Mrs. Morrell define it: “This is the definition of the Tech Exit: no smartphones, social media, tablets, or video games during childhood.”
Before you panic, this definition is not as cut and dry as it seems, and she even devoted a whole chapter on “adopt alternatives” (part of FEAST).
I left this book book sobered and resolved again to do what is best for my children, even if screens have some part in their life. I believe you will too if you pick it up.
August 31, 2025
The research was fascinating, convicting, and motivating. I appreciated that she wasn’t painting all screens themselves as the most evil thing in the world but rather how they were used and the context in which they are present. And there were lots of practical ways presented to help contribute to a solution - rather than just leaving the reader with an unsolvable issue. I appreciated that. The only thing that I wish was discussed more is the importance and need for parents to not just prohibit what is wrong but rather focus on teaching their children what is right. I believe teaching the right virtues and what children should do (instead of focusing on what not to do) is more beneficial and will protect children better in the long run. Other than that one aspect, I really appreciated and enjoyed the content and encouragement to keep screen presence in the home to a minimum!
September 27, 2025
A must-read for parents of children of all ages. Now that Jonathan Haidt’s research has shown the dangers of the front-facing phone and social media on our children, we need practical strategies to move away from technology. Morell’s book does just that. She gives step by step guidelines to reduce and remove the use of smart phones and some technology at home and at schools. Additionally, the reality of tech-harm on our children is held up to the harm caused by cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, calling for parents to organize and contact legislators (like MADD did in the 80’s). Full of research across the world, I can’t recommend this book more.
June 9, 2025
It's usually hard to envision a screen-free lifestyle, but Mrs. Morell gives very practical suggestions and a blueprint guide to FEAST instead of stay stuck in a screen - for parents, children, schools, and neighborhoods. She clearly lays out government regulations needing massive reforms, but that wasn't the book's focus. Making a change really does start with each of us, in each of our households and communities, as collectively we become a movement to give our children & families a life freed from screens and instead thriving in reality.
June 27, 2025
Though I'm not a parent, I still found this book helpful because Morell guided me to reevaluate my habits with tech use. More than that, I'm refreshed that the book goes beyond mere practical (though helpful) discussion of "how to handle this, what to do with that". Morell calls readers out of consumption for one's self to giving of one's self. It's about more than just how you use screens--it's about what you want your life to be for.
August 12, 2025
Here’s a book on how to not get your kid a smart phone. If you think “why do I need a book to tell me that?” then this is especially a book for you. Best to read this when your kids are young—so you set the family culture around technology well before the pressures for smartphones mount in the teen years.
June 29, 2025
Well written and well researched! Very practical too. I highly recommend this book:
July 23, 2025
Such a needed book.
August 18, 2025
This book is important. I’d recommend it to anyone with kids. Morell is sharp, and what she’s proposing is seemingly radical in this society that is addicted to devices and social media platforms. The book is interesting, an easy read, but at the same time serious. I would challenge anyone to read it and walk away without any desire to combat the dangers of devices for their children.
June 25, 2025
Every parent should read this book even if their kids already have phones. Even if you don’t make the full tech exit there are wise decisions to consider. Even though this book is geared toward kids, there are great principles for parents to apply in their own practices with their phones.
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June 7, 2025Short review here: https://open.substack.com/pub/ptbwrit...
September 25, 2025
I can’t remember a single thing I read in this book that I don’t whole-heartedly agree with. A great book for parents who want to live a tech-free lifestyle with their kids and teens.
October 23, 2025
Fantastic! Highly recommend!
October 29, 2025
I'm reading this cautiously.
Any book that's glowingly blurbed by MAGA senator Josh Hawley is most likely going to be problematic. There's also many many praises online (so to speak) from right wing christian groups and publications. If you also are suspicious of these folks, take this book with a giant boulder of salt!
Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing is another book about the subject that seems more balanced. I'm halfway through that. It's packed with actual research, rather than the anecdotes that Morell's book seems full of.
As this other book details, there are some healthy effects of kids using phones and social media.This is something that Morell doesn't even mention as something to "debunk". She just, doesn't say anything about all that research that shows what unexpected, counterintuitive positive benefits can be had from connecting to other people via these devices. I'm not saying we should just unleash this stuff on kids to whatever level they want, but Morell posits this totally absolute solution that seems to be going too far, IMHO. There has to be a middle ground.
Any book that's glowingly blurbed by MAGA senator Josh Hawley is most likely going to be problematic. There's also many many praises online (so to speak) from right wing christian groups and publications. If you also are suspicious of these folks, take this book with a giant boulder of salt!
Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing is another book about the subject that seems more balanced. I'm halfway through that. It's packed with actual research, rather than the anecdotes that Morell's book seems full of.
As this other book details, there are some healthy effects of kids using phones and social media.This is something that Morell doesn't even mention as something to "debunk". She just, doesn't say anything about all that research that shows what unexpected, counterintuitive positive benefits can be had from connecting to other people via these devices. I'm not saying we should just unleash this stuff on kids to whatever level they want, but Morell posits this totally absolute solution that seems to be going too far, IMHO. There has to be a middle ground.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews