Power On: Managing Screen Time to Benefit the Whole Family

by Ash Brandin

NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

From "The Gamer Educator", an openminded guide to parenting alongside screens and gaming, offering practical solutions to managing your family's screen time.​

Parents are feeling mounting pressure to minimize screen time, but are struggling to do so in our technologically driven world. In contrast to the fear and pressure parents are facing, Ash Brandin's Power On offers a calm and reassuring message that keeps the wellbeing of the whole family in mind. Power On powerfully reframes our current dialogue around technology, beginning with the morality placed on screen time and leisure, and the systemic factors contributing to it. Brandin replaces fear with empowerment, giving caregivers tools and strategies for safely incorporating tech into their children's lives, guiding children to having a healthy relationship with screens, with easy to implement approaches such

   ·The ABCs of the Screentime Management Elements – Access, Behavior, Content
   ·The Managing Online Safety S.T.A.R. – Settings, Time, Ads/App Store, Restriction
   ·The N.I.C.E. Screentime Boundaries – Needs, Input, Consistent, Enforceable
   ·And several other sets of steps, tools, and strategies to understand, manage, and effectively utilize tech in parenting.

With today's parenting advice being awash with unhelpful negative judgements on screens and little realistic actionable advice, Ash Brandin provides timely, realistic direction that will empower readers to find a balance with screen time that works for the entire family.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Childrens, Family, Technology

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2025

Reviews

[Laura Danger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this! I appreciate the way the author destigmatizes the use of screens by adding context and helping the reader understand what's really going on when we engage with and/or disconnect from technology. We know abstinence doesn't work, and Brandin's book gives helpful guidance in taking a tailored approach to tech that meets individual and family needs. I've already used some of the skills I picked up from reading it, and I have been left with plenty of points to mull over. So valuable!

[Mikayla Ockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came into this book extremely biased and the first couple chapters were definitely confirming my bias. I originally read this book thinking that the author was pro limitless screens and I would disagree with everything but ended up realizing that our approaches are actually very similar.

Not to use screens as a reward, provide consistent access, have good filters and settings, prioritizing hand on learning in school instead of relying on tech, researching content before allowing your kid to use it etc.

I gained a lot of respect for the author and it was helpful to hear from someone who loves video games and soften my opinion on them even if my routine stays mostly the same— I can see how there can be a place for them!

A few acronyms I want to remember:
-ABCs if screen time Access, Behavior, Content- content section in general was SO helpful! I feel like there e not a lot of resources on free to play vs paid games, how dopamine works with gaming, what content to be strict on etc. this was super helpful for me to articulate how we need to think of all three of these thibgs

-Use NICE Rules to set a boundary: Need, Input, Consistency, Enforcement

-Use STAR to set up a device in a way that is ready for kids to use:
Settings
Time
Ads/App Store
Restrictions

-Need to revisit this book when we decide to add video games

-Addicted players play to suppress a bad feeling, not in order to achieve a good one

[Hannah Brown]

Lots of thoughts to unpack after reading this book! As someone who has subscribed to The Anxious Generation approach, I wanted to read this book to potentially challenge my thoughts and feelings around screens. This book did challenge my assumptions, and though I didn’t agree with everything Brandin claimed, I thought it was still a helpful and valuable book.

After finishing the book, I wont be changing anything with our family tech plan (for now!), but I thought Brandin offered so many helpful tips for families who choose to include tech/video games in their family culture. She believes that we tend to blame screens for everything and it’s often a parenting problem rather than a screen problem. (I would still argue it’s largely a screen problem and we/our kids don’t stand much of a chance against screens.. BUT still a lot of helpful stuff to find more success with screens)

A must read for families using tech regularly in their home.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It definitely challenged some of my thinking, but I like her invitation to unlearn and reframe certain biases.

I appreciated that her approach to creating a family media plan wasn’t right vs wrong or one size fits all. Instead, it was very much a mentality of take what works for you and is best for your family, and that will look different for everyone.

It’s easy to be judgmental around families and tech, but I love that she was really trying to create more understanding. I thought it was so important that she acknowledged socioeconomic class, poverty, and education.

I think this book is a really useful tool for parents to feel empowered/in control instead of a victim to technology. It encourages parents to think of the why behind their tech and to be intentional with it. I loved the emphasis on skills, digital literacy, boundaries, and flexibility. She provided really specific and applicable steps for families to implement based on their media plan.

It was great that it was short. I think there is a lot more she could have covered, but this is a solid foundational start for a lot of families who are trying to find balance with their tech.

I’d definitely recommend this one to other parents or to my clients. You don’t have to agree with everything in it for it to be a great resource!

[Carrie Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked this better than the anxious generation.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a good amount of parenting books. This was the first one I will be rereading and referencing often. I like that instead of villainizing screens the book taught how to use them as a tool to benefit the entire family. The boundaries discussed can be adjusted depending on family need. It was refreshing to read a book like this that was empowering instead of shaming. I’ve started using some tools and my kids have instantly supported throwing tantrums connected to screens. It’s amazing.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. They made a lot of good points and there are a few things I’ll be adjusting to our screen schedule and even just how I think.

[Ashley Clave · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Cami Kubie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I’d recommend this to any Adult who interacts with a child who has access to a screen. Soooo everyone 😆

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated the view on screen time this book provided and the framework presented to make it work for the whole family.

[Jessie]

I appreciate Ash's content because it is level-headed and thoroughly researched and considered for real-world application. This book is a natural continuation of their work.

[Debbie Gale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was different than I expected, but I don’t follow this content creator on IG.

I liked the neutral approach to screens (screens are neither bad or good—it depends on the purpose and goal of the screen). It’s important to practice consistency and safety for kids access to screens.

There were a lot of helpful tips:

Like, checking how the content works without access to the internet.

The author suggested the ABCs of screen time as a guideline : Access, Behavior, Content

I liked when the author talked about monitoring your kids behavior and asking your kids questions when they have big feelings around screens. Can you help your kid replicate these emotions outside of screens?

The author suggested the STAR acronym when setting up a device: Settings, Time, Ads/Apps, and Restrictions.

I hadn’t thought about free to play vs games that you buy outright. Paid games don’t rely on ads, and sometimes these ads are not appropriate for kids. or you can try turning off the wifi to stop ads.

I also really liked how the author suggested that we adults evaluate our own screen time as we have our kids evaluate theirs. I tried this with my teen and it was a good discussion!

I do wish this book talked more about safety around social media.

Overall I thought this was a helpful book as a parent of teens.

[Abigail E]

••• ARC REVIEW •••
📖 Power On by Ash Brandin
Do I recommend: Yes, for parents or caregivers
***Available now***

Y’all know nonfiction is not my fave but at all, but if you’re going to write nonfiction…please do it like @thegamereducator!

If anyone else was made anxious (ahem) by another popular book exploring technology and kids, might I suggest this book as an incredibly helpful, supportive, and informative palate cleanser?

Ash starts of with what the research says (made accessible and understandable by their straightforward writing style), then helps lay out ways we can support kids in their relationship to technology, screens, etc. This book felt both supportive and practical and I am already seeing great results from implementing some of Ash’s recommendations with my own kids.

I really loved Ash breaking down why so many of us have fallen into the trap of assigning morality to screen time l, and in helping see the many ways screen time can (and does!) benefit families.

Ash’s approach is thoughtful, considerate, inclusive, and incredibly practical. I highly recommend this book to parents and caregivers, as it is filled with many useful tools! I am eager to get my hands on a physical copy that I can easily keep handy to refer back to sections.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read/listen! This book starts off covering research on the effects of screen time on children in a nuanced way. There's no fear mongering, just stating what studies say and how to take them with a grain of salt. I initially instinctively pushed back on some of the research because it didn't always match what I'd read but they had valid points and it helped me to take a deep breath and try to see screens through a more neutral lens in order to figure out how I could use them to best benefit my family and our needs. The rest of the book covers things like managing behaviors around screens, specifics on how to safeguard devices (and why this is crucial), and set time limits and boundaries for your family in a way that works for everyone.

As someone who has followed Ash on Instagram for a few years, a lot of this book wasn't super groundbreaking for me because I already knew a lot of their philosophies. That said, I found the research to be very interesting and set the tone for the book really well.

I would have thought that with the nuanced take and emphasis on treating screen time neutrally that I'd feel inclined to offer more screen time, but it actually had the opposite effect. I think the book helped remove some of the shame associated with offering screen time to my child AND I ended up setting a more consistent schedule and now we have a set time of day for screens and it is more predictable for my child in a really positive way. On the rare days I offer more because I need to keep my child occupied while I take care of other things, I don't feel shame or guilt over it because I know my child is safe, I can take care of our family's needs, and I'm confident my child's brain won't melt as a result.

The book also had valuable information about things like Minecraft, Fortnite, Roblox, and YouTube as well as gaming metaphors that I could see being more useful as my children get older. Overall a solid, straightforward, useful roadmap for anyone who uses screens or manages kids who use (or will use) screens.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice to read this one as a counter to Haidt's alarmist position, but...

Brandin doesn't actually refute much of what Haidt talks about, although she briefly addresses his work (and that's not her agenda, so this is maybe an unfair point). More relevant, she doesn't really address any of those sorts of issues, which for a book on screen time and the whole family seems to be a major deficit. However, she does make a nice case for thinking of screens as value-neutral. She also does a good job in discussing dopamine and screen addiction, terms overly used and misunderstood.

This isn't a flaw in the book so much as a flaw in its self-presentation (or some more accurate term), but the book *heavily* focuses on younger children and video games. Brandin is a gamer and her love of video games drives much of the book, which is fair enough, but it does little to address concerns about social media, reels/memes/shorts/etc, phone usage, and the like. Brandin focuses on video games and tablet usage for very young children, successfully defending the position that there's nothing wrong with using a tablet to entertain a child in controlled ways so that the family can function better. Fun can be fun, parents can get a break, video games are usually safe, etc.

That will likely make the book useful for parents in certain situations, and Brandin's ideas on access/behavior/content, NICE rules, and more seem wise to me. This book won't be helpful in addressing teen phone usage, appropriate ages and limits of social media, and a whole world of topics that feel as or more relevant and concerning as the topics she does discuss.

So....not the book for me, but probably a decent book for others, as long as they go into it knowing what it is and how that will serve their family.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked: I liked how the author framed technology as neutral and leisure time as a need for everybody. When we treat technology for kids as a reward or as morally inferior and therefore a scare resource, it becomes something to become obsessed over. I never enjoyed video games or screens that much but it was insightful to realize kids (and adults) like screens because it fills a psychological need they have to feel competent, in control or connected, just like other hobbies. It may be concerning when screens or games are the only outlet they have to get their needs met or if they are using it to numb themselves to bad feelings but having screens be a part of a healthy diet of responsibilities and activities in someone's life isn't bad. It is important to use screens as a tool to benefit the whole family. Adults need time to get things done and kids need opportunities to learn skills like digital literacy, how to feel disappointment, finding a variety of leisure activities and time management in their lives with fun and not-fun activities. This book changed my perspective on the value of screens in moderation and gave kids credit for their feelings and choices, even though I still don't prefer screen activities.

Hmm: There was not one gender in the entire book.

[Briel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I follow this author on IG and am always impressed with her content. So many experts are quick to tell parents how terrible screens are without recognizing that, whether we like it or not, screens are a huge part of our society - heck, even homework is on screens these days. It just isn’t realistic for most parents to ban screens entirely. The author does a wonderful job of balancing personal experience as an educator and parent with multiple studies to foster her arguments. She offers tangible strategies for introducing and managing screen time usage for young children, so if you are just starting the screen time battle with your young child, read this book for a strategic plan! I would LOVE to see a second volume of this book where the author provided guidance to those of us with older kids because I don’t think many of the strategies offered would translate well for older kids who utilize screens and technology in a much different way than their younger counterparts. A quick read with lots of explanations and tips but definitely more appropriate for parents of younger children.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally was interested in this book as my daughter gets closer to the age of getting a cell phone and hoping it would give me some guidance on how to navigate this. This book is mostly geared towards younger children yet I still found it really engaging and interesting!

I was honestly a little worried about reading a book on screen time because I was worried it would make me feel a lot of mom guilt. I loved how this book did the opposite by showing how screen time can benefit families when used in a way that makes sense for your family.

I really enjoyed the sections on making your children digitally literate. There is definitely a lot of food for thought in this book and I’d recommend it to any parent. My kids are 10 and 17 and I still found it useful!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

[Kristian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Approaches screens in a very neutral way without making a family feel guilty for using- or not using- screens in their household. This approach made a lot of sense and was explained in a clear way (catchy mnemonics like the ABCs of screens and NICE rules help one remember!) I do feel there were places the author could have gone a bit more indpeth in, particularly with how (many parents precieve or assume) screens make their child emotionally a mess. The author basically says, its not screens but something about how the screens are being used. Which makes sense and I agree. But this is the number one compaint I hear by fellow parents talk about, so was surprsied it wasn't a bit more in-depth on that subject.

Over all, this book helops but headlines and data into context. It hhighlihgts how social inequities use screens and other resources differently. This also felt very helpful)

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve followed the author on IG for quite a while now, so I went into this somewhat knowing what to expect. However, I was still pleasantly surprised with the amount of research that went into this book. Having read The Anxious Generation, I appreciate the author’s realistic take on how screens can work for the whole family to function well. I also loved the chapter on internet/digital literacy and safety, as I think this is the most important take away for parents and/or caregivers. While this one centers around young kids up to the tween age, I do hope the author is planning on writing another book centering screen usage with teens and how AI is impacting kids both in and out of school. They could write a whole book on digital literacy/safety and I’m sure it would be very impactful for their audience.

[Sarah McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash Brandin is one of my top 3 favorite follows on social media, and I have recommended their account more than any other account over the years. This book is targeted towards parents and how to help consider, implement and regulate screen time for all types of kids and ages. I also feel like this book is a great read for teachers, especially as we work with screen time in the classroom.

Despite following them on socials for years, I still found myself tabbing lots of pages to come back to. The practical advice, boundary setting, and specific language to use has helped me grow so much as an educator over the years, and even more helpful knowledge was laid out in the book.

Anyway, cannot recommend this enough. Definitely a helpful perspective to have as people take on the “all or none” screen time mentality lately.

[Brionne Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was immensely helpful in reframing how I think about screen time, not as something inherently harmful, but as a subject worthy of curiosity and nuance. I especially appreciated how thoroughly the author grounded her arguments in scientific research, while also thoughtfully calling out popular studies that fall short or are often misinterpreted. One insight that stood out to me was the idea that we are often drawn to video games because they allow us to engage in activities where we feel capable, autonomous, and skilled, fulfilling very real psychological needs. And although the book is written primarily for parents, its insights are just as valuable for those of us without children.

[Colin Fisk]

This book teaches you how to manage family screen time, moving away from a one-size-fits-all plan toward fostering connection and intentionality. Here are some key takeaways:
1. Move from Fear to Connection: Focus on regulating your child's emotional needs around technology, building a "co-regulated" relationship with devices.
2. Avoid the "One-Size-Fits-All" Method: Solutions must be personalized, acknowledging that every family and child is different.
3. The NICE Framework: Implement intentional strategies for managing screen time in a way that serves the whole family, rather than just imposing arbitrary limits.
4. Intentionality Over Control: Teach children to use screens consciously rather than habitually, encouraging them to understand their own digital consumption

[Erica Hoffmeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very refreshing to have a nuanced, realistic outlook on parenting in the digital age - and the focus on teaching kids to have a healthy relationship with screens and tech through an emphasis of digital literacy, rather than fear mongering, poor data inflation and analysis, and pop sociology (ahem The Anxious Generation).

That said - this is a *parenting* book through and through. It also does focus on younger children, and specifically gaming rather than say, scrolling on YouTube shorts on a smart phone (something we probably shouldn’t need a book to tell us is not great for a child!). This was something that was very applicable for me and my family at this time, but if you’re looking for advice with teens and social media for example, probably not for you.

[Alysha Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally this is a 4 star read, but I imagine if my children were at video-game age it would be 5 stars (lots of advice about managing gaming)

I wholeheartedly agree with Brandin’s philosophy that we shouldn’t blame screentime for challenges in childhood or parenting when it’s far more likely societal challenges, like parents having very little support, working longer hours, and having fewer accessible, safe places for children to play. This book is really valuable for any family that wants to set up a balanced perspective on screentime with many guidelines for keeping children safe on the different platforms.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a toolkit - one that is much needed when fear gets so many clicks.

It takes the approach that screens/TV/games don't have any inherent value/morality, just like everything else in our lives. It is how we use them.

I love the charts so much. It takes the information provided and breaks it down into easily digestible chunks. Even if you didn't read the book and just looked at the charts - its intensely helpful. But you should read the book.

I love that the author acknowledges that there will be some days when You Do The Thing Right and things still go awry, because we're dealing with smaller humans and sometimes its just like that.

[Mary Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book we should be talking about - not the other widely popular book regarding screens and youth.

“Screens aren’t something to fear - they are something to manage.”

The whole point of this book is to help give you tools to manage screens in your home in a way that is most beneficial to the entire family. There is no judgment, there is no perfect answer, there is no fear mongering or shaming. The author walks through the research in clear ways, showing how some research is cited in an incomplete way to drive certain narratives.

I ended this book feeling encouraged and empowered to help my family find ways to manage screen time, not fearful and stressed.

[Nicki | justamomandherbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Balance for a copy of Power On in exchange for my honest opinion.

A great resource for parents, caregivers, and even educators who are uncertain how to proceed with the use of technology in young children. Ash provides phenomenal information, experience, and tactics which apply to the use of tech for learning, parental breaks, and combating behavior surrounding technology. A lot of the information provides a solid foundation for boundaries with children, in general, and not only with tech.

Highly recommend.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have found this author’s perspectives on screens and parenting to be immensely helpful compared to the fear mongering and shaming that is so prevalent today. I especially appreciate the recognition that there is an enormous amount of privilege inherent to “getting off screens.” Instead of making parents feel bad for the ways they utilize screen time, Brandin highlights (with cited research) how screens are a tool that can benefit the whole family, and not necessarily the addictive menaces they are often made out to be.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I subscribe more to the anxious generations thoughts here, and read this book to sort of challenge those thoughts. This book says it’s a parenting problem not a screen problem a lot of the time, but I think that it is both. I enjoy that it destigmatizes screens because they’re just a part of the world as we know it. I like a lot of the approaches talked about, but I’d say it’s been more helpful for me than things I’d apply to my kid.