Brain vs. Screen: How Screen Time Affects Our Brains

by Bethany Barton

From the author of the I'm Trying to Love series comes a picture book that dives headfirst into what screen time does to our brains and what we can do about it.

You have a brain! And your brain might love screens a little too much. Our bodies react similarly to too much bad tech as they do to junk food. A lot of screentime can make us feel angry, tired, and frustrated, and make it harder to control our impulses. But we can change that! In When Brains Meet Screens, Bethany Barton breaks down how dopamine affects our relationship with screens, what too much screen time does to our brains, and how to know when we've had enough.

40 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 3, 2026

About the author

Bethany Barton is an award-winning Author, Illustrator and Science Communicator, on a mission to help kids approach STEM subjects using facts, humor, empathy and critical thinking. Her books have earned a Children’s Choice Award, an Amazon Best Book of the Year, and have even been featured in the New York Times.

Bethany is co-founder of DopaMindKids.org, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to empowering kids (and their grown-ups) with the facts they need to make brain-healthy tech choices. DopaMind provides schools, families and communities with resources and events that facilitate helpful, guilt-free conversations about digital wellness.

(When not making books, Bethany is also an Emmy-nominated Propmaster and a Set Decorator for film & TV, working on shows like The Muppet Show, Fallout, Black-ish and Obi-Wan Kenobi. No, really!)

For more about Bethany and her books, visit bethanybarton.com

Reviews

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book that can assist you in teaching your child the reason behind their need for screens. There is no doubt that, as parents, we can't realistically raise our kids the way we were raised... screens are everywhere, even in schools. Kids are inquisitive, and in my personal experience, I get better results when I explain to my child why I am saying no and why I enforce certain rules. As a matter of fact, we read this book together and had a great conversation afterwards. I think this book is very helpful, and it doesn't paint a horrible picture of screens — it just gives kids the right amount of information to either make the right choice themselves or to listen to their parents when they say no more screens.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
This author and illustrator does such a great job of making hefty science content both interesting and humorous for young readers, making this an essential purchase for libraries.