The Tech Solution: Creating Healthy Habits for Kids Growing Up in a Digital World

by Shimi Kang

A Harvard-trained psychiatrist and mom of 3 gives parents and educators the tech habits children need to achieve their full potential--and a 6-step plan to put them into action.

You may have picked up on some warning The more your 9-year-old son plays video games, the more distracted and irritable he becomes. Or maybe comparing her life to others on social media is leaving your teenaged daughter feeling down. Then there are the questions that are always Should I limit screen time? Should I give my 11-year-old an iPhone?

The Tech Solution is a to-the-point resource for parents and educators who want the best approach for raising kids in our digital world. It outlines all you need to know about the short-term and potential long-term consequences of tech use. Dr. Kang simplifies cutting edge neuroscience to reveal a new understanding around how we metabolize experiences with technology that will lay the foundation for lasting success. On top of that, she offers practical advice for tackling specific concerns in the classroom or at home, whether it's possible tech addiction, anxiety, cyberbullying, or loneliness. With her 6-week 6-step plan for rebalancing your family's tech diet, Dr. Kang will help your child build healthy habits and make smart choices that will maximize the benefits of tech and minimize its risks.

Use The Tech Solution to help your child avoid the pitfalls of today's digital world and to offer them guidance that will boost their brains and bodies, create meaningful connections, explore creative pursuits, and foster a sense of contribution and empowerment for many years to come.

Genres: Parenting, Education, Nonfiction, Health, Technology, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

Published August 18, 2020

Reviews

[Jadon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know why I felt the need to read this. I'm not a child, I don't have children, and I barely know anybody that does. Even still, I understand how difficult raising children must be in the post-information era, and I was curious to see what kind of perspective someone who has been actively studying the changes in how children grow up with smartphones and tablets and screens in front of them from the day they're born.

I was pleasantly surprised by how straightforward and honest parts of this book were. The discussions on addiction in particular were very to-the-point, which I appreciated. I was also really enamored by the author's reference to meetings with her clients and their personal experiences, which is where I really think this book shines. If I could read a memoir from this author about the things they learned from their patients over the years, I'd love that.

But at the end of the day, books like these tend to be a bit... patronizing. Maybe I just haven't read enough non-fiction, or read diversely enough within the non-fiction genre. I found a lot of the advice in this book to be fairly obvious. Granted, I'm of the age where I'm in that lovely little sweet spot between Millennial and Gen Z, so I grew up with the benefits of having tech at an early enough age, but not my entire childhood, and grew up with parents that'd had a few years more than me to really figure the internet out. I've had to learn a lot of the things taught in this book the hard way - finding how to productively use social media, how to use the internet as a tool rather than a crutch, being careful about what you share online. Maybe I'm in a lucky position where I didn't need to read this book, because I've already lived what it's trying to teach, and also because I'm not its target audience.

If you need something like this book, then it will probably suit you well. But if you can already gleam the basics just from the title, then you can stand to pass it up.

2.5 stars!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll just note that I'm not a parent, but a lot of this seemed far fetched. I think the idea of getting kids off their screens (and where possible, postponing screen use until as late as possible) is a great idea and based on how terrible kids' mental health is lately I think this is 100% the right idea. (Side note: there were lots of similarities between this book and the movie The Social Dilemma which was really good and terrifying)

THAT BEING SAID, when she gets to her 6-week plan for digital detox or whatever it's called, she talks about how to get your kids on board with reducing their tech time. I just can't really believe a lot of the responses she describes getting from kids. It seems like trying to reduce screen time would just be a battle; it's hard to imagine ever getting a teenager to be like "I know screen time helps me escape from my uncomfortable emotions, but I'd like to cut back so I can be less cranky and more present." Yeah right.

Also I felt bad for her poor sons that she tells many embarrassing stories about. I'd be sad if I were her kids! But I love her explanation of how one of the biggest problems with our obsessive tech addictions is how it creates "the bad habit of engaging in continual partial attention" which I think you can see in almost everyone.

She says she's not a Luddite but....it feels like she's a Luddite. I'm not criticizing; I agreed with lots of her arguments and I feel like I'm on her side generally. I would try to keep my kids away from screens as long as possible too.

[Wan Shoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Tech Solution" highlights the critical role of adaptability in our rapidly evolving world, where technology and media are constantly advancing. The book delves into the dual-edged nature of modern technology—its undeniable convenience and its unavoidable impact on younger generations, whose neurological development is still in progress. The author provides an enlightening exploration of how various hormones affect our brains, both physiologically and mentally, offering well-researched insights. However, the abundance of detailed information can feel overwhelming and may deter readers before they reach the practical solutions for mitigating these impacts. Overall, the book serves as a valuable guide for parents, offering strategies to manage mobile and social media use through a hormone-focused approach. It’s a worthwhile read for anyone interested in understanding the chemical interplay within our brains.

[Nicholas Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out good, but I enjoyed this book less and less as it went on. While I am fairly aligned with the author's opinions on technology influence, I thought the way of explaining through discussion of hormonal response both overly simplistic as well as meandering and unfocused. The book also seems to be very focused on the author's specific methodology for remedying tech addiction, which I did not have as much care for.

Main takeaway from this book is to keep kids away from modern tech for as long as possible and raise awareness for how tech is a tool that can be used in both good and bad ways. This book probably is more objectively 3/5, but I just found it terribly unengaging towards the end. Wish there was more focus on specific case studies with patients, that was where I felt the author had the most experience and insights to present.

[selin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the information in this book could be familiar to you, if you have read similar books about internet addictions, social media etc. Even I knew about most of the stuff, I learned new things too. This is a book worth reading for the solutions it provides. Also, it is refreshing to see a book that doesn’t only focus on downside of the technology and provides a mindset for healthy tech use for all ages in my opinion and not just children. I am sure, this book will be helpful if you have children or caring for children. Even though I don’t have any children, this is a great resource for helping people in your life who have unhealthy relationship with technology.

[Lauryn Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, and there is some valuable information for sure, but there are so many misleading and frankly unscientifically supported claims in this book, it’s frightening???? Sitting hunched at your desk is not “putting your body into fight or flight mode because it reminds you of cowering in a cave.” Dear lord, it’s so much more nuanced than that. I get trying to simplify for accessibility, but when you draw conclusions like that, you really do get some wild claims.

It’s so sad because this topic is SOOOO important. Digital media absolutely does change our brains — especially in youth. We do need to talk about it more and we must continue to research it.

[Isty26 · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read although I felt that most of the suggestions were fairly obvious and didn’t really raise anything I shouldn’t already know (the application though is a different story). I liked the analogy she drew between junk food and junk tech, and I guess this book was more of a reminder that we need to be consciously aware to set boundaries and not to let tech control us but to control tech to make it useful for us. The personal stories she shared about addicted children were also fairly frightening so if you’re a parent, this might be a good wake-up call.

[H.M. Gooden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read with practical pointers on how and why we need to raise our children with respect to a new and important technology while ensuring we are still raising complete humans.
Exploring both the positive and the negative sides of technology with easy to understand scientific reasons why social media and gaming are so hard for even adults to resist, Dr Kang manages to motivate instead of depress the reader.
An excellent book regardless of how many kids (if any!) you have and simple ways to incorporate more balance in life.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book well enough that I purchased it before I had finished my copy from the library. This is well written with a lot of good science backed information. I love that she includes an easily implementable plan for tech consumption for the entire family. I also loved her analogy of comparing tech to the food that we eat-some things are better for us than others. I also loved, that I didn’t feel guilty after reading this book. I loved her realness and her calm yet realistic attitude about tech.

[Christina Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

My parent-teacher book club got together again last weekend to wrap up pur read of Shimi Kang’s The Tech Solution.

As a teacher, I found this book informative and helpful in better understanding what many of my students are facing when it comes to technology use: both mentally and physically. Knowing that parents are facing burgeoning and sometimes full on tech addiction helps me better frame practices in the classroom and plan to teach Internet safety more often and more directly. It also backs up my practices of limited and directed computer/device use in class, where are I focus on parallel skills and limit use to what is absolutely necessary and curriculum driven. For education purposes, more and more research is showing the benefits of reading on paper and handwriting notes. There are concrete ways that we can help children develop memory and thinking and we need to diversify our approach, using tech more mindfully.

Parent Notes:

* Found the six-week tech reduction plan tangible and realistic

* Liked the chapter summaries and ‘refrigerator notes’ - and that this made the book accessible to parents whose first language isn’t English

* The analysis of the effects of tech was founded in science and backed by research, parents liked knowing how the brain is affected and what the physical effects are

* Liked Kang’s style of writing, it was accessible and practical, and she shared her own experiences with her kids

My parents said that they would definitely recommend this book to other parents.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read!

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of repetition but good information for parents.

[Justin Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good tidbits buy overall pretty general knowledge

[Ceara M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think this book will give you an easy solution, but it will convince you that it is worth the effort to protect our children and their brains.

[Ginelle Showalter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alarmist. Advice is simply thoughtful parenting. Not helpful.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Critical read for parents with children under 13. Practical ideas to delay tech use and realistic ways to include technology in an advantageous way.

[PabloPig · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could send this book back through time to myself in 2010 when my stepdaughter was five, I would be happy to buy it for $1000 or maybe more.