'Childhood Unplugged' Is Finally Here!
The last two weeks have been an exciting frenzy of events and publicity.
It’s been almost two weeks since my book launched into the world. Childhood Unplugged: Practical Advice to Get Kids Off Screens and Find Balance came out on July 11 and was immediately followed by a flurry of in-person events, interviews, articles, and other publicity. It has been a very exciting ride so far.
We celebrated publication day with a launch at Three Sheets Brewing in Port Elgin, ON. There was an amazing turnout of friends, family, acquaintances, and others from around the area who had heard about the book and were interested in its subject. The Wismer House catered a delicious spread of appetizers, and we sipped on local beer and cider while discussing all things book-related.
Two nights later, I was downtown Toronto, back in my old neighbourhood of Little Italy, at a gorgeous new bookstore called Flying Books on College St. There, a representative from New Society Publishers led the evening, introducing me and my author talk to the audience, and then facilitating a Q&A afterward. There were some really interesting, thoughtful questions from the audience—things like, “How do you ensure your child doesn’t feel left out?” and “Is there a way to foster autonomy in a teen while limiting screen time?”
Next, we headed north to Muskoka, where I had a third and final event at Pizza on Earth in Dorset, the town where I grew up. It took place on the restaurant’s outdoor patio, with attendees enjoying coffee and fresh bagels from the wood-fired ovens whose heat I could feel emanating from behind me where I stood. Again, I gave a talk, had a brief Q&A session, and sold books. Interesting questions included, “Do you worry about your kids not having technological savvy to thrive in a future professional setting?” and “What are examples of healthy, constructive screen time for you?”
Author Talk
I gave a version of the same talk at each event in which I described how the entire project started (with a conversation on Twitter with author Neil Pasricha, who asked me for advice on how to limit kids’ screen time), and how I think the societal narrative surrounding digital media has shifted dramatically over the past two years, for three reasons:
1) We’ve emerged from the covid fog and realize that we do not want the digital future we were promised for so long.
2) Science is catching up with the technology, with more studies showing the detrimental effects of excessive screen time for kids.
3) We are exhausted and overwhelmed by trying to manage device use and crave more drastic solutions.
Because of this, I view the current moment as inherently hopeful. People are hungry for change, ready to take action, eager to reclaim childhood.
Then I shared four general pieces of advice for cutting back on screen time that span all age groups: Create firm limits, prioritize outdoor play, enrich your child’s offline life, and set an example. I went into more detail for each of these pieces of advice, then wrapped up with a recent quote from British actress Kate Winslet that I found inspiring. While accepting an award for her recent film I Am Ruth, about a mother struggling to raise a daughter whose mental health has deteriorated due to excessive screen time, Winslet said, “We want our children back.”
People have powerful responses to this conversation. Some are curious, others desperate; some voice skepticism or say it’s too late, while many nod in agreement and express longing for change. At the very least, people want to talk about it—and many of the people who approached my table to buy and get a book signed had anecdotes to share about their own struggles or those of someone they care about.
I did realize that signing books is quite exciting, that my handwriting is terrible, and that I struggle to come up with clever, original phrases for people, particularly those I know personally! That will need some improvement.
Childhood Unplugged in the News
The next in-person book event is scheduled for Sunday, October 1 at 50 Kent Avenue in Kitchener, ON, time TBD. Until then, you can stay up to date on interviews, podcasts, and other articles I’ve written (or have been written about the book) at this link here, which I’ve added to The Analog Family’s home page.
Just to give you a taste of what I’ve been up to, in the past week I’ve done an Instagram Live with Linda McGurk, the Swedish-American author of There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather, and an in-depth interview with Lianne Castelino for a Canadian podcast called Where Parents Talk. Laura Fenton and I had a long interview several weeks ago, which she wrote up beautifully for her Substack, called “Finding balance for kids and screens.” And Paul Greenberg, the New York Times bestselling author and journalist, invited me to do a guest post for his Medium page; it’s called “10 Ways to Get Kids Off Screens.” I also had a great chat with Kathy Buckworth, aka Go-To Grandma, for Zoomer Radio.
If you haven’t got a copy of Childhood Unplugged yet, it is available wherever books are sold and can be ordered as a paperback, audiobook, or e-book. (You can also get copies directly from me!) And if you’re willing to leave a review on Amazon, that’s hugely influential and would be much appreciated!
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Book Blurbs
My copy just arrived! I am so excited to Crack into it!