No smartphones before high school No social media before 16 Phone-free schools Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence

I didn’t set out to write this book. In late 2021, I began writing a book on how social media was damaging American democracy.

the ability to track their children’s movements at every moment. Lenore pointed out to me that this could be part of the reason for increased anxiety and decreased confidence. Parents began to surveil their children everywhere, such as when they’re on their way to school, or when they’re hanging out with their friends after school. If anything

A gap year is intended not to postpone a young person’s transition to adulthood but rather to accelerate it. It’s a year to build skills, responsibility, and independence.

Take a gap year after high school. Many young people go directly to college without any sense of what else is out there. How are they supposed to know what they want to do with their lives—or even whether college is their best option?

Delay the opening of social media accounts until 16.

Focus more on maximizing in-person activity and sleep than on total screen hours.

For 6-to-12-year-olds: As a general rule, no more than two hours per day is recommended for screen-based recreational activities.

The cure for such parental anxiety is exposure. Experience the anxiety a few times, taking conscious note that your worst fears did not occur, and you learn that your child is more capable than you had thought.