I became intrigued by the premise of Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price's The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World. Haidt is a social psychologist who has extensively studied the adverse effects of social media on teen health. Price is a science journalist and former middle school teacher whose goal is to help people "scroll less and live more". Their collaboration on a topic that has traditionally been addressed to adults was something I had to get my hands on...
...Fortunately I did not have to wait for it to arrive by inter library loan. Orono Public Library had just acquired it and happily let me be the first to take it out, hoping to get my opinion. I give it an enthusiastic two thumbs up. And in this review I will give you all the reasons.
First I love that it's addressed to the kids. Traditional books on this topic tell the parents how to protect their kids from internet evils. I believe also addressing tweens is developmentally appropriate. Preteens are at an age where they're rapidly changing, gaining increased responsibilities, and yearning for more autonomy. Unfortunately companies who market products directly to kids push the image of parents as clueless buzzkills, encouraging insurrection.
I'm not, however encouraging parents to take a take a hands off approach. You need to know how your kids use social media. There are situations you have to take decisive action. But in lieu of alarming evidence, maybe collaborate rather than dictate.
The authors operate on the radical concept of giving kids the truth about social media companies: that they're not kid friendly, that their executives won't let their own kids use their products, that they see consumers as cash cows and resist all attempts to make their products more safe for kids. They empower youngsters by providing the inside scoop on topics like how the companies make apps addictive, how they gain personal information and make big bucks off of it, and the effect overuse of smartphones and apps can have on one's physical, cognitive, emotional, and social health. And they give ways tweens can enlist adults as allies.
They're not all smartphones are evil; social media is Satan. They're more about getting a better online/offline balance and avoiding the dangerous sites and apps. They give tweens lots of ideas for offline fun and strategies for lessening the time they spend online.
They have plenty of advice from teens and people in their early twenties who tweens will be most likely to look up to and relate to.
There is a good amount of illustrations including a graphic story woven through the text that follows a group of friends dealing with social media issues.
If I was a parent or teacher of preteens I'd run right and buy a copy of The Amazing Generation. It's a most excellent acquisition for public, school, and family libraries.
On a purrrsonal note, it's the frigid calm before the storm here in Central Maine. The flakes are supposed to start falling about 6:00 which means Eugene will probably be plowing all night. The meteorologists are constantly changing their minds about how much to expect. Right now they're predicting 8-12 inches. I am so over winter and ready for spring.
A great big shout goes out to you, my readers. If you live in that wide swath of America predicted to be in the blizzard's path don't go out unless you have to (you'll have the heartfelt appreciation of the professional snowplowers) and if you have to go out dress and drive defensively. If you have any medically fragile friends or neighbors or family members try to check in to see how they're doing.
BTW with this review I'll be just 39 books short of 3,000 I've reviewed in this blog. Any ideas on how I should celebrate when I achieve this milestone?
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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