Katherine Martinko, journalist and mother, offers practical strategies to get kids off screens and minimize screen-induced friction in her new book, Childhood Unplugged.

Gabriola Island, BC, July 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy urges action to ensure social media environments are healthy and safe, as the previously-advised national youth mental health crisis continues. With the average child spending an average of 7.5 hours a day on digital devices, tech changes almost every aspect of childhood—from how kids spend their time, to what they expect from life, to what we adults expect of them, to what and how they learn and love. 

Author of the new book, Childhood Unplugged: Practical Advice to Get Kids Off Screens and Find Balance, Katherine Martinko examines the concerning link between the number of hours spent online and the effects on children’s physical, neurological, emotional, and social development Martinko offers inspiration for parents and caregivers to get young people to look beyond their screens, fully experience the magic of childhood, and enjoy a more peaceful household. Childhood Unplugged is set to hit bookstores on July 11, 2023.

Martinko is far from vilifying technology. Rather, she recognizes and respects what technology can and cannot do. “While some tech may ‘amplify’ real-life experience—online music lessons or video calls with faraway family, for example—the vast majority ‘amputates’ by limiting physical activity, creating anxiety, or damaging self-esteem,” she says. “By making amplification of digital media the goal, amazing things happen such as more time, better relationships, and improved skills.”

Childhood Unplugged, reviewed in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Foreword Reviews, breaks down how to take control of screens for kids of all ages, starting with babies and toddlers through to adolescents. For the youngest ones, Martinko suggests, “Begin as you mean to go on,” with the start being the easiest time to establish a norm. Most importantly, being mindful of the simple act of presence is the biggest gift a parent can give their child. Elementary-aged children are at an expansion and exploration stage of development, open to new experiences and quick to pick up skills. Martinko’s list of activities and strategies to keep them challenged will help draw them from the lure of technology and replace it with the freedom to play. Adolescents are looking for autonomy, and when not given enough of it, will seek it through screens. By allowing them freedom in the real world, having important conversations, and creating what Martinko refers to as a “leisure plan,” teens will see that there is far more to life than what can be accessed by the touch of a button.

Other topics explored in Childhood Unplugged deal with important issues such as the parent’s role in mirroring healthy use of tech, dealing with other parents and society, resisting excessive screen-based education in our public schools, and much more.

As a mother of three children, Katherine Martinko knows intimately well the challenges of managing a family and technology. She is a professional writer and editor with a decade of experience in digital news publishing. She was a senior editor and long-time staff writer at Treehugger, a major environmental news site, and a former contributor to Discovery Network’s Parentables website. She continues to write extensively about free-range parenting, outdoor play, cooking, travel, and more. You can find her work at https://katherinemartinko.substack.com. She lives in Port Elgin, Ontario.

Childhood Unplugged will be available starting July 11 online at www.newsociety.com or from your favorite bookseller.

New Society Publishers:
New Society Publishers has been a leader in sustainable publishing for over 40 years. We are an activist, solutions-oriented publisher, based in Gabriola, BC, focused on bringing you tools for a world of change. New Society Publishers has published over 600 books, available as both print and ebooks with a growing audiobook program. Find out more at www.newsociety.com.