Parent Power Versus Big Tech

Clare Morell , a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, writes The Tech Exit : A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones .

She says smartphones and social media don’t just put kids in physical danger, they’ve changed everything about how children learn and socialize.

Morell compares giving kids limited social media access to the harm reduction model of drug use.

New book, FEAST , offers advice on how to keep kids away from smartphones.

The author interviews teens who don’t have access to the same technology as their peers.

She says parents should help their kids find friends without phones.

The book is published by New York -based Columbia University , New York Times .

Morell encourages as little screen use as possible for parents as well as children.

She advocates for raising the age of “internet adulthood” (right now it’s 13 ) and giving age restriction policies real teeth, including for adult websites.

Parents are only one piece of the puzzle—lawmakers need to step up and protect children too, she writes.