Contents
for Wired Child

Introduction

How destructive digital-age myths are undermining children’s development—and what we can do to give them the healthy childhood that they need and deserve.

1. Build the Strong Family Your Child Needs

Most parents believe that technology is bringing the family closer. Why we get it wrong and how to foster the parent-child bond.

2. Boost Children’s Self-Control

Contrary to claims that video gaming builds a better brain, kids who game more have less self-control—a brain skill that may be even more important than I.Q. How to improve your child’s ability to persevere through challenges.

3. Promote Kids’ Academic Success

In contrast to the hype, popular entertainment technologies are dragging down kids’ academic performance. Why traditional schooling has never been more important and how to promote kids’ interest and success in school.

4. Protect Children from Video/Game Internet Addiction

Popular technologies pose no risks, right? Wrong. An epidemic of video game/Internet addiction is consuming the lives of children and teens. How to prevent this devastating problem.

5. Tackle the Unique Tech Problems Faced by Boys and Girls   

Boys are losing out to girls who game less and study more. However, girls face their own tech challenges. Helping our boys and girls find their way in a digital age.

6. Be the Loving, Strong Guide Your Child Needs

The well-accepted myth that kids understand tech better than parents has convinced many parents to step away from guiding kids’ tech use. Learn how to parent successfully today.

7. Nurture Young Children’s Brain Development

Fed by false promises, babies and preschoolers are spending much of their lives staring at screens, crowding out vital developmental experiences. Give young kids the childhood they need.

8. Keep Your Kids Close

It’s now typical for preteens and teens to shift their ties from parents to peers who are accessible 24/7 via tech. But the bond with parents matters more than peers and must be kept strong.

9. Give Sensation-Seeking Teens the Help They Need

Teens are supposed to be tech-savvy, but science shows otherwise. How to help teens—whose minds are heavy on the accelerator, light on the brake—navigate a distraction-filled tech environment.

10. Achieve the Elusive: Kids’ Productive Use of Technology

It’s easy to get kids to use technology, but challenging to get them to use it productively. How to help kids use tech constructively.

Conclusion

Why President Kennedy got it right about technology.