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Technology surrounds us every day: a phone alarm wakes us up, an electronic calendar tracks assignment deadlines, GPS directs us to the new dentist’s office, social media keeps us connected to friends and family, and streaming platforms make sure we’re never without something new to binge-watch. Our devices and apps can make life much more convenient and entertaining.
But for years, scientists have warned that too much screen time may have negative effects on our health. With portable devices and remote learning, it is even more difficult to put down electronics. Being intentional about how and when to unplug can help teens and young adults to protect their physical and mental wellbeing in a world where screens and technology are increasingly becoming necessities rather than just conveniences.
Attention Hijacked offers a roadmap for those deciding how they want to deal with technology, exploring the ways technology affects the individual, dispelling common misinformation, and using this knowledge to make personalized decisions. Page Plus links in the book lead to mindfulness and meditation audio clips. Using mindfulness techniques, this book gives readers the power to take charge of their technology use.
Want a little taster? Check out this teaching guide where you can take the survey, review some guidelines for mindful tech use, and try on a few practices.
I appreciated connecting with The School Library Connection and sharing a bit more about how the book came together! They also created some excellent resources to supplement the book!
Advanced Praise
““A helpful guide to understanding why our relationship to technology is so complicated, with realistic strategies for taking back our own time, attention, and lives.” ”
“This is an important book for our times and an indispensable resource for parent and teens alike. Weaving together heartfelt examples, the latest data, and practical tips, Erica Marcus’s book charts the course to a healthier way of relating to technology. Accessible, relevant, and wise, this is a book for our times.”
“Even before the pandemic made hours upon hours of screentime not just a reality but a requirement for our kids, we were in desperate need of some fresh voices addressing the issue of developing and maintaining good technology habits. As parents and educators, we have been sorely lacking in thoughtful, articulate, passionate allies to help us help our children and students navigate their tech use and online lives. What we don’t need is what is nonetheless all too common: scare tactics and hyperbole, Chicken Little alarmists or hand-wringing defeatists.
That’s where Erica and her brilliant book step in, filling an ever-widening gap in the literature. From the opening lines of her honest confession about her own struggles at the intersection of tech and mindfulness, Erica inhabits an authentic voice that speaks with — not down to — her readers.
Moreover, everything from the structure of the book to the pace of the narrative telegraphs Erica’s deep familiarity with having kids as an audience. You believe her, and our kids will believe her and take her seriously, because she knows how to reach them with honesty, respect, and just enough irreverence to keep them smiling. Not only that, but she offers practical, invaluable ideas to implement right now, as in before you finish reading any particular page. In short, Erica’s book is a gift, a must have for teachers and parents to share and for every school and public library to put on the New Teen Nonfiction shelf with a big arrow: “Read This NOW!””