“Always try your best” is a sage piece of advice almost every parent has shared with their kids. This saying is seemingly innocent, but in reality it’s not. When we really examine what we are saying, we’ll realize its inherent contradiction. Let’s say we are trying to take our own advice and always do…
If you have kids, especially a boy or male teen, you probably know a little bit about Fortnite Battle Royale already. It’s a 3rd person survival-shooter that game that can be played across multiple platforms (e.g., Xbox One, Playstation 4, tablets). As of March 2019, it has 250 million registered players. At any given…
Are the worries about Generation Z merely hype or is there something to them? I recently posted a blog on the topic of whether “Generation Z” is in trouble. Is this really just a case of generational finger-wagging or is there something to this concern? If you didn’t read my blog but are interested in this…
How can teens achieve greater happiness from their screen use? Above, you will find my most recent vlog on my Tech Happy Life YouTube channel: Teens, Technology, and Happiness. Teens can definitely benefit from screen use, but how can it undermine happiness? Also, there is a key takeaway regarding how teens (and adults) can gain greater…
It’s time to get that holiday shopping done if you haven’t already! I’m assuming that, since you are reading this, you have kids. Many kids, particularly boys, have video games, or a new console, at or near the top of their Christmas wish list. Is it okay to get them a console or (more)…
What can we do as parents when screen problems begin to emerge? Here’s the latest video from my Tech Happy Life YouTube channel. There is much greater detail in my book, Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World. It’s through Oxford University Press and is available now! Cheers!—Dr. Brooks Recap of the Tech…
In an age of screen challenges, how do we prevent problems? Hello! I’m back from a family vacation—a road trip to the Grand Canyon! I was trying not to be TOO much like Clark Griswold from National Lampoon’s Vacation, but there might have been a little of that. Screens were sometimes a challenge with my three…
How can we be effective parents? It’s the biggest key to influencing our kids. What’s the foundation for effective parenting? This is key because all the strategies that we have to guide our children depend upon this foundation. Since screen time is something that virtually all parents struggle with, it is particularly important that we…
The Tech Happy Life Model is a framework to help with screen balance. Hello! As parents, it’s a challenge to steer our kids toward a healthy balance with their screen time. In this next episode of my Tech Happy Life YouTube channel, I introduce the Tech Happy Life Model to help with that. In my book with…
It’s tough to get kids off screens during the summer. Here are some tips. If you are parent, then your kids are either out of school or wrapping up. With three boys (ages 6, 11, and 14), my wife and I share the near universal struggle that parents have these days: limiting our kids’ screen time….