Stop Staring at Screens!: A Digital Detox for the Whole Family

by Tanya Goodin

Technology was designed to make our lives easier, and yet it's one of the biggest drivers of family rifts and stress. Making healthy and realistic decisions about when and where you really need technology can be tricky but is essential for restoring harmony in your home. Family Unplugged has the answers you need.

* Find sanity-saving solutions and practical tips
* Follow diagnostic quizzes
* Identify key triggers
* Address common issues
* Learn what works best for you and your family

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Parenting

144 pages, Paperback

Published November 6, 2018

About the author

Tanya Goodin is the author of 'The Teenage Guide to Digital Wellbeing’, ‘My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open', 'Off' and 'Stop Staring at Screens'; host of the 'It's Complicated' podcast, an award-winning digital entrepreneur and founder of digital wellbeing movement Time To Log Off.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London, twice a finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year award, and for the Blackberry Outstanding Women in Technology award, Tanya was the founder of one of the first digital businesses in the UK and a pioneer in the digital revolution. Tanya is a regular public speaker and media commentator on our relationship with technology - helping a global audience forge a healthier, happier relationship with digital devices.

Tanya is a graduate of the University of Oxford and completing her Masters in artificial intelligence (AI) ethics at the University of Cambridge. Connect with Tanya on X or Threads @tanyagoodin or via her website www.tanyagoodin.com

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nicely presented and very easy to read book that does give a few ideas for cutting down screen use in families but many of them are common sense in my view and are really encouraging people to do things that I used to do with my children - play board games, do things outside, read and so on.

I did find the little exercises you can do to relieve neck and shoulder ache quite handy - do the cobra - yoga exercise which does require lying down so maybe not one for the office! The other two you can do at your desk.

The chicken - sitting with feet flat on the floor, slowly move your head backwards while looking straight ahead and not tilting head - hold for 10 seconds then release - repeat 5 times.

The other is tilting your head sideways while your hand is on your head and keeping your elbow out to the side - hold then do other side and repeat as often as you feel you need to.

It's the sort of book you read through and unless you do have a real problem with screens in the family meaning you no longer have any real family time then you will probably put it to one side and forget about it.

I wouldn't say it is not useful but it would depend on whether you have a problem with screen usage in your family or not.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stop Staring at Screens reads like a series of blog posts. There’s not much new and definitely not much in the way of guidance to help families stop being on electronics all the time. There are a few good ideas in there and it reads super fast so it’s not completely a waste. If you are looking for advice to actually stop staring at screens, however, you can skip this book.

[aqilahreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

expected more from this & thought the execution could be better :") couldnt relate to some of the practical tips, maybe bc its targeted more to parents in the first place. but really love how the intention is to restore family harmony at home. a self reminder for me too to not make a habit to use my phone all the time when it comes to family time.

[Natalie Herr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really practical- good for someone who hasn’t thought or read much at all on the topic. If you have, you can skip this one.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read with a variety of ideas and suggestions.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When talking to anyone at home, put your phone away, completely out of sight, ad fully focus on them.

When your phone is on the table during a family meal or furtively glanced at when you are talking to someone, the message you are sending is this device is more important to me than you.

Establish a no phone zone.

Get outside fifteen minutes for every hour spent on screens.

Don't try and meditate, just be alone with your thoughts.

Savor and enjoy the experience of silence.

Start a tradition.

Find a suitable location to walk or drive to and camp there.

Sit around the campfire and enjoy.

[Laura Henze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read that had some really great tips for individuals and families! I like that it wasn’t a one size fits all approach but that it encouraged everyone to find what worked for them and pick and choose the ideas for their own unique situation.

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a great blog, but makes for a lackluster book. I got one or two ideas but overall I think it’s not quite up to snuff when you have options like Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. Three stars because I appreciate the intention and the book left me with a few new strategies.

[Kimberly Mccune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visually appealing, concise, and non-judgemental, this book is an accessible starting place for those who want to examine their digital habits and make healthy screen guidelines for their families.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read with good tips that are usually overlooked

[Gen ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just some basic information viz also provided on the internet. Big font, lots of pictures, read it in 40 mins ig

[Bhavya · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enlightening

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very hippie book about digital detox. Goodin offers some interesting strategies but no research or findings to back them up. The book is structure like a weird coffee table book with glaring fonts, seemingly unrelated images, and tips like stopping everything to cook a surprise meal. It's a good starting point but not a lot in the ways of practical implementation. For similar content with much firmer groundwork I'd suggest Social Media Wellness by Ana Homayoun instead.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a very quick read. It is not revolutionary by any means but sometimes folks really do need this much of a hand. As with most books of this style, it was frustrating that the only relationships views it dealt with were parent-child and not partner or adult kid-parent issues (which was doubly odd because it even acknowledged that there are screen related problems for many types of relationships/living situations).

[Melissa Cripps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another quick read about dealing with digital devices. It’s primarily written for families (with kids that are using tech too), but there is plenty that applies to anyone. I appreciated the organization and the layout of the book. It’s light on research - more of a set of tips and ideas for evaluating and reducing tech use.

[JA Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book has a few ways to reduce you and your family's screen time.

Book could be less than 20 pages long if the pictures (every other page) not related to the material are removed and the text is reformatted to fit a normal paperback book page. It has 1/3 or less of a page of text on each page.

[Morgan Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exactly for me. Definately more of a whole family detox with suggestions for limiting screen time without cutting it out completely. Its perfect for parents who have multiple kids of different ages growing up with technology though.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really for me. The part about looking away from the screen to refocus my eyes, and doing neck exercises were my only take aways. More suited for a family that is really struggling with screen time. We've managed to balance well on our own already.

[Y T · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book gives simplistic alternatives to screen time and perhaps functions more of a playbook for various scenarios that one may encounter with screen time issues at home.

Nevertheless, the decision charts were helpful to visualize what to consider in each scenario.

[Cathy White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a quick read, and while I know it is geared towards a family, I was reading it for myself personally. That being said, some ideas in the book are good and I do feel like there are some ideas that maybe could use some further refinement.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there is nothing revolutionary here (other reviewers felt the same, apparently), I liked how simple and stark this book was, offering some basic ideas to help your family detox from screens.

[Gennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Practical and pretty much what you’d expect in a book on this subject. Quick common sense read..

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple book with simple tips that could make a big difference.

[Manoj Sreenivas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to fix my addiction to screens and not fix my family problems.

Few good tips in here to tackle the former but a lot to tackle the latter. 😅

[Amanda Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read to refocus and reflect on our times on different screens and the feelings and strengths as well as weaknesses that come with it

[Matias · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idea on todella hyvä. Dr mark griffiths vaikutti mielenkiintoisemmalta.

[Jaime Lynn Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast little read with some good ideas to try, with the focus being on family relationship-building. i will likely read it again in a year or two.

[Cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite book on technology, but if you'd like a quick read with a few practical tips, this is for you!