Kara Alaimo is a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book “Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back” was published in 2024 by Alcove Press.
Parents tell me all the time that they’ve screwed up their kids because they allowed them to use smartphones and social media too young.
Not true, says Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr, associate professor and program director of digital humanities at University College London and author of “Smartphone Nation: Building Digital Boundaries When Offline Isn’t an Option.”
Her new book, published Tuesday, is full of tips on how to manage our kids’ screen time — and our own — in healthy ways.
One big takeaway is about algorithms: We don’t have to let the formulas social networks use to decide what to show us determine what we consume online.
I spoke to Regehr about how we can take control of our screen time and that of our kids and develop healthy habits.
This conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
CNN: Your book starts with your 5-year-old daughter asking for a phone.
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