The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones

ECPA AWARD WINNER • A road map to free your kids from the harms of digital technology and to recover the beauty, wonder, and true purpose of childhood—by a leading tech policy expert

“We know smartphones can be harmful to kids and teens, but what can we do about it? In this indispensable guide, Clare Morell documents the solutions that actually work.”—Cal Newport, author of Slow Productivity and Digital Minimalism

It’s no secret that addictive digital technologies like smartphones and social media apps are harming a generation of kids socially, mentally, and even physically. But a workable solution seems elusive. After all, don’t kids need phones, and won’t they be vulnerable or socially isolated without tech?

Clare Morell, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of its Technology and Human Flourishing Project, argues that the answer is no. She exposes the lies parents have been sold about managing the dangers of tech through parental controls and screen-time limits, and demonstrates that another way is possible—even if your children are already using smartphones or social media.

The Tech Exit maps a doable pathway to freedom from digital technology for families, local communities, and society. Drawing on dozens of interviews with experts and with families who have gone tech-free, as well as Morell’s own work as a policy expert, The Tech Exit shows how digital technology is anything but necessary for children to live happy, healthy, and socially full lives.

The Tech Exit is essential reading for any parent who has felt stuck between an awareness of the dangers of digital technology for kids and the feeling that tech is necessary and inevitable. Clare Morell’s message is simple and compelling: You and your family can be free. The life you want for your children is within reach.

Clare Morell is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of its Technology and Human Flourishing Project. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, the New York Post, Newsweek, National Review, The Hill, The Dispatch, National Affairs, The Federalist, The American Conservative, Public Discourse, American Affairs, The Washington Times, and The Daily Signal. Morell consults legislators on technology policy and has helped draft legislation to protect children online. She and her family live out their Tech Exit life together in Washington, D.C.