Childhood is being reshaped by screens and the stakes could not be higher. Health and Education in a Digital World sets out a clear, human-first vision for raising and educating children in our connected age, arguing for the conditions every child needs to thrive: love and belonging, safety and stability, health and wellbeing, curiosity and learning, friendship, play and creativity, guidance and voice, hope and purpose.
Organised in four parts, the book traces the journey from the early years, where screens compete with attachment and language; to the classroom, where the "great digital experiment" meets the lived reality of pupils and teachers and into adolescence, with its pressures of social media, gaming and identity. It culminates in a manifesto that restores childhood to the centre of our common life.
Grounded in research and global practitioner roundtables convened by IFIP, readers hear directly from educators, clinicians, and safeguarding leads across contexts, offering evidence, empathy and practical strategies rather than panic.
A powerful framework; the Realms of Childhood brings texture to what children need now: embodiment and rhythm; relationality and recognition; presence and play; meaning and voice; safety and becoming. This lens clarifies why digital saturation destabilises attention, belonging and learning and how families and schools can rebuild them.
The book does not call for nostalgia or a tech "off" switch. It calls for courage and policy: smartphone-free schools, delaying social media, and regulation that puts children before profit, paired with compassionate guidance for parents and practical routines for daily life.
Written by Damian McBeath and best-selling author Daniel Sobel, this is a clear, hopeful blueprint for anyone who believes childhood should be protected and education should remain gloriously, defiantly human.
