The Tech Exit
by Clare Morell
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.
**Click the cover to read chapter one**
Praises for the Book
“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
“The Tech Exit is a necessary and eye-opening wake-up call for parents. In one well-researched page after another, Morell shows that social media is not safe for kids, no matter what tech companies might promise. This book is a clarion call for parents and policymakers to finally understand how our children are routinely exposed to dangerous, violent, and pornographic content online. The only way is out, and this book shows parents how.”
—Jean M. Twenge, PhD, author of Generations
“Clare Morell’s timely book tells important truths, like this one: The world would be a better place, and our children would be better off, if most of us turned off our screens. The Tech Exit offers hope to every parent and serves as a stark reminder to everyone else that the online era is increasingly a nightmare for kids. I wish every member of Congress would read this book.”
—U.S. Senator for Missouri Josh Hawley
“Clare Morell is a modern-day Rachel Carson, and The Tech Exit is our generation’s Silent Spring, issuing a compelling and clear-eyed warning about the deadly serious hazard we humans are exposing ourselves to in the name of what we thought was technological progress. The good news is that each family and community has the power to extricate itself from Big Tech’s toxic trap—and Morell has provided the road map out.”
—Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass
“Finally, parents have dead-on and deeply human guidance on how to loosen tech’s vise grip on our kids. Read this book! ”
—Abigail Shrier, author of Bad Therapy
About The Author
Photo: ©Tina Krohn
Clare Morell
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, The Daily Signal, Bloomberg News, First Things, and WORLD Magazine. 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.
