Behind Their Screens

“Authors Emily Weinstein and Carrie James (both affiliated with the Harvard Graduate School of Education) set out a playbook for empowering kids to use digital tech well, rather than taking away their power so that they can’t get into trouble. Weinstein and James conducted extensive research with teens, parents and teachers, and the tactics they suggest are all drawn from real-world successes…Great stuff.”
—Cory Doctorow

“The authors’ research is impressive…Parents and educators losing sleep over what’s happening online would do well to give this a look.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The authors offer advice for parents, emphasizing the need to avoid simplistic solutions, to understand the complexity of the social media environment, and to listen with empathy. For anyone who wants to know where the social media road is leading, this is an important book.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Because they took so many teen voices into consideration and listened to what real teens had to say about these issues, the authors are able to understand and convey the complexities of teens’ digital lives with respect and nuance. The authors actually give teens the credit they deserve instead of assuming teens are blind or naive about screen use and social media…[the book] adds a new and important voice to the conversation around teenagers and the ways we interact with our screens. It’s a helpful guide for any parent constantly arguing with their teens about screens, people who feel that social media is “running the new generation” and anyone who wants to know more about how the modern digital age is affecting young people.”
— the San Francisco Chronicle

“The book makes a compelling case for partnering with young people in order to understand young people. Their research brings to light some phenomena that demonstrate how highly attuned teens are—how precisely attuned—to one another’s responses and their own behavior.”
—Fast Company

Emily Weinstein is a Research Director at Project Zero at Harvard and a Lecturer at the Graduate School of Education.

Carrie James is a Principal Investigator at Project Zero and the author of Disconnected- Youth, New Media, and the Ethics Gap (MIT Press).

Weinstein’s and James’s work has been covered in Time, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic, and they are sought-after speakers on teens and technology.

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