Spoiled Right: Delaying Screens and Giving Children What They Really Need

"We highly recommend this book!"

"Spoiled Right allows you to cut through the noise so you can provide kids the childhoods they deserve. Get this book!"

-Richard Freed, psychologist and author of Wired Child

"I am so glad this book exists. As a parent, educator, and screentime consultant aware of the modern challenges presented by excess screen use, I am constantly searching for research-based strategies to apply in my own home and in my work with clients. Dr. Owenz's book is not only chock full of the research we need to support child-centered developmental choices, but it also provides parents and caregivers with practical and tactical 'to-do's' to put intention into (research-backed) action. It's not about 'less screens'; it's about more of the high-quality life experiences that truly contribute to healthy development. Dr. Owenz approaches the challenge of screentime with empathy, warmth, and personal experience to show that less screentime is not only possible, it's preferable in the long run. It is easy to tell parents 'do less screentime, ' but to have a resource that actually maps out the five key ingredients (her S.P.O.I.L. method) for raising healthy and happy children is truly awesome. This book will be a go-to resource for me for a long time!"

-Emily Cherkin, MA Ed, and The Screentime Consultant

From the author of popular parenting blog, Screen-Free Parenting.

If kids are supposed to be spending less time on screens, what should they be doing instead? This book answers that question and gives parents and those who work with them, a science-backed, developmentally appropriate system for emphasizing alternative activities of childhood that can incidentally reduce screen time and minimize the negative effects. It's the much needed "what to do" answer in response to the heavy-handed "what not to do" mandates about children's screen time. Dr. Owenz suggests caregivers do not need another thing to avoid, and instead should be focusing on what children need more of, like social time, play opportunities, outdoor experiences, chores, and a strong relationship with reading.

Meghan Owenz, PhD is an author, parent, counseling psychologist, and professor at Penn State University, Berks. She is the co-founder and writer of the popular parenting website, Screen-Free Parenting. She is a regular speaker on the topic of children's screen time and uses her expertise to advocate for science-backed changes to policies and practices that affect children's well-being. She also created the board game, Starting Lines, to fight creative decline and reward children's out-of-the-box thinking. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children who are thriving with very limited screen time.