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Childhood Unplugged

Practical Advice to Get Kids Off Screens and Find Balance

Screens are everywhere. Kids spend an average of 7.5 hours on digital devices daily with profoundly negative consequences. Childhood Unplugged takes a bold approach to regulating children’s use of digital media, suggesting more time spent offline will benefit their resilience, independence, and family relationships.

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Reclaim childhood from digital devices—and rediscover the wonder of real life

Screens dominate modern childhood. The average child spends 7.5 hours a day on digital devices, leaving parents worried about anxiety, disconnection, and lost creativity. Childhood Unplugged offers a proven path to reclaiming childhood—without guilt, shame, or unrealistic rules.

Written by journalist and parenting expert Katherine Martinko, this inspiring guide helps families replace screentime with meaningful, hands-on experiences that build confidence, curiosity, and connection.

What You’ll Learn

  • How to reduce digital dependency and set healthy screen boundaries at every age.
  • The hidden links between screen use, childhood anxiety, and attention challenges.
  • Practical strategies for nurturing independent, resilient kids in a tech-saturated world.
  • Real-world stories from families who’ve successfully reclaimed childhood—no tech meltdowns required.
  • Ways to make outdoor play, creativity, and boredom your family’s greatest teachers.

With a warm, evidence-based approach, Martinko blends neuroscience, family psychology, and digital minimalism to show parents how to raise happier, calmer, more grounded kids.

Praise for Childhood Unplugged

“…solid ideas for reducing digital dependency.” — Publishers Weekly

“…a helpful guide for parents who hope to curb their family’s electronic habits.” — Foreword Reviews

“Real-world tools for parents to declutter their minds and set up safeguards to put themselves in control of digital technology. A digital minimalist’s must-have guide.” — Joshua Becker, #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Things That Matter

“Katherine Martinko has written a treatise no parent should miss. How do we protect and enhance the humanity of our children in an age where they’ve been so recklessly bombarded with unfettered technology?” — Loreena McKennitt, Founder, Stolen Child Project

A Gentle Invitation

If you’ve felt uneasy about how digital devices shape your child’s world—but aren’t sure where to start—this book offers clarity, compassion, and a roadmap toward balance.
It’s time to unplug and rediscover the magic of being a kid.

Book Awards

FINALIST | 2023 Foreword INDIES Awards: Family & Relationships

About The Author(s)

Katherine Martinko is a columnist for The Globe and Mail and a leading voice in the movement to reclaim childhood from screens. A speaker for Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious Generation campaign, she shares her expertise internationally through talks, her popular newsletter The Analog Family, and appearances on national TV, radio, and podcasts.

Her writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CBC, Global News, Motherly, and After Babel. A former senior editor at Dotdash Meredith, she has also worked with Martha Stewart, Allrecipes, and Treehugger.

View Author Profile

Additional Book Resources

Author Videos, Blogs & Upcoming Events

ISBN: 9780865719828

Page Count: 176

Dimensions: 7.5 Ă— 9 Ă— 0.8 in

Publication Date: July 11, 2023

Audiobook Narrator: Katherine Johnson Martinko

Audiobook Length: 5:41:12

This publication meets the EPUB Accessibility requirements, and it also meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG-2.0 AA). It is screen-reader-friendly and accessible to persons with disabilities. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative text for images, table of contents, landmarks, reading order, page list, structural navigation, and semantic structure. Blank pages have been removed from this EPUB. For further information or questions contact [email protected].

Conformance: EPUB Accessibility Compliant | WCAG 2.0 AA Compliant

Screen Reader Compatibility: Designed for optimal screen reader experience. Accessible to persons with disabilities.

Content Enhancements:
Alternative Text for Images: Descriptive text provided for all images, ensuring visual content is accessible.
Table of Contents: Easy navigation through a structured table of contents.
Landmarks: Clearly defined landmarks for quick navigation to key sections.
Reading Order: Logical and consistent reading order for sequential content consumption.
Page List: Accurate page list for physical page referencing.
Structural Navigation: Clear hierarchical structure for easy content traversal.
Semantic Structure: Use of appropriate semantic markup for content clarity and meaning.

Optimization:
Blank Page Removal: Unnecessary blank pages have been eliminated for a streamlined experience.

This publication offers text that is readable by screen readers and provides partial accessibility for persons with disabilities. It contains limited accessibility features. For further information or questions contact [email protected].

Key Accessibility Features (Partial):

Screen Reader Compatibility: Text is readable by screen readers. | Partial accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Content Enhancements (Limited):
Table of Contents: Easy navigation through a structured table of contents.
Structural Navigation: Clear hierarchical structure for easy content traversal.

Limitations and Rationale:
Partial Accessibility: The publication includes some basic accessibility features, but is not fully accessible.
Disproportionate Burden: Full remediation to meet all accessibility requirements is not provided due to the disproportionate burden.
Financial Constraints: The estimated cost of full accessibility updates (including semantic tagging, image descriptions, and enhanced navigation) significantly exceeds projected sales revenue.
Non-Viable Remediation: The publisher has determined that a complete remediation effort is not financially viable.

This digital package provides a complete audio version of the main text alongside a supplementary PDF containing all visual and non-verbal content from the print edition.

Audiobook Features:

  • Complete Main Text: A full spoken-word recording of the book’s primary content.
  • Easy Navigation: Includes convenient chapter-level navigation to easily find your place.
  • Accessibility Ready: The audio format is fully suitable for print-disabled users.

Accompanying PDF Supplement:

  • All Non-Verbal Content: Includes all front matter, back matter, images, graphs, charts, and tables from the original book.
  • Screen-Reader Friendly: The PDF is formatted for use with screen readers.

Please Note: While the PDF is designed for accessibility, any images it contains do not currently have alternative text descriptions.

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