TECHNOLOGY'S CHILD is all about the technological needs and effects of developmental stages, from early childhood to adolescence.

I was in fifth grade when mp3's and mobile phones were becoming a mainstream thing. The popular kids had the Nokias with an interchangeable cover, or the qwerty ones with the sliding keyboard. We had computers in our libraries and created e-mail accounts. Torrents and MSN started being popular with those that had unlimited routers, while others turned the internet on to download new emails, then off to write responses before turning it on again to send. I used to spend hours in Paint, exploring the different brushes. Fun! It's now been a couple generations since we've integrated technology in our day and it's possible to start to examine it's long-term effects.

I found the first chapters to be more insightful, perhaps because while we as a society know and accept that being on your phone 24/7 is bad for you, yet we keep exposing babies to them: walk around, go to a mall or restaurants and you see babies holding a phone and watching a youtube video. Of course there are effects (or repercussions) : in Portugal, the most obvious one is that children are learning Brasilian Portuguese instead of Portuguese Portuguese because the majority of videos they watch are Brasilian videos.

This book focused on how a simple "yes/no" is not an adequate approach to technology since the access each child has to culture and education is different as well as their personality and general needs. I also enjoyed the critical examination of educational apps, active demand apps vs passive ones and how those affect children differently.
I think the latter chapters lacked the impact these first chapters had because I've "seen" first hand what growing up with technology is like - nevertheless, I found it an interesting read.

I do research on adolescent development and with all of the panic that the mainstream media promotes about the harms of digital media, Katie Davis brings a reasoned discussion of the risks and benefits of digital technologies for children across the age spectrum. By focusing on how parents can help their children to use digital devises for maximum benefit, she puts the panic in perspective and highlights how children and adolescents can learn to use these devices for their own good. But she also takes note of the responsibility that internet platforms should take to make their products more helpful to children and adolescents rather than only considering their bottom lines. In short, a great read that is as informed by the scientific literature as it is by common sense.

Very interesting read about research surround technology use as children development. Felt very pertinent to me as I am a new parent. Some of the information was surprising and a lot of it was really helpful in considering appropriate use of technology for my child!

I received a free copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very timely and relevant book for parents, teachers and anyone who interacts daily with kids.

The pandemic has blasted away rules of screen time, when less was better. As a parent of a toddler with family spread across the globe, I lost the battle of zero screen time ages ago. So, I wanted something that will help me implement "controlled" digital interaction. This book truly addressed many of the questions I was exploring. What kinds of content would help my child explore within controlled bounds? What is the true impact of screen time, not just hearsay from parents or well-wishers who conclude all social media is bad because they never had those choices while raising their kids.

I loved that the book is divided into sections based on age ranges, from toddlers to tweens and adolescents.

I like that the author presented a balanced approach to say what types of digital interactions can magnify emotional vulnerabilities and which ones can actually support emotional development and positive psychology.

The rules of parenting have changed and this book is a helpful guide that use a science-based approach rather than orthodox norms. The book will help you make informed choices as applicable to your stage of Life and your child's personalities.

I was intrigued with the title and the description of the book and since I have two teenaged boys at home, I could see a possible use of the contents of the book. I was not disappointed. Katie does a swell job of running through all stages of a "child" and her interaction with technology. Any parent would be able to situate their child in a specific chapter and see what research shows about technology and its impact on them.

Katie brings in solid research for everything she writes - this can be seen by the enormous citation/endnotes list at the back of the book. She also summarizes neatly the use of the book at the end - for different categories of people including academics and researchers! Which was very useful

I recommend this book for all tech lovers and parents who are worried about the impact of tech on the kids.

This was a fantastic read! I thought the author presented the data in a very easy to digest format and I liked how the book was structured. She did a fantastic job of presenting information on a topic that is usually fraught with intense disagreements and strong feelings. It gave me more tools to think through our approach in raising kids in a digital age.

The cover and description of the book really drew my attention when I requested Technology’s Child, as I am a mom of a one year old and constantly questioning many of the decisions I have to make as a parent, but in particular determining how much technology to expose my little one to, and how much I should allow myself to be on technology.

To be honest I was hoping for a more succinct summarized read with the research referenced, or even handy-dandy quick notes that would be easier to digest and remember. I picked this up many times to read and while I found it interesting, I had difficulty remembering much of what I’d read previously and what the takeaway is. It seems like balance is key, and like all things, too much technology can and will be damaging.

I liked the 3 D’s approach used throughout the book to analyze each section - what’s going on DEVELOPMENTALLY, dig DEEPER, and DESIGN considerations. And some parts I found very interesting - for example that a toddler playing an alphabet game on an iPad is seemingly educational, but the toddler actually is more focused on the game and touching and moving pieces, than the letter itself or the sound the letter makes.

Also found this quote interesting: “there is research showing that parents who are distracted by their mobile devices display less sensitivity to their children. This research shows that parents whose attention is focused on their phones engage in less conversation with their children, show less responsiveness to their children’s bids for attention, and sometimes display greater hostility when their children do get their attention.”

This is intuitive, but helpful to read and see written.
All in all I have a few takeaways and it was a well informed and well researched book.

TECHNOLOGY'S CHILD is a newly released text by Katie Davis who is the Director of the University of Washington (UW) Digital Youth Lab. As an Associate Professor at UW, she teaches courses on child development and technology design; her interest in young children is readily apparent as she begins with a chapter on early childhood and early literacy. Subsequent sections detail the relationship between technology and learning for older children and tweens as well as questions of identity and agency for adolescents and young adults. A decade ago, Davis and her mentor, Howard Gardner collaborated on The App Generation. Davis describes her new book as "a set of readily accessible and actionable ideas" for a varied audience, including parents, teachers, policymakers, design teams, and students themselves, particularly those interested in researching this topic. And there is plenty of detail to assist researchers – the extensive notes comprise roughly a third of the book. Davis probes inequities in the educational system while exploring two key questions: What is the impact of different kinds of technology? and How can technology be designed to support children's development? Her take on "Digital Media's Role in the Ages and Stages of Growing Up" is worth a look, as is Behind Their Screens which deals more with teens and is also published by MIT Press.

As a soon to be mom, i want to read and research more about the effects of technology to children. I want to know how i can deal with screen time more effectively hence i requested this book.

The topics are fine but how it was written - feels like im reading a term or research paper. I expected it to be more engaging and more practical i guess? I like the topics but i hope it’s written in a simpler way such as busy people with toddlers would really spend time reading knowing they’ll be able to apply what they read almost instantly.

It’s a good read i guess if you’re into deep research about the effects of technology not just to a child but to all ages i guess.

I find this book insightful and reliable for me, especially that I work in the education field. Since the sudden shift in conducting online classes, it has been a challenge to me to try out different approaches that would be applicable and effective to my students’ learning. I am a firm believer that play is the highest form of learning. Children learn best through interest and inquiry-based learning experiences. Thanks to Katie Davis for helpful suggestions to recognize and work with an approach to make richer and more meaningful learning experiences in the classroom with technology use and support.

Overall, this book is recommendable for people associated to children. The book is comprehensive which includes the process of child development on each stage; as well as their interaction with various technologies. It also addresses individuality of these young people to help us formulate evidence-based decisions when it comes to children and technology. Finally, it also guides its readers to identify supportive developmentally technology experiences to reach the full potential of children.

Technology obviously something that we cannot shelter from our kids. They are exposed to it in every inch of their life. This book has helped me in viewing the digital devices as a tool for my child to progress with certain sets of rules needed to be imposed.

With research result that they have put in the book, it has a strong support basis that give me courage more to expose my son with the technology.

I enjoyed this book but I easily distracted as it has a very serious tone to it.

For many families, their children are interacting with technological devices from a young age. Technology's Child by Katie Davis is a nonfiction book focusing on technology, children, and parent involvement. Ranging from smartphone games to AI running the house, children have access to too much technology. The book focuses on three Ds concerning children and their exposure to a wide range of technologies.

These Ds are:
1. What's going on developmentally (does experience with technology aid in the development of top-down skills?)

2. Going deeper (are children learning interactions and social skills?)

3. Design considerations (most technologies targeting children have inbuilt design abuses. They keep in control or distract children.)

There are many benefits to reading this book as a parent in the digital age. Firstly, the book contains valuable information drawn from research and observations. Secondly, the book helps make decisions concerning the choice of technology and age appropriateness. It will help in deciding the screen time allowed for children and real-world interactions.
Specific things made me enjoy the book. Clear language is used with clarified descriptions. I am sure even nontechnical people will understand it. The book is realistic in every sense.

This book is a reference material that cannot be read in a single sitting. Despite this, I found nothing to dislike about it.


I rate Technology's Child by Katie Davis 5 out of 5 stars.


Readers interested in technology, children's growth, and nonfiction will enjoy this book. This publication will be beneficial to future researchers on technology for kids. I highly recommend that parents read this book.

This was a very interesting read. It’s always been an interesting concept to me - children and the way people perceive them differently. Those around me do the exact same. Highly recommend!