If we as parents could see what our children see on social media, we wouldn’t hesitate to keep them away. That’s why Clare Morell calls for a tech exit: “no smartphones, social media, tablets, or video games during childhood.”

Clare is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of its Technology and Human Flourishing Project. You met her husband earlier this year on Gospelbound as Caleb Morell wrote about the history of Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

In her book The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, Clare says we’ve reached a tipping point in the fight against letting smartphones take over childhood. The key is preserving something better, something more valuable: the chance for our children to contribute to their family and community, to enjoy the bonds of families and the boundaries of neighborhoods. Clare writes, “It turns out that screens cost children more than just their time; they also cause them to lose their appetite for things of the real world.”

In This Episode

00:00 – Why kids need a “tech exit” in the age of AI chatbots

02:52 – Addictive by design: dopamine, algorithms, and broken parental controls

08:42 – Christian hope and human flourishing: forming persons, not consumers

15:20 – The five-step family plan for smartphone-free childhood

22:52 – Policy momentum: bans, age restrictions, and global lessons

32:33 – Practical guidance for families, churches, and schools

45:24 – Parents as models: rhythms, phone boxes, and screen-free community

Resources Mentioned:

• The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones by Clare Morell
• Clare’s Substack
• More from Clare
• Alternative “tools-only” phones:
  • Bark
  • Gabb
  • Pinwheel
  • Wisephone

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