Books on My Shelf

Kids, technology & screen time is one of the hottest cultural topics. Here are four books to consider putting on your nightstand.

I’m back with more book reviews! Previously, I gave my take on four books on kids, technology, and the created world that I recommend and I included a book I think you should avoid at all cost.

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Digital Dominion by Jeff Mingee

This book was handed to me by one of the elders at my church who knows Mingee personally. To be honest, I’ve read so many books and articles by pastors, I went into this one expecting it to be much of the same “it’s how we use technology that matters” refrain that’s so popular yet misguided. I was pleasantly surprised at the direction taken by Mingee from the outset. He begins with the creation narrative in Genesis, specifically Genesis 1:28 where humans are given “dominion” over the earth. He builds from here encouraging the reader to be thoughtful and use appropriate restraint. He writes, “You are being shaped by your digital habits. The question is: How?” Mingee points out that to use technology well we need “sustained exposure to the Bible.” Digital Dominion is littered with scripture being used from solid theological ground. Mingee hasn’t cherry picked verses to bolster his argument, he has clearly put scripture in its right place. I underlined a lot in this book, such as this gem,

Humans flourish best not when they express themselves most clearly, but when they bear the image of God most clearly.

Yes & Amen! Coming in at around 100 pages with discussion questions at the end of each chapter, this is an excellent book for a small group study. Jeff doesn’t write much to how kids or teenagers should engage with tech, but overall adults who have read Digital Dominion will be better equipped to make wise parenting decisions than ones who haven’t.

The Opt-Out Family by Erin Loechner

I’m of the belief that asking good questions is vital to understanding anything well. Chapter after chapter, I was impressed by the questions asked by Loechner and the amount of research she packed into her book. Honestly, there’s so much that’s great about The Opt-Out Family I have struggled to write a review. My first attempts were way too wordy, so I deleted them. Instead, I’ll leave you with some of Loechner’s own words and an encouragement to purchase her book, full of practical advice on how to raise healthy kids in today’s digital world.

How did we get here? Why have we invited Big Tech into our homes and schools and lives and dinner tables and cars and sports and world without weighing the cost of what arrives along with it? Why are we allowing smart devices to interrupt our days with notifications, pings, updates, reminders? And why are we paying them to?

(Okay, I couldn’t help myself… Loechner also recounts one especially terrifying story of a sexual predator in Florida using the YouVersion Bible App to target teenage girls at a local church. Yuck!!! Hopefully we can now all agree that there is no “safe” app for kids & teens.)

Analog Christian by Jay Y. Kim

Jay Y. Kim

tackles topics such as the battle against temptations of the flesh, cultural relevance, willpower vs self-control, internet addiction and more. Kim is a pastor in Silicon Valley, who takes seriously what the digital age means for our spiritual lives. He recounts his own story of being digitally distracted writing, “I found myself pursuing meaningless leisure at the expense of meaningful work and meaning rest.” Been there! Analog Christian reads like a book written by a pastor, which isn’t a critique, but don’t look to this book for a road map on how to change society. This is a road map on how to change your heart. (Yes, change enough hearts, we can change society, but that’s not Kim’s goal here.) He uses the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 as the outline for how to apply Biblical Truth to the modern reader’s life in 150 pages.

Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley

This book is probably the most well known on this list. Habits of the Household is a book about being intentional: as a Believer, a spouse and a parent. There are a lot of great thoughts and tips and I’m not surprised it is so popular given Earley’s approachable writing style and obvious intellect. The chapter titled “Screentime” starts with his wife’s declaration that she was putting an end to the daily screen habit for their young sons. “It just not worth it,” she says. Years later she stands by that decision. Earley writes, “the fight is about whether you are forming your children or you are defaulting to letting screens form them. This is a fight for formation.” I agree with his assessment but he also said the fight won’t be easy. In my house the opposite has been true. The less screen time we have, the more peaceful our home is. The data also bears this out.¹ Earley offers some good suggestions like “choose good content over new content” but others fall short. For instance he lists “car rides, the dinner table, alone in bedrooms” as places to “try for off times.” I think Yoda said it best with, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Habits of the Household was published in 2021 and just last year, Earley launched a new initiative on screen time and now says screens should only be in public paces and the dinner table is a “No Zone.” Yay! For this reason, I’m not throwing all of Habits of the Household under the bus, but if you pick up a copy, skip the screen time chapter. (And, like his 2021 recommendations, his new 2024 recommendations need some tweaking. Justin, if you read this, call me. I think your heart is oriented well and I’d love to help with those tweaks! No need to wait until 2027.) ;)

Further Reading:

• In case you missed this December post due to the holiday busyness, here’s my take on why Virtue Formation, specifically Prudence is so important for today’s parents.

1. That’s a post for another time. What I’m referencing is work by people such as Dr. Victoria Dunckley. Screen time for kids leads to emotional dysregulation, sleep disruption and more. It’s just easier to live in a household where people are more peaceful and well rested.