The Tech Wise Family

The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for putting technology in its proper place.

By Andy Crouch (205 pages, with US research from Barna).

Are you master of your technology, or mastered by it? Does everyone in your household have their mobile phone right next to their bed, or even under the pillow? What principles might help you as a parent think strategically about technology in your children’s lives? What example do you set?

The discussion on these questions this book offers is extremely helpful. There is a reminder to be wary of the pitfalls of modern technology and its potential impact on family life. It begins with an introduction by the author’s sixteen-year-old daughter Amy, who has grown to appreciate the focus on something better in the place of technology for their family.

Parenting can be particularly difficult in this new era, and it can be hard to keep up. I grew up with a computer that stayed in one place and was switched off after use. Nowadays you have a computer far more powerful and far more connected to the outside world than ever before, that slips into your pocket, and can travel everywhere with you. How do you manage screen time, gaming, social media, breaking news, damaging images, and 24/7 communication as a family?

The honesty in this book is a relief. The author doesn’t pretend that it is not difficult to navigate life with younger kids and teenagers. He openly admits the times where his ideal standards have been made flexible, and where exceptions have been allowed. He presents “10 Commitments” that his family has written down and attempted to implement as a guide for offering something different to the status quo. Points that stood out to me included trying to “create more than you consume” (rewarding skill and engagement), using screens “together and for a purpose,” and total accountability with the whole family (no secrets when it comes to tech).  I appreciated the focus on encouraging families to be “engaged and present” with one another, rather than the opposite situation that technology can foster. The aim is not to become Amish, but to keep technology where it ought to be – a servant and not a master.

See also: 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke (Crossway, 2017)