It's Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence

by Erin Walsh

Overview

Support your teen’s growth and guide them through the complexities of the digital landscape by building a strong relationship.

Parenting teens in the digital age is both rewarding and challenging. It's Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence equips you with the tools and understanding to guide them confidently as they navigate their changing body, evolving identity, and the ever-present use of technology. This book tackles important topics such as sexting, cyberbullying, and online pornography and explores monitoring, boundaries, and mental health.

Inside:

• Gain practical strategies for managing screen time that align with your teen’s natural sensitivity to rewards and distractions, promoting healthier tech habits.
• Learn how stress affects both you and your teen and develop strategies to support each other in navigating the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence.
• Encourage your teen’s growing sense of identity and independence while maintaining boundaries that build trust and respect.
• Develop a partnership mindset, creating an environment where your teen feels understood, supported, and ready to contribute meaningfully to the world.

By the end of It's Their World, you’ll feel more confident in your parenting approach, equipped with science-backed knowledge and practical advice. This book will help you not only survive parenting through the teenage years but also thrive alongside your teen, building a relationship that fosters mutual respect, understanding, and lifelong connection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798885547949
Publisher:	Free Spirit Publishing
Publication date:	05/13/2025
Series:	Free Spirit ParentingT
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	355,293
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	9 - 17 Years

About the Author

Erin Walsh is a parent, speaker, author and co-founder of Spark & Stitch Institute. She is a highly sought-after speaker who addresses a wide range of audiences on topics related to child and adolescent brain development and digital media. She is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and her work has been featured in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Parents, and Yahoo News. Erin has worked with schools, school districts, parent groups, and other youth-serving organizations throughout North America on issues related to digital media, children, and youth.

Erin is the author of It's Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence and coauthored (with her father, David Walsh) the national bestseller Why Do They Act That Way?A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen. Building on the senior Walsh's groundbreaking work with the National Institute on Media and the Family, they cofounded the Spark & Stitch Institute, which is one of the nation's leading parenting resources on technology's effects on kids and families.

Editorial Reviews

"It's Their World is a thoughtful, thorough, and above all actionable resource for any parent striving to understand what research says about teens and tech. Erin Walsh is deeply dedicated to helping parents support their kids. She is a steady, reassuring guide through the big issues of adolescence in a digital world. Parents who want to choose connection over conflict will find pages and pages of ideas to try today."

Dr. Emily Weinstein

"In It’s Their World, Erin Walsh offers an empathetic, research-based exploration of adolescence in our tech-saturated era. Combining the latest science with practical wisdom, this book is an invaluable resource for parents who want to help their teens navigate the complexities of a technology-mediated life. Walsh reframes technology from a source of alarm to a powerful opportunity for growth—when guided by understanding and connection."

Katie Davis

"Amazing! This is an essential guide for every parent navigating the minefield of today's digital world—practical, insightful, and packed with really concrete strategies and language to help you tackle it alongside your kids. It also illuminates how young people’s developing brains shape their choices, offering wonderful insight to create a smoother path to healthy screen habits for both parent and child."

Danielle Feinberg

"The title of this wonderful new book exploring the vast, complex world of media (specifically social media) in the lives of teens—It's Their World—says it all. Teens and those of us who care deeply about their well-being will come to understand the influence of media through a developmental lens. Erin Walsh combines compelling scientific knowledge, her own wisdom and experience as a parent, and her years of work in the field of media advocacy and education to offer us this scholarly yet easy-to-read book. I appreciate the positive tone (teens aren't always easy!), the incorporation of the words of teens themselves, and especially the insightful interweaving of science and common sense. Erin Walsh's winning approach to guiding teens (and adults) to use and enjoy media wisely and intentionally will serve us well."

Dr. Marjorie Hogan

"It's Their World is a gift to parents and teachers, simultaneously an optimistic confidence-builder for the adults in the lives of adolescents and a constant reminder that it is their world. This is an evidence-based guide to being present for teens (and for soon-to-be teens) rather than restricting them so they always have us as a lighthouse, encouraging their curiosity and imagination as they build the world they want to live in."

Michael Rich

"Erin Walsh joyfully explains the science behind how social technologies impact children and families, intermixing accessible expert perspectives with down-to-earth guidance, thought exercises, and activities to try with your own kids. Throughout the book, Walsh is keenly aware that a one-size-fits-all and purely protectionist approach is not always the most helpful. A true highlight in this work is how much youth voice and storytelling are honored and embraced—a key ingredient in unlocking the puzzle of parenting an adolescent in the ever-present digital developmental discovery hub."

Linda Charmaraman