TPP 334: Dr. Katie Davis on Digital Media’s Role in the Lives of Differently Wired Kids

My guest today is Dr. Katie Davis, a researcher on the impact of digital technologies on young people’s learning, development, and well-being, and the author of the fascinating new book, Technology’s Child: Digital Media’s Role in the Ages and Stages of Growing Up. The world of technology is ever-expanding and its integration into our lives so seamlessly that we often don’t stop to consider what effect it’s having on us and our children. In this conversation, Katie helps us understand what this impact is and what we want to consider surrounding our kids’ use of tech.

Katie and I explore how technology is accelerating the full arc of child development, what the research says about the efficacy of apps that are sold as tools to develop kids’ learning and things like executive function skills and whether or not ADHD symptoms can be exacerbated by technology use. We also discussed gaming disorder and how to support children in their usage of social media while they are developing and exploring their identities. 

About Dr. Katie Davis

Dr. Katie Davis is Associate Professor at the University of Washington (UW) and Director of the UW Digital Youth Lab. For nearly twenty years, she has been researching the impact of digital technologies on young people’s learning, development, and well-being. In her latest book, Technology’s Child: Digital Media’s Role in the Ages and Stages of Growing Up, Dr. Davis brings clarity to what we know about technology’s role in child development and provides guidance on how to help children of all ages make the most of their digital experiences.

 Things you'll learn from this episode

• What Katie’s book Technology’s Child: Digital Media’s Role in the Ages and Stages of Growing Up is about and what she was hoping to accomplish by sharing it with the world
• How technology is accelerating the full arc of child development
• What “design abuse” is and how it keeps kids engaged in technology
• The effects of technology on our kids’ fledgling executive function skills
• What the research says about the efficacy of apps marketed as tools to support kids’ executive function skill development
• How to support kids in the usage of social media while developing their identities

Resources 

• Dr. Katie Davis’ website
• Technology’s Child: Digital Media’s Role in the Ages and Stages of Growing Up by Dr. Katie Davis
• Dr. Katie Davis on Instagram
• Dr. Katie Davis on Twitter
• Sign up for Katie’s Technology’s Child newsletter to receive information, ideas, and updates related to the book and my work, as well as a sample chapter from Katie’s book
• Devorah Heitner on Helping Kids Thrive in Their Digital Worlds (Tilt Parenting Podcast)

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