At what age should a child have a smartphone or engage in social media? How much screen time is safe? Coming to terms with these and many other questions while navigating the ever-changing technological landscape is one of the greatest challenges of parenthood. To that end, licensed clinical psychologist and university professor Brady draws on her extensive research with the hope of providing some guidance. Herself the mother of five children, she doesn’t propose to know all the answers. Rather, she focuses on "technology touchpoints": time periods in child development when families might be most vulnerable to risks associated with technology and social media. Notes, an extensive bibliography, and an index clearly place this work in the academic realm, as the author thoughtfully explores topical issues that may go beyond the needs and interests of parents looking for quick, yet authoritative answers. But for parents, caregivers, and educators looking for a deep dive into the effects of technology and social media on families and children, this is a solid, well-researched choice.

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Dr. Brady’s book offers insights and strategies for parents navigating the digital world with their children. She provides practical advice on topics such as connecting with children despite technology, internet safety messaging, and policies to improve technology for everyone. With so much at stake, Technology Touchpoints is an essential read for any parent struggling to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of the digital world.

Manchester Ink Link

Exploring the intersection of human development, psychology, learning, and digital technology, Loretta Brady offers touchpoints for children, parents, families, educators, and policy makers to safely navigate the digital age. She critically examines the potential of digital tools to ignite or extinguish human relationships, communication, and connection, and offers a call to action for the best possible outcomes in our technology-mediated lives.

Chip Donohue, PhD, Founding director of the TEC Center at Erikson Institute and Senior fellow of the Fred Rogers Center

Technology Touchpoints is a compelling book that movingly weaves Brady's own stories of raising five children in the iPhone era with a keen sociological and psychological analysis of how tech has changed our families and our lives. Readable and engaging, the book will be of interest to parents who are trying to navigate the pressures and temptations of video games, social media, and other technology, as well as those interested in understanding the dramatic technological changes of the last fifteen years.

Sherry Hamby, Ph.D., Founder of ResilienceCon and Research Professor of Psychology, University of the South

Technology Touchpoints easily avoids the lure of a negative and depressing analysis of kids absorbed into their smartphones, etc. and offers a broadly thoughtful perspective along with elements of hope for constructively navigating technology and social media with all of its pitfalls and potential.
Exquisitely weaving in references to multiple psychological and developmental theories and constructs along with her personal observations, Dr. Brady seriously explores parallels of human and technology development without becoming overly pedantic.

Randy Schroeder, M.Ed.; Board of Directors, New England Educational Opportunity Association

Rarely do we get a theoretical glimpse of digital media and technology from a mothering perspective. But that’s exactly Dr. Loretta Brady does inside the pages of Technology Touchpoints. The troubled layers of parenting and protection are on full display in this accessible book that provides a perspective of care about the impact of technology on the lives of our youth and its subsequent impacts on family and culture. The narratives that Dr. Brady provides are a compelling overview of where we're headed if we don't empathetically engage the multitude of ways that these technologies and influences are coalescing in the lives of our youth and minoritized communities.

Kishonna Gray, PhD, Author of Intersectional Tech, Associate Professor, University of Kentucky