Book Review: The Pixel Pandemic

Reviewed by Elizabeth Reiser

What can parents do to fix the screen time problem?

Judith Eckert is no stranger to the harm that addiction can cause families. She saw it daily as a teacher and thought she would never see anything worse. She was not anticipating the rise of screen time.

After witnessing the damage digital devices can cause children when overused, she wrote Pixel Pandemic, a compelling investigation into the dangers of too much screen time. This is a knowledgable, faithful guide on how to overcome this very real parenting obstacle.

“Instead of a dealer on the corner, we had Big Tech corporations designing addictive algorithms.”

To explain the solution, Eckert starts with a discussion of the methodology behind creating digital content. It is meant to be addictive as a marketing strategy, and it is good at it. But what does that mean in terms of physical and mental health? Eckert argues, with support, that the damage is detrimental, causing problems like reduced emotional regulation, inability to problem solve, dopamine dependency, and more.

The way Eckert breaks down information in easy-to-read, relatable segments is where Pixel Pandemic shines most. She includes several stories from families and educators to emphasize her point, and she is aware and nonjudgmental of her audience’s screen time.

“We are more connected than ever – but lonelier than before.”

While it could be easy to assume Eckert is against technology, she makes it clear this is not the case. She has no desire to advocate for a complete departure from technology but rather to promote lowering screen time and increasing personal interaction. It can be challenging to regulate screen time, and she does a great job communicating screen boundaries, which include actionable items such as designating screen-free zones in the house (like the dinner table ) and modeling healthy tech habits. A big part of it: using the tips in the book to become the good example as a parent. Eckert encourages this with digital fasting and gives clear instructions on what that entails.

“Social media should complement a child’s life, not define it.”

While this book primarily focuses on screen time, it is also about faith and how religion can be helpful. Each chapter concludes with a prayer for guidance, and references from the Bible are interspersed throughout.

The Frequently Asked Questions at the end are a nice touch as well! This allows us to break down the wall, hear the answers to our problems directly, and get even more specific, like when children need screens for school or talking to kids about online safety. This turns out to be an incredibly helpful resource.

Actionable, applicable, and faith-based! Pixel Pandemic is just what you hoped it would be. This is going to be useful for parents and educators overwhelmed by the impact of screens on our world.

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