Simon’s List
Our favorite digital wellness resources you have to see and read—right now.
Let’s do this.
Who was Simon?
The name “Simon” means “to be heard.” We use this name to represent all the kids who’ve suffered because of school communities that were digitally unwell.
Kids like Frances-Rose Thomas, 15, who had been accessing suicide-related material on a school device for months before taking her own life in 2018.
Or Matthew Burdette, 14, who died by suicide over Thanksgiving break in 2014 after a video of him masturbating in a school bathroom went viral.
We believe “Simon’s” story needs to be told. We believe digital wellness can change the world for the better.
Books (For Adults)
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in the Digital Age, by Maryanne Wolf
Glow Kids, by Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D.
Screen Schooled, by teachers Joe Clement and Matt Miles
The Big Disconnect, by Catherine Steiner-Adair, EdD
The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, by Nicholas Carr
Spoiled Right by Meghan Owenz, PhD
The Collapse of Parenting by Leonard Sax, MD, PhD
Girls on the Edge by Leonard Sax, MD, PhD
Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax, MD, PhD
Creating a Tech-Healthy Family by Andrea Davis
The Screentime Solution by Emily Cherkin
Books (For Kids)
Empathy is Your Super Power by Cori Bussolari, PsyD (ages 5-7)
Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. by Kristen Jensen and Debbie Fox (ages 3-6)
Good Pictures, Bad Pictures by Kristen Jensen and Debbie Fox (ages 6-11)
On the Internet: Our First Talk About Online Safety by Dr. Jillian Roberts (ages 5-9)
The Self-Compassion Workbook by Joy Johnson, LCSW (ages 12 and up)
Anxiety Relief for Teens by Regine Galanti, PhD
Mindfulness for Teens in 10 Minutes a Day by Jennie Marie Battistin, MA LMFT
Screens Away, Time to Play! by Kailan Carr
Articles (Scholarly)
Teens and Social Media Use: What's the Impact via Mayo Clinic
Screen Time and Sleep Among School-Aged Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review by Hale and Gaun
A Goal-Theoretic Framework for Parental Screen-Time Monitoring Behavior by Dr. Meghan Owenz
Technology Can Hurt Students’ Learning, Research Shows via a large study by McKinsey
Tech or No Tech: Effective Learning is All About Teaching via Brookings
Articles (Pop-Culture)
Middle School Misfortunes Then and Now, One Teacher’s Take by Ben Conlon
On the Phone, Alone by David Leonhardt
The Case for Phone-Free Schools by Jonathan Haidt
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid by Jonathan Haidt
Why Social Media Is Not Smart for Middle School Kids by Melanie Hempe, BSN
Meet the Parents Who Refuse to Give Their Kids Cell Phones by Ellen McCarthy
4 Solutions to the EdTech Problem by Blythe Winslow
Documentaries
The Social Dilemma on Netflix
Childhood 2.0, via YouTube
Coaches & Consultants
Apps & Devices
Bark, an AI app that monitors your kids’ devices, for parents and schools
The PROTECT APP, a digital wellness app
Gryphon Router, a router for your home
Gabb Wireless, healthier phones for kids