Event Summary

On July 9, Ethics & Public Policy Center Fellow and Technology and Human Flourishing Project Director Clare Morell joined AEI’s Timothy P. Carney to discuss her new book, The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones. AEI’s Christine Rosen opened the event with introductory remarks.

In her conversation with Mr. Carney, Ms. Morell argued that families should resist giving smartphones and social media to kids from childhood through their teenage years. She warned of social media and technology’s detrimental effects on children’s emotional and physical development and their relationships with the natural world and others. Ms. Morell and Mr. Carney also discussed technology’s broader implications for society, including its impact on loneliness and the power of Big Tech. Ms. Morell concluded by discussing how a “tech exit” is possible through examples of families who successfully adopted limits and rules for technology.

The event concluded with a Q&A.

—Rocco Giannotti

Event Description

As social media and emergent technologies become ubiquitous in American life, children suffer the associated costs the most. While many parents recognize the harm technology inflicts, it can be difficult to implement a practical path to unfettering children and teens from their smartphones and social media.

In The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, the Ethics & Public Policy Center’s Clare Morell offers a road map toward recovering a screen-free childhood. Join AEI’s Christine Rosen and Timothy P. Carney for a discussion with Ms. Morell on pragmatic solutions to mitigate the harmful effects of technology on youth mental health. 

Event Materials

Clare Morell: The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones

Agenda

4:45 p.m.
Registration Opens

5:00 p.m.
Introduction:
Christine Rosen, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

5:10 p.m.
Conversation:
Timothy P. Carney, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Clare Morell, Fellow, Ethics & Public Policy Center

6:00 p.m.
Q&A

6:15 p.m.
Adjournment

Related Content

The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones
Clare Morell | Forum Books | June 3, 2025

The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World
Christine Rosen | W.W. Norton & Co. | September 9, 2024