Review: 24/6 by Tiffany Shlain

I listened to this as an audiobook ALC in my job as a bookseller. A note on the narrator: This book is narrated by the author. She’s good, and when she talks about things like her father passing, you can hear her choke up a bit. It adds some weight to the reading.

I think all the parents I know struggle with the use of devices in families. While we have chosen so far to not have any apps on phones or tablets for the toddler and don’t allow devices at family dinners for the teen or us parents, we do rely heavily on the television to entertain. Husband and I do disagree about how much the TV should be on. He thinks of it as background noise, but the toddler clearly doesn’t. He wants Pokemon all the time.

I like the idea of a day of tech rest. 24/6 makes some compelling arguments, though I’m not sure I needed any. It also has some actionable ideas for how to make it work, which is incredibly valuable. I think we’re going to institute it. I am taking some prep time to figure out when works best for our family, especially given that Husband and I work opposite days. A full tech shabbat may not work for us, or at least not at the same time. The kids and I may have to do it alone on a traditional weekend day. Once I start it, though, I will let you guys know how it goes.