Discover a new and hopeful path forward as you consider your family's approach to social media, screen time, and technology.

We've all heard the mind-boggling statistics about technology and social media use. The numbers don't lie; our obsession with smartphones and social media is slowly eroding the very essence of our homes and families. We see it. We feel it. We know it.

So what do we do about it?

Spoiler alert: Forget parental control apps, time limits, or reward charts. This revolutionary path takes us into the heart of the beast itself: the social media algorithm. Former social media influencer and trailblazer Erin Loechner has seen the perks and pitfalls of social media usage, and she knows how to hack the strategies of tech wizards and platform experts so you can borrow their billion-dollar playbook to engage your family in meaningful ways away from screens.

The Opt-Out Family is packed with eye-opening research and startling insights, as well as practical encouragement and creative ideas to transform your family's relationship with today's ever-evolving technology. As a result, you will:

• Experience more quality time with your children that doesn't revolve around screens
• Create healthy habits as a family that will set your children up for success in the future
• Discover what your kids actually need from you, and learn how to delight and engage them better than a device can
• And, ultimately, establish true and lasting influence within your own four walls--and far beyond

The Opt-Out Family unlocks a world where genuine connections flourish and technology takes a backseat. It's time to reclaim your home and build a tech-free family culture that's stronger than your Wi-Fi signal.

About the Author
Founder of global tech-free movement The Opt-Out Family, Erin Loechner is a former social media influencer who walked away from a million fans to live a low-tech lifestyle-and is now teaching others how to do the same. Her cutting-edge work has been praised in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Huffington Post, as well as on the Today Show. When she's not scrawling on her trusty steno pad, Erin, her husband, and their three kids spend their days chasing alpenglow, reading Kipling, and biking to town for more tortillas.

Reviews
'Erin Loechner is like a voice in the wilderness calling out to a new generation of parents. In The Opt-Out Family, she invites us into a life that swaps screens for streams, digital programs for developmental play, and social media for real-life connections. As an ardent practitioner of these very principles, she beckons us back to the purpose, peace, and pleasure of a tech-free existence.' Ainsley Arment, author, The Call of the Wild + Free
'The Opt-Out Family is a powerful and much-needed antidote for families who are sick of screens dictating their lifestyles and jeopardizing their vital family connections. Erin has figured out, and then written eloquently about, how parents can reclaim and rescue their now-fragile family connections. Using the very tools that created what is jeopardizing family connection to recreate an even better connection is pure genius! The work Erin has done to create this book is a gift and a service to humanity.' Pam Leo, author, Connection Parenting
'A must-read guide for parents searching for life-giving solutions to push against the invasion of screen time and social media in the lives of their kids and families. If you are looking for practical ideas to nurture your kid's childhood wonder, creativity, and independence, this is the book you've been waiting for. Erin is a voice for our generation and provides a perspective that will usher peace, fun, and a new pace into our daily lives.' Mandy Arioto, president and CEO, The MomCo by MOPS International
'Erin gives us a path for a slower, more connected life as a family. In the world in which we are living, it won't be easy. But it will be worth it.' Denaye Barahona, PhD, founder, Simple Families
'Erin gives weary digital parents exactly what they need: an invitation to discover their children's hearts and allow them to come fully alive. Get this right and nothing on a screen can compare.' Chris McKenna, founder, Protect Young Eyes
'Erin Loechner's The Opt-Out Family is an enchanting journey into a world where genuine connections thrive and wonder is reborn. Practical strategies and heartfelt passion unite as Loechner reveals how to empower your kids beyond screens, offering a roadmap for families toward a tech-balanced haven.' Ginny Yurich, bestselling author, Until the Streetlights Come On; host, The 1,000 Hours Outside Podcast; founder, 1,000 Hours Outside
'I love this book! Packed with smart ideas, The Opt-Out Family gives parents not just the tools to reclaim their lives from screens and Big Tech but also the confidence to do it.' Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD, New York Times bestselling author, Hunt, Gather, Parent
'If you're wondering why it seems so hard to be a parent and so dangerous to be a kid, and why it's so weird that suddenly we are afraid of almost everything our children do, see, and encounter, you're not alone. You have Erin to guide you through the looking glass of modern parenting. Thank goodness!' Lenore Skenazy, president, Let Grow; author, Free-Range Kids
'In this book, Erin Loechner manages to simultaneously sound the alarm and offer an encouraging, doable path toward a life well-lived. We can do better by our kids. This book proves it.' Sarah Mackenzie, author, The Read-Aloud Family
'Most parents these days are alarmed by the pull that social media, electronic games, and video screens have on our children--and on us. But what can we do about it? The situation seems hopeless. There is hope, and it is detailed in Erin Loechner's excellent new book, The Opt-Out Family. Whether you want to fully opt out or make some small changes, this book will guide you well.' Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD, author, Playful Parenting and The Opposite of Worry
'There are few parenting decisions as important to our kids' mental health as how to handle screens. The Opt-Out Family will not only tell you what the tech companies will not, but it will give you what you need to cut through the clutter of misinformation and screen normalization that perpetuates so much harm to our kids right now and into their futures. Erin has crafted a book that will help you understand and resist the pull of the unreliable magnetic north of toxic screen culture and help you follow your parenting true north of deep, enduring, and connecting family values.' Kim John Payne, MEd, author, Simplicity Parenting; The Soul of Discipline; and Emotionally Resilient Tweens and Teens
'Through compelling research, insightful conversations with experts, and practical tips, Erin shows us how every time we opt out of technology, we opt in to true life for our families.' Brooke Shannon, founder, Wait Until 8th
'With growing awareness of the adverse consequences of too much screen time on the developing brain, there remains a deep need to course correct with and for our next generation. Compelling, practical, and full of wisdom, The Opt-Out Family helps make a health-based approach to technology use a livable--and desirable--reality.' Victoria Dunckley, MD, integrative child psychiatrist; author, Reset Your Child's Brain



Book Information
ISBN 9780310345695
Author Erin Loechner
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Zondervan
Publisher Zondervan
Weight(grams) 353g
Dimensions(mm) 212mm * 138mm * 18mm