Attention Hijacked: Using Mindfulness to Reclaim Your Brain from Tech

by Erica B. Marcus

Overview

Technology surrounds us every day: a phone alarm wakes us up, an electronic calendar tracks assignment deadlines, GPS directs us to the new dentist’s office, social media keeps us connected to friends and family, and streaming platforms make sure we’re never without something new to binge-watch. Our devices and apps can make life much more convenient and entertaining.

But for years, scientists have warned that too much screen time may have negative effects on our health. With portable devices and remote learning, it is even more difficult to put down electronics. Being intentional about how and when to unplug can help teens and young adults to protect their physical and mental wellbeing in a world where screens and technology are increasingly becoming necessities rather than just conveniences.

Attention Hijacked offers a roadmap for those deciding how they want to deal with technology, exploring the ways technology affects the individual, dispelling common misinformation, and using this knowledge to make personalized decisions. Page Plus links in the book lead to mindfulness and meditation audio clips. Using mindfulness techniques, this book gives readers the power to take charge of their technology use.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728456034
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/03/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	13 - 14 Years

About the Author

Erica Marcus has spent over fifteen years learning from the teens she works with as a classroom teacher, mindfulness educator/director, and a wilderness youth therapy field guide. She is based in Portland, Maine.

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

Chapter 1 I Heart Screens 17

Chapter 2 How Tech Companies Hijack Our Attention 36

Chapter 3 Myth-Busting and Fact-Finding 55

Chapter 4 What Is Mindfulness and Why Is It Such a Big Deal? 80

Chapter 5 Creating a Mindful Tech Diet 92

Chapter 6 Attention Hijacks and Mindful Approaches 116

Chapter 7 Living Your Best Life 151

Moving Forward 184

Acknowledgements 187

Source Notes 188

Recommended Resources 195

Index 196

Editorial Reviews

"Cover[s] various aspects of mindfulness, with Marcus advising students what to do about all the busyness we face in this tech-fueled world. . . . lively and deeply relevant work that is a must for school and public libraries."—starred, Booklist

From the Publisher

06/01/2022

Gr 7 Up—Marcus, a high school teacher, offers perspective, awareness, and activities in this title aimed at helping teens shift their relationship with technology from addiction to mindful engagement. This book guides teens to healthy tech habits by giving them agency to make informed choices. The text is presented in a creative layout with each chapter having framed panels—asides to readers—featuring journal prompts, tips for talking with parents, suggested social media accounts, and QR codes leading readers to audio meditations and mindful moments featuring the voice of the author. Readers will need to be familiar with technology and social media language as Marcus uses casual lingo such as "Insta" and "RPGs," yet balances this jargon with scientific information about brain chemistry and hormone levels. Some pages feature cartoonlike illustrations that complement the text; these pictures are inclusive of race but not ability or body size. VERDICT A recommended purchase for school and public libraries.—Ellen Sulzycki

School Library Journal

2022-02-09
In a world of ubiquitous screens, how can teens find the right balance?

Marcus, a mindfulness practitioner and teacher, offers a variety of suggestions for investigating one’s relationship with technology, with the goal of finding a healthy balance. She draws her readers in with an extensive consideration of ways technology helps them make connections, locate affinity groups and paths to create social change, acquire information and education, express themselves creatively, utilize organizational tools, and seek entertainment. However, she states, many elements of technology are designed to be addictive. Marcus offers pros and cons for a variety of common complaints about teens and screens, including that they interfere with mental and physical health and, some claim, damage cognitive abilities (an accusation she puts into nuanced context). With this groundwork laid, she introduces the practice of mindfulness. The second half of this self-help title offers a wide variety of ways to use mindfulness to examine one’s own tech habits, notice and recover from situations in which technology may have hijacked one’s attention, and identify and work toward achieving one’s goals. The conversational narrative is full of specific examples, lists of activities, writing prompts, and QR codes for audio files of guided mindfulness techniques. From the very beginning, the author couches her advice as suggestive rather than prescriptive and chronicles her own steps and missteps.

A valuable handbook for developing a healthy relationship with technology. (source notes, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews