How To Exit Tech

9 snips

Oct 7, 2025

Clare Morell, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, advocates for a smartphone-free childhood in her book, The Tech Exit. She discusses the urgent need for a tech exit to protect kids from the dangers of smartphones and social media, emphasizing their addictive nature and the spiritual costs associated with screen use. Clare also critiques the effectiveness of parental controls and highlights recent policy wins aimed at safeguarding youth. She offers practical alternatives for teens and encourages phone-free youth programs in churches.

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INSIGHT

Addictive Design Alters Developing Brains

Smartphones and social media are engineered to be addictive, not neutral tools for children.
Clare Morell argues even small daily use reshapes developing brains toward craving, not fulfillment.

INSIGHT

Small Sessions Cause Lasting Cravings

Short, repeated dopamine spikes from screens create craving and emotional dysregulation in kids.
Time limits often fail because even 15 minutes can produce a dopamine crash and persistent craving.

ADVICE

Test Feeds Yourself Before Trusting Controls

Test social apps by creating a child-like account and friending their contacts to see what appears in the feed.
Do not rely on parental controls because algorithms and blocked third-party access leave parents effectively blind.

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When I see whiffle ball, and I hear the piano, I know we’re probably doing ok as a family. And when I turn on the news and see what Meta has been programming AI to engage in sensual conversations with children, I don’t feel bad about keeping my children away from social media.

I wouldn’t have my job if not for social media. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve made and maintained many friends. I would miss social media. But I’m glad I had a childhood without it. Just a computer with internet contributed to enough problems.

If we as parents could see what our children see on social media, we wouldn’t hesitate to keep them away. That’s why Clare Morell calls for a tech exit: “no smartphones, social media, tablets, or video games during childhood.”

Morell is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of its Technology and Human Flourishing Project. You met her husband earlier this year on Gospelbound as Caleb Morell wrote about the history of Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

In her book The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, Clare says we’ve reached a tipping point in the fight against letting smartphones take over childhood. The key is preserving something better, something more valuable: the chance for our children to contribute to their family and community, to enjoy the bonds of families and the boundaries of neighborhoods. Clare writes, “It turns out that screens cost children more than just their time; they also cause them to lose their appetite for things of the real world.”

In This Episode

00:00 – Why kids need a “tech exit” in the age of AI chatbots

02:52 – Addictive by design: dopamine, algorithms, and broken parental controls

08:42 – Christian hope and human flourishing: forming persons, not consumers

15:20 – The five-step family plan for smartphone-free childhood

22:52 – Policy momentum: bans, age restrictions, and global lessons

32:33 – Practical guidance for families, churches, and schools

45:24 – Parents as models: rhythms, phone boxes, and screen-free community

Mentioned Resources

The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones by Clare Morell
Clare's Substack
More from Clare
Alternative “tools-only” phones:

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