Double Book of the Month: All about Tech and Health!

Today I’m featuring 2 books that touch on the intersection between health and technology. EVERY day that I meet with patients in clinic, I hear stories about how technology is impacting peoples’ physical and mental health. Social media and smart phones take up more time than people want them too and this takes away from time for exercising, preparing nutritious food, and doing things that people love. But many people have a very hard time reducing their use, even when they try. And then they can feel guilty about it. The problem is, these tech companies make money based on the amount of time that you spend using their apps. So they are designed to be as addictive as possible. They are designed to keep you using them, even at the expense of your health.

Book 1: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. This is a shocking memoir of an ex-Facebook employee. She talks about the company’s awareness of widespread harm and their indifference to it. This book dramatically changed how I view social media.

Book 2: Smartphone Nation by Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr. This book challenges us to think about our ‘digital diet’ - the digital media that we consume - in the same way that we think about the food that we consume. The book emphasizes the need for critical digital literacy and collective responsibility, encouraging readers to reflect on how smartphone-centered systems are designed, who benefits from them, and how individuals and societies might reclaim greater agency over their digital lives. Great tips for parents about supporting children growing up with technology too.

Let me know what YOU think of these books!