It’s Their World
Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence
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It’s Their World
Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence
May 13, 2025
“I wrote this book to remind you that as your teen moves through online and offline spaces they are engaging in the biggest and most important developmental task of them all: growing up. Having a caring adult in their corner, and not just a device in their hand, makes all the difference in the world.”
“Parents who want to choose connection over conflict will find pages and pages of ideas to try today.”
—Dr. Emily Weinstein, researcher and co-founder, Center for Digital Thriving at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; and coauthor of Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (And Adults Are Missing)
Advanced Praise for It's Their World
How to support the launch
- Pre-order the book
- Share your pre-order online #ItsTheirWorld
- Ask your local bookstore to sell the book
- Prepare a back-to-school book read
- Get a special deal on bulk-orders
- Share your review after May 13th!
Pre-order your copy by March 14th and unlock access to exclusive bonuses.
- Spark Session: Digital Parenting Power Hour, join Erin Walsh LIVE on March 18th at 11:30 am Central Time for a strategy-packed Q&A session on teens and tech. Your questions, answered. This session will focus on practical strategies you can implement right away.
- The Connected Parenting Toolkit, a bundle of downloadable guides including a First Device Guide, Catching Digital Strengths, and a Family Media Agreement
- A recording of the LIVE Spark Session right to your inbox
Adolescence is a window of opportunity. Let’s not miss it.
It’s Their World tackles crucial topics like cyberbullying, sexting, and body image—but it’s not structured around digital risks. Why? Because chasing headlines or the latest trends only fuels feelings of overwhelm and worry-whack-a-mole.
Instead, this book dives into the core developmental tasks of adolescence, guiding you through the big questions every teen must navigate:
“What am I capable of?”
“Who am I?”
“Where do I belong?”
“How can I contribute?”
With insights from the latest research, you’ll discover how technology can empower your teen—or hinder their growth—as they work to answer these essential questions.
You want to do more than just protect your teenager from harm. You want to prepare them to live a whole, connected, and meaningful life. As you will learn in this book, the adolescent years are a time of profound growth and opportunity to shape these kinds of positive futures.
Erin Walsh is a parent, speaker, author and co-founder of Spark & Stitch Institute. She has worked with communities across the country who want to better understand child and adolescent development and cut through conflicting information about kids and technology. In addition to writing articles for several publications including Psychology Today, her work has been featured in the Washington Post, the Star Tribune, Parents.com, and Yahoo News. She co-authored the Tenth Anniversary Edition of the national bestseller Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen. Her latest book, It’s Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence (published by Free Spirit Publishing), will be released in May 2025. Her signature down-to-earth approach and sense of humor helps families and educators engage in complicated topics and leave feeling capable and motivated. She has consulted with schools, school districts, parent groups and other youth serving organizations throughout the United States and Canada on issues related to digital media, parenting, and social emotional development.
