When Susan Maushart first told her three teenagers she was pulling the plug on their phones, laptops, TVs and games for six months, they were strangely silent. Then they uncorked their earbuds and actually heard her.
Their subsequent six-month odyssey through the wilderness of digital detox had a huge impact on the family. They started eating dinner together again, playing music, and even making eye contact. A new kitten became everybody’s go-to handheld toy. Slowly, the lost art of staring into space was joyfully rediscovered. In the five years since undertaking their digital detox, the experience continues to resonate in unexpected ways.
Dr. Susan Maushart is the author of five books, including the feminist classics, The Mask of Motherhood, Wifework, and the internationally acclaimed memoir and BBC Book of the Week, The Winter of Our Disconnect. The mother of three global nomads, Susan lives between Perth, Western Australia and the East End of Long Island.