A comprehensive resource on a topic that interests many parents. Will prove essential for parents of children in the elementary through teenage years.  Heitner indicates that a fear-based approach leads to children feeling distrusted. She believes conversation is a wiser strategy than reading texts, though she acknowledges that tracking can feel easier than building trust and having challenging discussions. She also addresses parents’ own social media usage, or “sharenting,” which can cause college pressure, social embarrassment, and discouragement in their children. The book addresses neurodiversity, mental health, and sex and gender identity.

— Library Journal, Starred Review

“Parents would do well to heed Devorah’s advice to stop agonizing about their kids going viral for the wrong reasons and focus instead on helping them figure out who they really are.”

— Jessica Lahey, New York Times bestselling author of The Gift of Failure

“A must-read for every parent, Growing Up in Public brilliantly guides us in how to use conversations with our kids about the digital world as opportunities to develop their character and deepen our relationship with them. Emphasizing the importance of our children feeling seen instead of watched, mentored instead of monitored, this book is all at once a roadmap for preventing digital problems, a resource for what to do when things go wrong, and a crash course in how to empower our kids to become responsible, independent, and thoughtful digital citizens.”

— Tina Payne Bryson, LCSW, PhD, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Whole-Brain Child

“With empathy and insight, Devorah Heitner sheds light on how parents’ scrutiny and monitoring of teenagers can intensify the stress of growing up with social media. We need to listen to kids to understand the ways they are re-writing the rules about what we share about ourselves. This is essential reading for anyone who cares about kids and teens.”

— Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

“Every parent needs this book! Growing Up in Public is the smart, frank, and compassionate advice we need so we can protect our kids from the land mines they face in a digital world. Heitner levels up our understanding, delivers us from fear, and empowers us to confidently mentor our kids.”

— Julie Lythcott-Haims, New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult

“Devorah Heitner really gets why young people deserve privacy, respect, and autonomy. She translates teens’ social and technology landscape for parents so they can help their children thrive. Her focus on character instead of the threat of consequences is a rare antidote to the fear-based parenting that so many others have espoused.”

— Rosalind Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of Queen Bees and Wannabes

“Growing Up Public is a book for our times, helping you balance your impulse to protect your children with their fundamental needs to create their identities, develop independence, and learn to successfully manage the powerful technologies that are interwoven in their lives. Dr. Heitner shares how to do so in ways that bolster your most potent parenting tool: your relationship with your child.”

— Ned Johnson, coauthor of The Self-Driven Child

“Heitner’s approach to raising kids in our hyper-connected world is empowering and reassuring. With each page, I felt more confident, less worried, and more aware of what our kids are grappling with. Best of all, now we have the tools to meaningfully connect and support our kids.”

— Michelle Icard, author of Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen