Talk on helping kids thrive in a digital age

For parents worried about their children's attachment to their digital devices, Devorah Heitner has some helpful advice.

Many parents feel that their children are addicted, detached or distracted because of their digital devices. However, media expert Heitner believes technology offers huge potential to children - if parents guide them.

Heitner, author of "Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in the Digital Age," speaks as part of the Glenbard Parent Series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, at Glenbard West High School, 670 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn.

She offers a realistic and optimistic perspective, as well as practical advice to help set young people up for a lifetime of success in a world fueled by technology. Her talk will help parents recognize the wisdom that they have gained throughout their lives is a relevant and urgently needed supplement to their children's digital savvy and to better understand the skills necessary for managing the challenges of parenting in the digital age.

Heitner will discuss techniques to navigate the friendship and identity issues that young people face growing up in the digital age.

Heitner, who is on faculty at Northwestern University, founded Raising Digital Natives to serve as a resource for schools wishing to cultivate a culture of responsible digital citizenship and as a parenting guide on navigating friendships, school and social media.

For information on the presentation, visit glenbardgps.org or contact Gilda Ross, Glenbard District 87 student and community projects coordinator, at (630) 942-7668 or gilda_ross@glenbard.org.