Sam had been out of school for a week and was already, in his words, “so bored,” despite the thoughtful logistics his parents had put in place to prevent exactly that. One afternoon, he pestered his granddad into letting him play with his iPad for the 30 minutes allowed for such activity. When time was up and his grandad took back the iPad, “He whined like a Sam I did not recognize!”

Alarmed at this display of “device addiction” (his nonprofessional diagnosis), Sam’s granddad brainstormed with his son and daughter-in-law about alternatives, and suggested taking Sam to the library to participate in the annual summer reading program in an effort to help “de-screen him.” The program involved some of Sam’s buddies from school—the social aspect was appealing—and he had learned to enjoy “library dates” with his grandma the year before, so........

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