Hello. I'm Katherine, an author & speaker. My goal is to reclaim childhood from screens.

I help parents, educators, and students navigate a hyper-connected world with clarity and confidence. Whether you’re fighting daily phone battles at home, dealing with distraction in the classroom, or trying to find balance as a young person, I offer practical, research-based strategies to turn technology back into a tool, not a toy.

Need a Speaker?

Let’s Work Together!

I offer personalized, engaging talks for your school, community, and workplace. Since my first book, Childhood Unplugged, came out in 2023, I have given 70+ keynotes across North America and spoken on behalf of Jonathan Haidt/NYU’s Anxious Generation campaign. Talks and workshops can be in-person or virtual, and are always tailored to the audience.

Keynote topics include:

Primary/Junior: “The Joy of Offline Play” — A story-driven session exploring creativity, outdoor play, and building healthy offline habits from a young age.
Middle/High School: “Algorithms, Attention and Autonomy” — A non-preachy exploration of smartphone dynamics, app design traps, social pressures, and reclaiming personal focus.
Teachers: “Managing the Screen-Distracted Classroom” — Practical strategies for handling personal smart tech in schools, reevaluating the role of educational technology, and fostering deep cognitive focus among students.
Parents: “The Analog Family Blueprint: Navigating Tech Battles With Empathy & Authority” — How to collaborate constructively with parents to reinforce healthy screen use habits at home.

Past clients include the McLellan Foundation, Corewell Health, McMaster University, Rockford University, Waldorf schools, Family Services, Canopy Children’s Solutions, CHI St Joseph’s Health, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Michigan Medical Society Alliance, Outdoor Discovery Center, Canopy Children’s Solutions, Oak Harbor District Schools, Grand Rapids Christian Schools, Stanwood-Camano School District, and many others.

Costs vary and are established collaboratively. Please reach out to start the conversation. All inquiries welcome.

NEW BOOK, COMING NOVEMBER 2026

Hold the Phone: How Parents Can Rescue Their Kids From Too Much Screen Time

WITH FOREWORD BY JEAN M. TWENGE, PHD

Smartphones and devices are reshaping childhood. Hold the Phone empowers parents to rescue their kids from digital overload. Set firm limits, walk back harmful tech use, and end daily battles over screen time by reclaiming parental authority, modelling healthy tech habits, and prioritizing in-person interactions.

READ THE BOOK

Childhood Unplugged: Practical Advice to Get Kids Off Screens and Find Balance

Screens are everywhere. Children spend an average of 7.5 hours on digital devices every day with profoundly negative consequences. While some tech may “amplify” real-life experiences, the vast majority undermines it by limiting physical activity, creating anxiety, or damaging self-esteem. Childhood Unplugged takes a bold approach to creating healthy boundaries around the use of digital media.

Testimonials

I started following Katherine Martinko's excellent writing soon after The Anxious Generation was published. I eventually invited her to be one of the few speakers that my team recommends when we get speaker requests. In Hold the Phone, Martinko synthesizes her years of research and public speaking to inspire parents with compelling imagery and a clear message: The threats to our children from digital tech are serious and ever-changing, yet we parents have more agency than we realize. Hold the Phone will strengthen your resolve while arming you with ideas for giving your kids a healthy real-world childhood.

Hold the Phone is a timely and highly readable guide to helping families rethink their relationship with technology. Martinko weaves personal stories with credible science, offering practical, achievable advice without judgment or alarmism. Relatable, thoughtful, and refreshingly down-to-earth, this is a book families can actually use.

This is the book I've been waiting for. What forensically good sense. Thank you, Katherine.

Katherine Martinko’s presentation at the Julesburg School District was an eye-opening wake-up call for everyone in attendance. Katherine exposed the risks associated with screen time both at school and at home. Her practical advice arms parents with actionable strategies to reclaim family time and foster a healthy digital lifestyle.

Katherine Martinko’s presentation was engaging and deeply practical. She offered clear, realistic guidance for families navigating screen time, grounding her advice in strategies parents can actually implement at home. As a mother herself, Katherine brought authenticity and personal insight that made her guidance feel real, relatable, and attainable. She was personable and direct, creating an atmosphere where parents felt heard, validated, and supported rather than judged. Attendees left informed, encouraged, and empowered with concrete next steps. For schools seeking a thoughtful, effective partner in addressing the growing challenges of phone and screen use among students, Katherine is an ideal resource. Her presentation struck an ideal balance between research, honesty, lived experience, and empathy, making it incredibly valuable for our school community.

I applaud you for being a true professional and wonderful speaker. The community really appreciated the information and I think the way you spoke was in such a way that connected with many families who are not directly involved in education and are not having these conversations on a daily basis. Sometimes, as educators we forget that parents don't have the access to all of the information we have. Oftentimes, parents are in the dark and have no one to compare their experiences to or relate to. We see students from all walks of life and and from households of all different parenting styles so, as parents ourselves, we are resourceful and have anecdotal experience of what works and what doesn't. With that said, parents need more exposure to this information from passionate individuals like you.

Katherine was flexible, professional, and easy to communicate with throughout the planning process. Her presentation was engaging, insightful, and highly relevant in today’s digital world. Parents found the session incredibly valuable, gaining practical strategies to support healthy technology habits at home. I would highly recommend bringing Katherine and her important message to your organization or network.

Katherine is an exceptional speaker whose visit to our school left a meaningful and lasting impact on students, staff, and families. Her insights from Childhood Unplugged were grounded in research, authenticity, and real‑world relevance, helping our community reflect deeply on screen habits and the value of reclaiming presence. Katherine connected effortlessly with learners of all ages, inviting thoughtful questions, inspiring honest self‑reflection, and encouraging practical steps toward a more balanced digital life. I highly recommend Katherine as a presenter for any school or organization seeking to spark important conversations about technology, wellbeing, and intentional living.

Thank you again for coming to speak to our district! As a school employee, mom, and high school coach, it was very impactful. At one point, you said, “I give you permission!” regarding setting boundaries around technology for our kiddos, and that statement was so powerful to me. It is important to hear supportive words like that, to reassure us that we are doing the right thing.

Katherine’s talk was thoughtful, inspiring, and deeply relevant for families today. She spoke with warmth and authenticity. Rather than making parents feel judged, Katherine offered simple, hopeful ways to rethink childhood and create opportunities for kids to grow in confidence and resilience in today’s digital age. It was a wonderful evening of reflection and connection, and we were honored to host her.

Thank you both so much for your time and energy last night. I’ve received some really wonderful feedback, and it means a lot to see such a positive response. I’m really glad we were able to start this important conversation together. A step in the right direction! Katherine, I’ll tell everyone about you! You’re doing amazing work!

The entire presentation was so excellent and so helpful to myself personally and to so many of our families.

Katherine, thank you so very much for your presentation. While it is hard for parents to face the realities of today; it’s absolutely crucial we hear the voices warning us of this new age in parenting. Thank you for coming all this way and delivering such a powerful message to the parents and administrators in our community. The parents who came were moved. It was an honor for Champions for Childhood to be formally incorporated into the same event where you were the main feature, to be called out on the stage where you spoke.

Katherine Martinko was a wonderful guest and was well received by the students in her classroom visits. Her passion and expertise shone through in every interaction and response. I had the honor of being her guide for the day, and I can confidently say that she is a valuable resource for individuals and families who want to take back their control of technology. As a trained performer, I also appreciated how brilliantly her public speech was formed and delivered.

Katherine Martinko is a well-researched author and thoughtful speaker in person. The truth about children and screentime is precisely articulated in Katherine Martinko’s book and is sure to make an impact, not only on many young minds, but on society as a whole. If we are to get our youth (and parents) in a good headspace about screens and the social media dumbing effect, Martinko and her book would be a great place to start.

Katherine, thank you so very much for your presentation. While it is hard for parents to face the realities of today; it’s absolutely crucial we hear the voices warning us of this new age in parenting. I appreciate your straightforward and unapologetic approach. Your agency in parenting is contagious, and candid words cut straight through the garbled excuses. I knew having you into our district was the right choice.

Katherine was very personable and transparent with my students and their questions. She gave hope that digital minimalism can happen while painting a real picture of the effects of digital use. I liked that she added some evidence-based research in her discussion. Students are still discussing her presentation in assignments. I would love to have her talk every semester to my students!!!

Katherine Martinko’s workshop on cell phone dependency/addiction was enlightening. She was clear in presenting the extreme problems we face as a world if we continue to allow children to have unlimited 24/7 access to the internet for entertainment, or for the purpose of babysitting. I recommend Mrs. Martinko to any organization, public education system, or parent group seeking a way to save the imagination of our children.

It was a wonderful discussion! We have been getting so much great feedback! Thank you so much for being part of it!

Katherine delivered a compelling presentation on the importance of digital minimalism, shedding light on the impact technology can have on our children and teens. Her insights were thought provoking and left our audience inspired to create healthier tech habits for both themselves and their families!

It was such a joy to get to meet Katherine and have her share her knowledge and gifts with so many of us here in Grand Rapids. She came in with warmth and grace, and we had so much fun getting to be a part of such a special event.

Thank you for a wonderful session. It was the most well-attended session we’ve had to date!

I think the keynote presented some great information about our students in the current generation. I think the information was insightful and a bit concerning. It really helped bring up the question of how do we help the whole child with the current technology flooding these kids lives while still providing them with the opportunities for a successful future.

Katherine delivered a compelling presentation on the importance of digital minimalism, shedding light on the impact technology can have on our children and teens. Her insights were thought-provoking and left our audience inspired to create healthier tech habits for both themselves and their families.

We are getting amazing feedback from our staff on your presentation!! Your words were compassionate and convicting, where we all took something away to apply at home and in the classroom.

While it is hard for parents to face the realities of today, it’s absolutely crucial we hear the voices warning us of this new age in parenting. I appreciate Katherine's straightforward and unapologetic approach. Her agency in parenting is contagious, and candid words cut straight through the garbled excuses. I knew having Katherine into our district was the right choice.

Katherine Martinko has written a treatise no parent should miss. How do we protect and enhance the humanity of our children in an age where they’ve been so recklessly bombarded with unfettered technology? This is a must-read book for parents in our time.

The passionate, clear-eyed, and thoroughly practical guide every parent needs to fight the good fight against the excesses of digital today.

Martinko has written a must-read for parents struggling with screen time (all of us!). Her well-researched book shows the urgent need to free kids from screens and release them into the outdoors. She offers frazzled parents achievable practical advice rooted in the challenges of parenting today.

Martinko expertly and urgently takes us deeper into the hidden horrors of too much screen time on the growing child. Then she throws us all a life preserver with the most practical, gentle advice I’ve seen.

Katherine Martinko makes the case that not only is a screen-free childhood possible, but reducing our children’s time on screen is essential for their hap- piness, sanity, and health. Thoroughly researched and beautifully written, it should be mandatory reading for all parents.

Martinko provides an in-depth, well-researched guide filled with reflections on her own journey with (but of course mostly without!) screens, and the joy she has experienced from “unplugging.” A useful guide for those keen to begin their own screen-free journey.

Real-world tools for parents to declutter their minds and set up safeguards to put themselves in control of digital technology. A digital minimalist’s must-have guide to launching your kids into a life of real connectedness and authenticity.

We must see and bust free of endlessly oppressive algorithmically derived digital shackles and learn, or relearn, how to carve our own paths. The prize is rich, intentional lives full of freedom, connection, and love. Let Katherine and Childhood Unplugged be one of your guides.

It takes an enormous effort to show our kids the world beyond their screens, but Katherine Martinko teaches us how to get it done in this practical, em- pathetic, and fascinating new guide.

If you want to prepare your kids for a future that will demand every bit of cre- ativity, compassion, and problem-solving skills humanity can muster, Martinko’s new book will help you take away all the devices that hold them in thrall.

It was a wonderful discussion! We have been getting so much great feedback! Thank you so much for being part of it.

Your presentation was extremely engaging. You outline the harms clearly, without shying away from just how bad the situation is, but do so without panic and while staying focused on solutions. Your non-judgmental approach to what we now know to be the mistake of giving kids access to digital technologies for entertainment and connection is just what is needed.

Katherine's presentation was exactly what I hoped for. She was approachable, encouraging, educated, authentic, measured yet emphatic.

In an age defined by hyper-digitalization and screen-time overload, Katherine Martinko offers a radical alternative by ditching the electronic devices and giving her children a play-filled, outdoorsy, analog childhood. [This] is the rallying cry we have been waiting for.

I think the keynote presented some great information about our students in the current generation. I think the information was insightful and a bit concerning. It really helped bring up the question of how do we help the whole child with the current technology flooding these kids' lives, while still providing them with the opportunities for a successful future.

Kids Literacy Collective was very proud to host author, keynote speaker, and expert panel member Katherine Johnson Martinko to our Calgary Childhood Unplugged event. She highlighted compelling research and shared practical strategies to help families navigate screen use in today’s digital world. We strongly recommend others to bring her important and timely messages to your community so children can be safe from online harms.

Thank you both so much for your time and energy last night. I’ve received some really wonderful feedback, and it means a lot to see such a positive response. I’m really glad we were able to start this important conversation together. A step in the right direction! Katherine, I'll tell everyone about you! You're doing amazing work!

Thank you again for coming to speak to our district! As a school employee, mom, and high school coach, it was very impactful. At one point, you said "I give you permission!" regarding setting boundaries around technology for our kiddos, and that statement was so powerful to me. It is important to hear supportive words like that, to reassure us that we are doing the right thing.

Katherine Martinko was an incredibly engaging and thoughtful voice for our community. Her insights sparked meaningful conversation and left attendees feeling both encouraged and empowered.