Katherine is a
writer & speaker.

She is the author of Childhood Unplugged: Practical Advice to Get Kids Off Screens and Find Balance (2023) and the creator of a fast-growing Substack newsletter called The Analog Family. She is a contributor to the Globe and Mail, Canada’s premier newspaper.

A speaker on behalf of The Anxious Generation, Katherine gives presentations that empower people to limit screen time using a “digital minimalist” philosophy. Her approach is not anti-tech, but full of practical strategies for putting digital media in its rightful place. 

A mother of 3, she offers smart guidance on when to give kids smartphones, how to deal with social pressures, how to give kids more independence, and why we all have a responsibility to solve this collective action problem.

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Katherine inspires people to cut back on screen time in manageable ways. Her nonjudgmental, practical approach encourages families to evaluate the role of digital media in their lives and strive for a healthier balance. Katherine gives in-person and remote talks to groups of all sizes worldwide.

She is represented by Jade Garnett at the Harry Walker Agency. Past clients include McMaster University, Rockford University, Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention, Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Grand Rapids Christian Schools, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Family Services (Poughkeepsie, NY), Oak Harbour District Schools (WA), Waldorf schools.

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Editing & Writing

Katherine is an author, editor, and writer who has written over 4,000 news articles in the past decade. Her writing appears biweekly in her Substack newsletter, The Analog Family, and the Globe and Mail newspaper.

Public Speaking

Katherine makes frequent presentations to community groups, schools, and academic audiences. She is available for bookings worldwide, both in-person and remote.

Media Appearances

Katherine is a regular guest and commentator on TV, radio, and podcast shows on the topic of kids and screens.

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Learn How to Reclaim Childhood From Devices.

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.
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Testimonials

Kerri MinetManager of Marketing and Events, Family Services, Poughkeepsie NY
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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.
Jared ClaybournePrincipal, Sterling High School, Somerdale NJ
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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.
Stacy FinersParent, Vancouver Island, BC
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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.
Loreena McKennittFounder, Stolen Child Project
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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.
David SaxBestselling author, The Revenge of Analog and The Future is Analog
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The passionate, clear-eyed, and thoroughly practical guide every parent needs to fight the good fight against the excesses of digital today.
Dr. Mariana BrussoniProfessor, University of British Columbia | Director, Human Early Learning Partnership
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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.
Angela HanscomAuthor, Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children
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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.
Catherine PriceFounder, ScreenLifeBalance.com, author, How to Break Up with Your Phone
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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.
Outdoor PlayCanada
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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.
Joshua Becker#1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Things That Matter
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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.
Neil PasrichaAuthor, The Book of Awesome series and The Happiness Equation
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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.
Michael HarrisAuthor, Solitude and The End of Absence
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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.
Diane RedleafAuthor, They Took the Kids Last Night: How the Child Protection System Puts Families at Risk, Let Grow Legal Consultant
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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.
Leah FeldmanCEO, Family Services, Poughkeepsie NY
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It was a wonderful discussion! We have been getting so much great feedback! Thank you so much for being part of it.
Ana de LucaParent, Toronto, ON
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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.
ParentOak Harbour, WA
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Katherine's presentation was exactly what I hoped for. She was approachable, encouraging, educated, authentic, measured yet emphatic.
ParentOak Harbour, WA
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I read the Anxious Generation book last summer, so I thought this was a good summary/reminder of a lot of the content from that book. It was also interesting to hear about her personal experiences as a parent, and I felt like she had some helpful applicable tips to apply in my own home.
Linda Åkeson McGurkAuthor, There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather and The Open-Air Life
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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.
ParentOak Harbour, WA
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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.

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