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The ultimate teen guide to digital wellbeing and living your best life – offline and on!
“Over the last two decades I've watched emerging technologies morph from tools into manipulative masters. My work on digital wellbeing, tech ethics, artifical intelligence and responsible technology is all about putting you, me, and the next generation back in the driving seat.”
Tanya Goodin
Tanya is a bestselling author, pioneering thinker and campaigner on tech ethics and digital wellbeing, founder of the digital detox movement Time to Log Off and host of the ‘It’s Complicated’ podcast. Her game-changing books on our relationship with technology, ‘My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open’, ‘Off’and ‘Stop Staring at Screens’, are published in ten languages worldwide.
She hasn’t always been a ‘digital canary’. As an award-winning digital entrepreneur and instinctive trend spotter, Tanya spent two decades running one of Britain’s first digital businesses. Her new mission is to make today’s tech issues accessible to users and consumers, so they can consciously manage their digital lives.
Tanya is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a graduate of the University of Oxford, a digital detox expert, and an expert in the field of tech-life balance. She is currently reading for a Masters in Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics at the University of Cambridge.
Tanya is a regular public speaker and media commentator – helping a global audience forge a healthier, happier relationship with digital devices.
Tanya is an expert commentator on tech ethics, digital detox, a digital wellbeing expert, commentator on screens and children, digital addiction, tech dependency and work-life balance and has been featured on these, and many other, major broadcast platforms and print publications.
THINKING
Tanya writes here on tech ethics, AI, digital wellbeing, digital detox, Big Tech, screen-life balance, cybersafety, social media and mental health, persuasive tech, the attention economy and other topical issues related to the digital world.
Digital Youth Index Reveals UK Online Experiences
The UK’s annual Digital Youth Index reveals young internet users’ perceptions of their internet safety and digital wellbeing.
The Biggest Problem With DeepFakes isn’t The DeepFakes
The threat from deepfakes may not be how good they are, but that their existence undermines trust in news, playing into the hands of agents of misinformation.
Understanding Kids in the Metaverse
The merging of physical and digital for kids in the Metaverse is fraught with potential risks. The digital world was not designed for children.
Algorithms and A Levels
The use of an algorithm to award A Level grades in the UK highlighted problems of algorithmic accountability, transparency and ethics.
TikTok’s deadly challenges
Children are taking part in TikTok’s viral challenges; encouraging them to perform harmful, criminal, and sometimes deadly acts.
The battery life of your phone could affect your loan application
Is how often you drain your phone battery a good indicator of your credit worthiness? Lack of algorithmic transparency in financial services means we may not know.
BOOKS
Tanya is the author of three books on our complicated relationship with technology: ‘My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open’, ‘Off.’ and ‘Stop Staring at Screens’ are all out now.
My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open
“Highly readable…attainable and realistic ways to reduce technology use and alleviate the burdens it can place on us as individuals and on our relationships.”
OFF: Your Digital Detox for a Better Life
“She presents simple ideas alongside practical suggestions for how to implement them – leaving you inspired and motivated by the end.”
Stop Staring at Screens!
“Perhaps the best compliment I can pay this is that as soon as I started reading this, my 13-year-old son started looking over my shoulder, and in short order said, “I want to read this as soon as you’re done. And I want to do this.” ”
KIND WORDS
Tanya is both a digital detox expert and a digital wellbeing expert and speaks at public events, in workplaces, and at schools and colleges on digital detox, digital wellbeing and tech-life balance.
"Tanya is a joy to work with. She is an expert in the field of tech-life balance, a subject that is relevant for all employees to be reflecting about in today’s fast-paced connected world. Tanya delivered a session for International Women’s Week that resonated across 20 markets and different job roles. As a client, I found Tanya to be flexible, evidence-based, credible – but most importantly – she made us laugh."
Talent & Diversity Senior Manager, Vodafone
"I've had the pleasure of having Tanya speak twice now for me in a corporate setting and both times she has been exceptional. Her ability to command an audience and bring stories to life is second to none. Her talks are engaging and very relevant. I would have no hesitation in recommending her as a speaker and am looking forward to future engagements."
Head of Information Security
"The feedback from Tanya’s digital detox keynote at our client dinner has been excellent. It was definitely an enjoyable evening for all who attended. I was asked a few times – “How did you find Tanya? She was so good, she pitched it at just the right level”. Others were sure it was going to be anti-tech and were pleasantly surprised. She really made the evening memorable."
Managing Director, Aon
"We have had fantastic feedback from Tanya’s ‘Digital Wellbeing’ talk, I think she got a lot of people thinking and her presentation style was amazing – natural and engaging.”
Executive Director, Nomura
"What can I say about Tanya? We couldn’t have asked for a better presenter for a topic like digital detox, which is so relevant to most adults. Tanya is insightful, fun, full of content and makes her points in a very effective and thought-provoking way. She had her audience’s attention throughout with her easy presenting style and left very practical and achievable tips to improve our wellbeing, as well as pushing across some bigger challenges. I would have no hesitation in recommending Tanya for content/presentations on this topic."
-Managing Director, Standard Chartered Bank
"Tanya´s combination of science, research, guidance and advice was clear, accessible, fascinating and entertaining. Feedback from our colleagues has been very positive and many of our teams are now using that advice to improve their work environment and interaction. An hour spent in Tanya´s company was a great investment, and I have no hesitation in recommending her to other companies and organizations.”
Head of Corporate Affairs, Siemens Gamesa
“Tanya spoke at our General Counsel Forum to our senior clients on digital wellbeing. She engaged very effectively with what could potentially have been a cynical or challenging audience and delivered a serious message in a relaxed manner, generating a range of questions and demonstrating her depth of knowledge through Q&As. She was most definitely a hit and I have no hesitation in recommending her.”
Partner, Eversheds Sutherland
“Tanya came to talk to our Global HR Leaders Conference about digital wellbeing. We worked together effectively to tailor some great content which we are now using as the cornerstone of our internal Digital Balance proposition. Tanya’s delivery and knowledge of the subject, and effervescent personality, really helped us gain huge support in our journey to being an organisation with a holistic view on wellbeing.”
Director, Safety and Wellbeing, Vodafone
“Tanya recently spoke at an event for the Royal Society for Public Health on social media and young people’s mental health. She is a great speaker in the digital space, with credibility, long expertise and excellent delivery. She was also really good on a panel answering questions from the audience. I would highly recommend her as a speaker.”
CEO, Royal Society for Public Health
"Tanya gave a superb talk on "digital detoxing" to our virtual partners' conference. The audience is traditionally a sceptical one, to put it mildly. Tanya was excellent. Her delivery was calm, measured and well judged and her content first class. The talk at our virtual networking after the conference was of little else. We have all been doing our best to bear Tanya's advice in mind and to put some of her tips into practice - with, inevitably, varying degrees of success. It can sometimes be a little too glib to give a glowing online recommendation, but I would thoroughly recommend Tanya. Her presentation was thoughtful, practical, well crafted and intelligently made."
Deputy Senior Partner, Russell-Cooke Solicitors
"Tanya is a joy to work with. She is an expert in the field of tech-life balance, a subject that is relevant for all employees to be reflecting about in today’s fast-paced connected world. Tanya delivered a session for International Women’s Week that resonated across 20 markets and different job roles. As a client, I found Tanya to be flexible, evidence-based, credible – but most importantly – she made us laugh."
Talent & Diversity Senior Manager, Vodafone
"I've had the pleasure of having Tanya speak twice now for me in a corporate setting and both times she has been exceptional. Her ability to command an audience and bring stories to life is second to none. Her talks are engaging and very relevant. I would have no hesitation in recommending her as a speaker and am looking forward to future engagements."
Head of Information Security
"The feedback from Tanya’s digital detox keynote at our client dinner has been excellent. It was definitely an enjoyable evening for all who attended. I was asked a few times – “How did you find Tanya? She was so good, she pitched it at just the right level”. Others were sure it was going to be anti-tech and were pleasantly surprised. She really made the evening memorable."
Managing Director, Aon
"We have had fantastic feedback from Tanya’s ‘Digital Wellbeing’ talk, I think she got a lot of people thinking and her presentation style was amazing – natural and engaging.”
Executive Director, Nomura
"What can I say about Tanya? We couldn’t have asked for a better presenter for a topic like digital detox, which is so relevant to most adults. Tanya is insightful, fun, full of content and makes her points in a very effective and thought-provoking way. She had her audience’s attention throughout with her easy presenting style and left very practical and achievable tips to improve our wellbeing, as well as pushing across some bigger challenges. I would have no hesitation in recommending Tanya for content/presentations on this topic."
-Managing Director, Standard Chartered Bank
"Tanya´s combination of science, research, guidance and advice was clear, accessible, fascinating and entertaining. Feedback from our colleagues has been very positive and many of our teams are now using that advice to improve their work environment and interaction. An hour spent in Tanya´s company was a great investment, and I have no hesitation in recommending her to other companies and organizations.”
Head of Corporate Affairs, Siemens Gamesa
“Tanya spoke at our General Counsel Forum to our senior clients on digital wellbeing. She engaged very effectively with what could potentially have been a cynical or challenging audience and delivered a serious message in a relaxed manner, generating a range of questions and demonstrating her depth of knowledge through Q&As. She was most definitely a hit and I have no hesitation in recommending her.”
Partner, Eversheds Sutherland
“Tanya came to talk to our Global HR Leaders Conference about digital wellbeing. We worked together effectively to tailor some great content which we are now using as the cornerstone of our internal Digital Balance proposition. Tanya’s delivery and knowledge of the subject, and effervescent personality, really helped us gain huge support in our journey to being an organisation with a holistic view on wellbeing.”
Director, Safety and Wellbeing, Vodafone
“Tanya recently spoke at an event for the Royal Society for Public Health on social media and young people’s mental health. She is a great speaker in the digital space, with credibility, long expertise and excellent delivery. She was also really good on a panel answering questions from the audience. I would highly recommend her as a speaker.”
CEO, Royal Society for Public Health
"Tanya gave a superb talk on "digital detoxing" to our virtual partners' conference. The audience is traditionally a sceptical one, to put it mildly. Tanya was excellent. Her delivery was calm, measured and well judged and her content first class. The talk at our virtual networking after the conference was of little else. We have all been doing our best to bear Tanya's advice in mind and to put some of her tips into practice - with, inevitably, varying degrees of success. It can sometimes be a little too glib to give a glowing online recommendation, but I would thoroughly recommend Tanya. Her presentation was thoughtful, practical, well crafted and intelligently made."
Deputy Senior Partner, Russell-Cooke Solicitors
PODCAST
‘It’s Complicated’ launched in 2019 and has just finished streaming Series Seven. The digital detox podcast features Tanya chatting to an inspiring group of celebrities, academics and experts to find out how they can help us with our complicated relationship with our smartphones.
S7 Ep 2 Max Benwell
Journalist Max Benwell found himself caught up in a catfisher’s games in rather an unusual way. He chats to Tanya about how he tracked the catfisher down, what he learned about catfishing in the process and how it’s changed his relationship with tech.
S7 Ep 1 Rory Cellan-Jones
Rory Cellan-Jones, Former BBC Technology Correspondent, launches Series Seven of ‘It’s Complicated’ talking about his book ‘Always On: Hope and Fear in the Social Smartphone Era‘. He chats about his 15 years at the coalface of the digital revolution, his thoughts on the Big Tech founders’ culpability, and his optimism for a brand new health tech era.
S6 Ep 9 Vex King
Vex King returns as It’s Complicated’s first ever returning guest; to talk about how healing ourselves from pain and trauma – developing better self-awareness as a result – is going to help all of us develop a healthier, happier, relationship with social media and the digital world.