I don’t think we are dealing with the unknown. There’s plenty of scientific research that points to how technology is rewiring the brains of the young. Just observe wherever you go, all ages are staring at their phones - out to dinner, exercising, the mall, food stores, on the job, walking home from school. Alarmingly, even while on a bicycle and driving their car. A major disconnect seems to be happening. Documenting their lives in pictures instead of actually be present to the experience. I would really be concerned if I were raising children in this day and age. It’s so difficult to moderate behavior when the majority is not. I was exhausted just trying to fight the Nintendo craze. I held firm but it was brutal!
Just read this article, so sorry for the long delayed response....
Good for you Pegeen! My mom refused to let us play video games and we grilled her for it. I thought she was so unfair (although I think a big part of it was the finances, ie we didn't have any money). Now, I'm so grateful my mom did that.
Thanks SEnkey. I understood, that as a parent, my kids would dislike quite a bit of what I felt was important. Luckily, my parenting experience was really fun and fulfilling - even the tough times. Raising my kids was one of the most expansive experiences of my life. They pulled the best out of me and I’m so grateful for that. They still are!
Oh boy. The Nintendo craze! Truly a craze. I’m going to try to find some blogs from the 90s written by parents trying to figure out what to do with Nintendo crazed kids. That was obviously a thing.
I think this may be a little alarmist, but we do need to teach kids about the motives of the creators behind the content they are consuming. When we were fostering we let the kids use computers and watch streaming TV, but not in their rooms, only out in the common areas. We didn't let them have phones until their 14th birthday, but we did allow use of them in their rooms. I'm not sure that was consistent with no computers in the rooms, but anything else would have been impractical to enforce.
I just came across a link to this article in a Reddit thread, and was pleasantly surprised to find it already on Readup.
Still relevant and even more so now in a time of “homeschooling “ A couple Covidtinis for the parents and a Ipad after lunch for the kid just doesn’t cut it as educational. This is research that was done more than a decade ago in Australia. Absolutely no screen time for children under two years then only small amounts after that in order to mitigate the effects of screen time. Happy Reading Everyone.
Moderation is key, but I think the fear is ability to moderate, especially if the brain develops at a very young age a physiological relationship with tech, moderation later in life may be much harder. The fear is the fear of the unknown, which is reasonable to fear I think. Kids have never grown up like this, TV is so different from youtube, and even the types of TV programs being made now are totally different. Something to have a healthy fear of I think
I think that's fair. I guess as a child of video games who learned to moderate, I don't have that much fear on this. But you're right, it's understandable.
So silly and hypocritical that these people who have made so much money from tech are acting like it's the most important thing in the world to keep their kids off tech. I almost have more respect for people like Jason Toff, even though I would never let my 3-year-old on an iPad.
I don’t think we are dealing with the unknown. There’s plenty of scientific research that points to how technology is rewiring the brains of the young. Just observe wherever you go, all ages are staring at their phones - out to dinner, exercising, the mall, food stores, on the job, walking home from school. Alarmingly, even while on a bicycle and driving their car. A major disconnect seems to be happening. Documenting their lives in pictures instead of actually be present to the experience. I would really be concerned if I were raising children in this day and age. It’s so difficult to moderate behavior when the majority is not. I was exhausted just trying to fight the Nintendo craze. I held firm but it was brutal!
Just read this article, so sorry for the long delayed response....
Good for you Pegeen! My mom refused to let us play video games and we grilled her for it. I thought she was so unfair (although I think a big part of it was the finances, ie we didn't have any money). Now, I'm so grateful my mom did that.
Thanks SEnkey. I understood, that as a parent, my kids would dislike quite a bit of what I felt was important. Luckily, my parenting experience was really fun and fulfilling - even the tough times. Raising my kids was one of the most expansive experiences of my life. They pulled the best out of me and I’m so grateful for that. They still are!
Oh boy. The Nintendo craze! Truly a craze. I’m going to try to find some blogs from the 90s written by parents trying to figure out what to do with Nintendo crazed kids. That was obviously a thing.
I think this may be a little alarmist, but we do need to teach kids about the motives of the creators behind the content they are consuming. When we were fostering we let the kids use computers and watch streaming TV, but not in their rooms, only out in the common areas. We didn't let them have phones until their 14th birthday, but we did allow use of them in their rooms. I'm not sure that was consistent with no computers in the rooms, but anything else would have been impractical to enforce.
I just came across a link to this article in a Reddit thread, and was pleasantly surprised to find it already on Readup.
A Nellie Bowles instant classic. This was published a year ago and it’s still spot-on.
Still relevant and even more so now in a time of “homeschooling “ A couple Covidtinis for the parents and a Ipad after lunch for the kid just doesn’t cut it as educational. This is research that was done more than a decade ago in Australia. Absolutely no screen time for children under two years then only small amounts after that in order to mitigate the effects of screen time. Happy Reading Everyone.
EXTREMELY good title.
This article pitches extremes - moderation will be the key, as it always has been.
I hope so ... it is concerning that there is very limited screen time permitted at the Gates, Jobs, and Cook households
Moderation is key, but I think the fear is ability to moderate, especially if the brain develops at a very young age a physiological relationship with tech, moderation later in life may be much harder. The fear is the fear of the unknown, which is reasonable to fear I think. Kids have never grown up like this, TV is so different from youtube, and even the types of TV programs being made now are totally different. Something to have a healthy fear of I think
I think that's fair. I guess as a child of video games who learned to moderate, I don't have that much fear on this. But you're right, it's understandable.
Could not agree more
So silly and hypocritical that these people who have made so much money from tech are acting like it's the most important thing in the world to keep their kids off tech. I almost have more respect for people like Jason Toff, even though I would never let my 3-year-old on an iPad.
The Amish know what's up. No tech for life. :P