What has been done to encourage children to get less addicted to technologies?

I love this topic… I think it’s extremely important for people to realize that technology can be a bad thing and needs to be used in moderation.

I think it’s up to the parents to encourage family time, appreciation of nature, reading books (kindle doesn’t count), etc. I’m not sure if I’ve seen any existing initiatives or programs to do this. We definitely don’t need government involved in this issue.

Everyone would have to move to the country like Arkansas or North Dakota where people can live without it. The reason kids get into it is because we live in a more modern society where even parents use it and kids copy parents and everyone else around them.

I have to point to the parents on this one.

Your child’s behavior is your responsibility.

Honestly, technology is just going to keep getting better and better. Kids are going to want the newest and coolest computers, phones, iPods, etc. I don’t think that’s generally a bad thing. Not all technology is bad (I know you’re not saying it is). It’s really just about time management and making sure the kids are not spending too much time messing around on the internet or with technological whatnots.

and like @Captain_Fantasy said. The parents have a lot to do with this too. If you don’t want kids spending too much time doing whatever, or browsing certain sites, do what you have to do to make sure they don’t.

Nothing is being done on a societal level. It needs grassroots organizations that promote healthy non-technology-based lifestyles.

Parents may individually do stuff, but they are fighting an uphill battle to do it on their own.

Is there any research suggesting a) that there is a point at which use of technology is excessive, b) that children have passed this point, and c) what the resulting harms are?

We blamed TV for muddling our children’s minds, and yet our children are still more knowledgeable about the world than we were at that age. They understand more. I can’t compare maturity because I don’t know what it is nor how to measure it.

We were again video games, and yet now games are a larger section of the economy than movies (maybe even than movies and tv and any other form of entertainment). The kids who played way back when are the super-rich game executives today.

I don’t know. Is use of technology bad? If so, which technologies? I mean, hammers are a technology—is that bad? Can we say there is too much hammering?

Even if it’s bad, when is it addiction? I don’t know any of these things, but I do agree with those who say it is the parents’ responsibility.

Common sense and good parental guidance go a long way.

I’d be more worried about my kids becoming addicted to alcohol or drugs than technology. But that said parents should be able to control and monitor the amount of time spent on the computer or gaming. There should be time alloted for outdoor exercise as well.

What can be done? What has been done? These questions are asked in passive voice. What have you done? Are you a parent? If you are, it’s up to you, don’t sit back and wait with the ”somebody should do something” mindset. If you are not a parent, maybe you have time to do some research. I’ve seen a few studies and the results are mixed. Maybe you have the time to lobby for some legislation.

Here are some problems:

Some of the most obvious negative influences of technology include the lack of social skills, anti-social behaviour, stress, obesity and diet, lack of exercise, access to porn, etc.

To whom are these things obvious? To the aged who wince when seeing change or to the younger people who are actually being affected by the technology that’s decried?

I see little relationship between lack of social skills and any “technology”. If there is relationship then it’s only corollary, and weakly.

Anti-social behavior shouldn’t even be considered. Most of what technology (e.g., the Internet, cell phones, etc.) is used for today is social behavior. It’s not the same social behavior you experienced, but it’s still social behavior.

I don’t know about stress. Most people I know play video games and go on the Internet to relieve stress. Most people I know play video games only with other people, too.

I’ll grant you obesity, but you can’t blame technology for that. You can only blame yourself as a parent.

Otherwise you mention pornography. For a long time now kids who wanted to get their hands on pornography have been able to do so. Nothing stopped them before computers. You say it’s more easily accessed now, and that’s true because it’s all in one place. But it’s also more easily controlled because it’s all in one place. If a kid wants to look at porn, he can, unless his parents want (really want) to prevent him from doing so. The bigger problem though is the assumption that the kid is somehow being hurt by access to porn. That’s simply not true. If he’s curious enough to look for it, then he’s probably fine with finding it.

Then you ask some ridiculous questions:

What could be done to make children healthier and more intelligent?

A lot of things (my first idea was eugenics). I don’t understand the myth that because of technology, children are dumber today than… when? What’s the comparison? Like most generations, this one is more intelligent than the preceding. And contra typical Ludditic reactions, it’s largely because of the Internet. Taking away a kid’s access to the Internet or other technologies won’t make him smarter. It will only help him to fall behind his classmates and peers who do have access.

What has already been done to prevent children from spending their afternoon in front of the computer? Any revolutionary products?

Does parenting count as a product? As revolutionary?

I don’t understand the other two questions, especially not the last one.

@silverfly: I think it’s up to the parents to encourage family time, appreciation of nature, reading books (kindle doesn’t count), etc.

Wait, why doesn’t the Kindle count? Because it’s not made of paper? Because it’s too convenient? This seems ridiculous to me.

@marinelife: It needs grassroots organizations that promote healthy non-technology-based lifestyles.

There is no such thing as a “healthy non-technology-based lifestyle”.

@absalom I was really with you right up until your last statement. I beg to differ with the example of the Amish. They are certainly non technology based, and I’d consider them as healthy a group of people as one could find anywhere. There is something to be said for going to bed when the sun goes down and living by the sweat of ones brow. Otherwise, your answer is awesome! Lurve!

@absalom Bravo! Very good post!

@Trillian The Amish are not a non-technology lifestyle. We haven’t had a non-technology lifestyle since the first proto-human picked up a rock and used it to open an oyster or something. Since then it’s just been an issue of advancing technology. The Amish have chosen to semi-fix their technology to certain items, but they have been incorporating some new things, and they definitely use more old-fashioned tech.

There needs to be NO social programs for this. Totally unnecessary if the parents are doing their jobs as parents. People are far too quick to push blame and responsibility off to 3rd parties. If your teenager is addicted to the computer, you take care of your own house. That’s your job.

No government babysitting please nor is it a good thing to have watchdog groups making sure everyone is doing only what they approve of.

I can see that @absalom makes some very good points, but it seems to me you are all generalising about American society, and not taking into account the bigger picture. In Asia there have been severe problems associated with addiction to computer use and gaming. Here in South Korea, there was one recent case of a baby who died of starvation and neglect due to her parents’ gaming addiction. They were too busy taking care of an ‘online child’ to notice or care that their real life child lay dying. In another case, a young man was found dead in a 24 hour internet cafe, as he had apparently neglected to eat, drink or even leave his computer station for 49 hours. I defy anyone who tries to tell me this is not a social problem; it is as much a social problem as any other addiction, at least here in Asia. In a recent study, 40 percent of males in South Korea have been found to be addicted to computer games.

In reaction to this problem, the South Korean government recently announced a curfew on gaming for minors. You can also read about it here. I believe they already have similar measures in place in Japan. All this my sound a safe distance away from the U.S., but with the popularity of internet gaming on the rise, I don’t think you can dismiss computer addiction as a serious threat to young people in our society.

I don’t really care what companies do. I am the only mother my kids have, so it befalls me to make sure to spray the sunblock and get their asses outside to play. Like today, they went to the park. Not a Gameboy or DS anywhere. I’m sure Nintendo doesn’t like my parenting decisions, but I don’t live for them. When I was a kid in the care of my grandparents, I spent all day long outside and then caught fire flies at night. I was exhausted by the time bedtime rolled around. And yeah, filthy nasty, too, but still. I managed to survive just fine on Bactine and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And “outside” is still there, waiting for the children.

I’d show my kids the recent history of what used to be called 3rd countries that gave us brilliant minds, technologies and advances. I’d show my kids more recently how those same countries are now handicapped with growing obesity and brain drain from video game addiction. I’d tell my kid they have ample opportunity for what they want by their own efforts and health but also the self destructiveness of others who once held advantage.

Parents now have their own Facebook pages, and want to be their kids friends.

NOT COOL MOM!!!!

Parents telling their kids, hey, we need to talk. Or, hey, look this is our vacation spot. Let’s take some board games along. And so forth.

In short: offering fun alternatives. Ever watched your kids fall in love with the board game called Settlers of Catan? It’s a huge hit in Europe.

@absalom Kindle doesn’t count because it’s not the same as holding a book. I think there’s something to be said for the tangible… the smell of the paper, the flipping of the pages, the folds of your pages as bookmarks. These small nuances are irreplaceable by technology and I think they’re important. Time, energy, love, and effort went into printing a book and I think it should be cherished. You could argue the same for the Kindle, but let’s be real: It was built to make make money; it’s not someone’s work of art.