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Store Your Knowledge at the Brain Bank!
Allow Screen Time, But Have 'Joint Media Engagement'
Summary - Link to NPR interview with professor who believes we should not be teaching our kids abstinence when it comes to technology. Instead, we should allow screen time, while implementing the Socratic method of learning to train our kids how to think about technology in the world.
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Allow your kids to use technology. They will need to be savvy with technology in order to succeed in relationships, at a job, and in life. So teaching them to hate or stay away from phones and computers is not only fruitless, but it is also detrimental to their success in life.
However, just allowing a kid to play video games and watch YouTube is not the answer either. You must interact with your kid about what they are watching or playing. Ask them questions about the videos they watch and video games they play.
Truly get involved by, for instance, watching them play a game. If you think something is stupid in the game, ask them why they think it is entertaining and don't allow 'I don't know' for an answer.
If they are watching those terrible box unpacking videos, explain to them that the kid opening the box is just doing it because he is being paid by a corporation. On subsequent videos, quiz them on what companies they think are backing a video they are watching.
This Socratic method of teaching (asking questions), forces kids to think about what they are doing, to analyze costs and benefits, and then make decisions based on the resulting analysis.
The idea is to teach kids how to think. Then they will learn how to stay safe. They will learn how to act with their devices in certain social circumstances.
For instance, at the dinner table they cannot use their mobile device to play games, but they can use it to reference google for an answer to a debate you are having at the table.
However, just allowing a kid to play video games and watch YouTube is not the answer either. You must interact with your kid about what they are watching or playing. Ask them questions about the videos they watch and video games they play.
Truly get involved by, for instance, watching them play a game. If you think something is stupid in the game, ask them why they think it is entertaining and don't allow 'I don't know' for an answer.
If they are watching those terrible box unpacking videos, explain to them that the kid opening the box is just doing it because he is being paid by a corporation. On subsequent videos, quiz them on what companies they think are backing a video they are watching.
This Socratic method of teaching (asking questions), forces kids to think about what they are doing, to analyze costs and benefits, and then make decisions based on the resulting analysis.
The idea is to teach kids how to think. Then they will learn how to stay safe. They will learn how to act with their devices in certain social circumstances.
For instance, at the dinner table they cannot use their mobile device to play games, but they can use it to reference google for an answer to a debate you are having at the table.