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Hey
This week AI news has been hard to ignore. As AI becomes more powerful, there’s growing concern about how much we should be developing, how much control we should give these systems and what happens when technology starts making decisions for us. Eeek?
Honestly, it’s made me think: do we really need more technology in our lives? Around every corner there are new phones, smarter devices, AI bots and more. You can now just talk into your phone and it will transcribe a message or if you don`t want to think and write a paragraph, AI will do it for you.. in "your own voice". What if we don`t really want anymore? What if some of us feel like it`s enough? As mums, perhaps there is something quite valuable about choosing less. Fewer screens, fewer gadgets, fewer things demanding our attention and more room for the simple, real-life stuff that already matters so much. Our kids. And our real relationship with them.
I really feel strongly about how much time people, parents and children are spending on screens. I see articles appearing regularly about studies that have been done and the message is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. No one can ignore it anymore. Why aren`t parents listening?
Children don’t play anymore. You don’t see kids on the roads riding bikes or skateboards. They are often spotted in trolleys glued to a phone or an iPad in shops .When I visit friends with young children, they are often put on a device to get them out of the way, which almost always ends in a crying fit when their brains have had too much."More Mommy more" they cry. And they are given more.
The vicious cycle of dopamine addiction is fed bit by bit, until the children become so accustomed to constant stimulation that boredom feels unbearable, concentration becomes harder, imagination gets squeezed out and the simple, ordinary pleasures of childhood begin to feel less rewarding.
And then, perhaps, the unbearable, unhappy child is born? The child who cannot sit still, cannot be entertained without a screen, cannot tolerate boredom and constantly needs the next hit of stimulation. Parenting can be tough but this is a lot tougher nevermind the damage being done. At what point did we did we allow this to happen?
Tech companies are making millions by feeding off people’s attention. Meta itself has recently been fined millions after being found guilty of purposely creating algorithms that hook young children and teens into seeing inappropriate content and drives them to constantly scroll. Those "parental controls" are just a plaster to make people feel better. Yes it may hide most underage content but it does not protect them from consuming content that makes them compare their lives with others. Give a child a phone and you don’t just give them entertainment. You give them an endless measuring stick against which to compare themselves. Suddenly, there is always someone prettier, funnier, richer, more popular, more talented or seemingly happier.
We all know the addiction of short videos. Why were children ever allowed to be on these platforms? Youtube kids is not kid friendly...it`s labelled as that but still requires kids to constantly scroll.
I’m honestly baffled daily, and I don’t see it getting any better here.
Abroad, there are many countries that have clearly recognised the risks early phone usage can have on the next generation. Bans have been put in place, governments are warning parents about the developmental risks and iPad usage has even been removed from early childhood education in places like Sweden as literacy rates have steadily declined in the past 10 years.
It’s making people stupid. It`s making toddlers miserable. It’s making teens depressed.We have taken a big step backwards.
It’s not an “I wander if screens and social media usage does damage” anymore. It’s a well-documented, researched topic, where the impacts are fed to us as parents daily on our own feeds.
We all see it.
It’s there.
The question we, as parents, must ask ourselves is: what kind of children do we want to bring into the world? What kind of family home life do we want? Will we wake up one day to see everyone sitting alone on their phone in the living room with very little to say. Will we have troubled teens who struggle to fit in, play sport or lead a healthy social life because they have not learnt how to interact with others. Will we wish we had done things differently when we could have?
Yes.
We have a duty to protect young minds. Now, more than ever, we need to be there for our kids. Because it’s blatantly clear that no one else has our children’s, best interests at heart.
Be brave and join the fast growing group of parents who clearly recognise the negative impact screen use and the internet can have on unprepared, immature minds that are naturally curious.
What has been seen can never be unseen. The average age at which a child has now seen some type of porn is 11.
ELEVEN?
The minefield we, as parents, have to navigate around digital integrity is enormous. So much so that I think many parents just give up and turn a blind eye. It feels too hard. They have not made it easy, but it is still very possible to live a phone / Ipad free life with your family.
We have done it.
And so can you. Just make the choice. And don`t look back! You will never regret it.
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