Are U.S. Parents Addicting Their Kids To Technology?

Strollers filled with tiny tots, whose eyes and hands seemed fused to their parents’ iPhones, were being paraded about nonchalantly, as if to say, “Nothing abnormal here.”   At the same time, I witnessed other children (elementary school age and beyond) similarly consumed by cell phones, tablets, watches, and gadgets.  These kids were literally detached from everyone and everything around them because of these devices.  The scene compelled me to ask, “What’s wrong with this picture?”

Parents truly do need to give a long, hard “think” to that answer, because frankly, all good intentions and loving concerns aside, many of us have become part of the problem.  By sheer example alone, too many parents are demonstrating a reliance on technology that, although it may be fine for them as adults, is not for their kids, especially young kids who absorb it through imitation.  Albeit unintentional (similar to the message you send to two-year-old distressed Johnny, whose shopping cart woes and wails lead to immediate gratification from a cell phone over, let’s say, a stuffed animal), the detrimental programming parents are doing out of convenience and ease’s sake can’t be overlooked.  Nor can, now, big Johnny (iPhone in hand) be blamed for rarely looking up when his parents speak after doing the same to him all his life long.

As a nation consumed by qualifying just about everything through a costly study, you needn’t spend even a dime to see how addicted kids can become to technology or how parents may be unintentionally propagating or reinforcing this behavior through much of their own.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) screen time guidelines recommend no screen time for infants and toddlers up to age 2 years.”

Becoming more thoughtful and intentional in our own technology usage is one way to mitigate poor practices in our children.  A second is to “break the habit before it begins” by disallowing it from becoming your go-to resource in times of crisis or when you’re bored with very young kids.  Still, a third is to integrate helpful, entertaining, and educational resources to assist us, parents, in our efforts to teach proper balance, like my recently released children’s book “My Laptop Was Lonely” (Jasper’s Giant Imagination, 4RV Publishing, September 2019), which engages children ages 2-7 on their level through humor and fun.  The earlier we do this, the easier it will be and the more powerful the long-term effect.

No doubt, technology can be our children’s friend, but it can also be their foe, which is why the World Health Organization recently updated its recommendations for screen time for kids.  Apparently, I am not the only one who is noticing the heightened preoccupation and trying to do something about it.  It is up to us, parents, to help our kids learn how to use technology wisely.  Frankly, no matter how hard we preach later in the game, it is the practice we instill early in our kids’ lives that will ultimately determine this outcome.

Think about when traveling to see your family.  Is the headache you thwart today by allowing your toddler to play on your iPhone while coping with a delayed departure, only to invite an even bigger one tomorrow?  You decide.

Setting limits for older children

Establish clear rules and set reasonable limits for your child’s use of digital media. Consider these tips:

• Encourage unplugged, unstructured playtime.
• Create tech-free zones or times, such as during mealtime or one night a week.
• Discourage the use of media entertainment during homework.
• Set and enforce daily or weekly screen time limits and curfews, such as no device or screen use one hour before bedtime.
• Consider using apps that control the length of time a child can use a device.
• Keep screens out of your child’s bedroom and consider requiring your children to charge their devices outside of their bedrooms at night.
• Eliminate background TV.