Kids and Technology
Great article in the Wall Street Journal about how technology helps kids disconnect from their parents. If your child has a TV, computer, iPod, cellphone and stereo in their room, then it's no wonder they aren't talking to you.
I still find it hard to believe that nearly half of all 4-6 year-olds have a TV in their room. That's just so sad. The only media my kids are allowed in their rooms are books and music. The computer and TV are in a central area in the family room. We share those things, watching movies and TV shows together, and figuring out all the clues on the I Spy software. Sometime soon I'll be hooking their computer up to the Internet and installing a kid-friendly filter. But most of all, I will simply stay informed and involved as they get older and become more independent. I can't imagine a time when I don't know what they're interested in, or what kind of music they listen to.
Speaking of music, I was sitting in my car at a red light and glanced at the car next to me. There was a mom with her teenager, who had headphones on, and I just thought, "How come they're not listening to music together?" Heck, when my son develops his own musical tastes, I'll be happy to blast it from the car speakers. Unless it's death metal, or Dave Matthews Band.
I still find it hard to believe that nearly half of all 4-6 year-olds have a TV in their room. That's just so sad. The only media my kids are allowed in their rooms are books and music. The computer and TV are in a central area in the family room. We share those things, watching movies and TV shows together, and figuring out all the clues on the I Spy software. Sometime soon I'll be hooking their computer up to the Internet and installing a kid-friendly filter. But most of all, I will simply stay informed and involved as they get older and become more independent. I can't imagine a time when I don't know what they're interested in, or what kind of music they listen to.
Speaking of music, I was sitting in my car at a red light and glanced at the car next to me. There was a mom with her teenager, who had headphones on, and I just thought, "How come they're not listening to music together?" Heck, when my son develops his own musical tastes, I'll be happy to blast it from the car speakers. Unless it's death metal, or Dave Matthews Band.
Permalink posted by Phil at 7:08 PM
8 Comments:
I am absolutely with you on this. I cannot believe people let their little kids have that stuff at all, much less in their rooms. We don't have tv, and the kids weren't allowed to use the computer until they were in 3rd or 4th grade. And they certainly did not lose out because of it, they both know computers quite well, and also have other skills. The only computer they can use is in the family room; they're not getting cell phones either.
I find that it really depends on age, and that there are things that are not age appropriate when it comes to technology. What's really interesting though is how technology has created whole new levels of social interaction for teenagers, I'll have to post on it. I am skeptical of lots of stuff about computers, but I've come to see this particular aspect -- different forms and levels of teen communication -- as actually good. As long as it's not the only interaction a teen gets.
On the music one cool thing is my daughter is actually liking some music I like and it turns out has cool taste in music, because I'm liking some of the stuff she's listening to. So we'll listen to music together.
Yeah, my daughter came home the other day and told me that her best friend had a tv in her room, and could she have one too. Uh, no.
We do let her use the computer, but certainly not the internet--and her main interest in using the computer right now is just typing in different colored fonts in Word, which she does about once every two weeks or so.
We recently turned our tv off for a week. After you do this you start to realise that tv show don't really matter all that much and reading, talking and all the other interactive things like these are much more fun than staring at a box being force fed stuff.
I'm with you on that one mate...the less tv the better.
I view the computer the same way I viewed our big shelf of encyclopedias we had when I was a kid... I love being able to just look stuff up on the Internet. I want my kids to do that. The bad stuff comes, I think, when they start "hanging out" on the computer... I used to do that when it was all new, some ten years ago or so, but nowadays I never get on the net without a specific destination in mind... Just no time for following link after link after link and getting lost on the web like in the old days.
We have TVs, but they're not hooked up to cable or antennas anymore. We rent DVDs. Friday is movie night, Disney or something. Then I also rent educational stuff like Popular Mechanics For Kids or Croc Hunter. Oh, I should blog about this. We just watched a couple episodes of Blue Planet. My son was riveted. I think I will write something about that later this week.
Hi,
You can listen and rate good death metal (and other kind of music) at DJRate. Hope it helps ;)
Regards, B.
Keep in mind that this "plugged in" phenomenon leads to some serious issues in which kids confide in internet strangers and arrange secret meetings with them, etc.
I'd add my own opinions but I'm pretty much in agreement with everyone here.
I'm with you on that one Phil. Our computer is right here in the family room next to dad's recliner. We are able to see what they are doing at all times on the computer. I say they as in the future. Right now it is only my eight year old who can use it. My children do get to watch some tunes, but not in their room, and only after their chores are done and homework done. We don't always set and watch things together, but I always know what they are watching and I control it.
It is amazing how much children to know by the age of eight my son already knows how to down load trail games onto my computer from the internet. He even educated his not so computer savey dad about it. :-)
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