Episode 011: Technology in the 21st Century

Sheila and Maria discuss the use of technology and screen-time in the home including studies on the impact of these behaviors on our developing children and drawing on decades of experience observing and working with families as they have navigated these types of decisions.   "So your kids must love the iPad?" I asked Mr. Steve Jobs, trying to change the subject, the company's first tablet was just hitting the shelves. "They haven't used it," he told me "we limit how much technology our kids use at home." - New York Times article, September 2014, by Nick Bilton   Revisiting the theme of less-is-more, we believe that the same concept applies when it comes to screen time for our families. The evidence suggests that an increased use of technology is changing the way our children are wired to think, it is affecting their focus and contributing to an increase in emotional and behavioral issues. But it is not just these things that cause us to desire less technology in our families lives, we also have to consider the tradeoffs, what technology is taking away from them: time to play, explore the outdoors, be creative, and be in their bodies, activities which are all vitally important for our children.   Resources From This Episode The Pediatric Academic Society Study, 2017: http://www.aappublications.org/news/2017/05/04/PASScreenTime050417 U.S. National Survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010: https://www.kff.org/other/event/generation-m2-media-in-the-lives-of/ Marie Winn, The Plug-In Drug: https://www.amazon.com/Plug-Drug-Television-Computers-Family/dp/0142001082 Jane M. Healy, Endangered Minds: https://www.amazon.com/Endangered-Minds-Children-Think-About/dp/0684856204 James P. Steyer, The Other Parent: http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Other-Parent/James-P-Steyer/9780743405836 Victoria L. Dunckley, Reset Your Child's Brain: https://drdunckley.com/reset-your-childs-brain/ Dr. Delaney Ruston, Screenagers: https://www.screenagersmovie.com/ Rachel Macy Stafford, Hands Free Mama: https://www.handsfreemama.com/