Consider this a challenge.
With two children growing closer to this technological world, it has led my wife and I to try to keep them safe but also help guide them in a world of endless information and opinions.
Many of these questions and thoughts are ones I ask myself. No matter your age, our ability to contact someone in nearly any part of the world can be good, but it must be met with parameters.
So where does this begin, and how can we set examples?
While it’s not as complicated as it will soon become once our children are older, we have put strict restrictions on the amount of screen time and created dedicated time where they are both outside and play, craft and innovate with toys at home.
I also understand that this is easier said than done for some families, but even if screen time is needed in your home, I urge you to create guardrails to protect your children. To put it simply, how are we helping children realize we were made for conversation and relationships that help our emotional, psychological, mental or spiritual well-being?
What makes it even harder is realizing we’re not immune to these questions as parents and/or guardians.
On any given day, we’re bombarded by exterior influences through our mobile applications, emails and games we play. If you’re anything like me, you’ve examined every part of your bedroom ceiling as you ponder what you’ve read before you fall asleep.
Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, wrote about this very conversation in his Dec. 5, 2019, opinion article in the New York Times, “Our Brains Are No Match for Our Technology.”
“Our online news feeds aggregate all of the world’s pain and cruelty, dragging our brains into a kind of learned helplessness,” Harris states. “Technology that provides us with near-complete knowledge without a commensurate level of agency isn’t humane.”
An empathetic and sympathetic heart shouldn’t be driven by what we read or see on social media or television.
It should be driven by understanding the sphere of influence that surrounds you and asking, “What can I do today to better understand how I was made, and how can I help someone around me?”
It isn’t about eliminating your devices; it’s about understanding their power and creating an identity that is driven by a hunger to be present with your family and friends.
It will never be easy, but I would love to have you join me in a quest for deeper connection and relationships.
