More plain language | Is progress moving too quickly? | Opinion
Over the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to visit a number of friends and colleagues I’ve interacted with in education and work, as well as many personal friends I’ve been with for 50 years or more. Over a dinner date or casual social event, it’s inevitable that our conversations will drift to the subject of what phones, tablets or computers we use at home.
I can be completely honest when I tell you that these conversations never came up when my parents had friends over when we were growing up. My dad was more interested in telling them what he had heard from his customers at the hairdressers that day or what they had shot on the golf course that morning, while my mom loved to talk about the experiences she had had with her sister and mom while shopping that day. But I can honestly tell you that the topic never drifted to whether my mom had a Princess phone or one of the new, fancy wall phones.
I believe that if we kids had had cell phones and were caught looking at them during dinner, they would have found their way into a glass of water and we definitely wouldn’t have thrown a tantrum at the table, we would have gone to bed extremely early that night and not made that mistake again.
While we’re on the subject of discipline, I’ll be honest and say that my father was a barber and he had a razor strap hanging from his basement door that never had to be taken off the hook. Respect for our parents was paramount in our home. This strap used to be found on a barber’s chair in every barber shop. It was used to keep the razor sharp so the barber could give a man a shave that would last for days or shave the back of his neck to give him a close look when cutting his hair, something we rarely see today. We knew where it hung but believe me, it never had to be used.
In a 2022 survey of internet users, nearly half of respondents said they were addicted or somewhat addicted to digital devices. Whether classified as an addiction or not, intensive use of digital devices and technology can be harmful to users. It was also found that this type of excessive internet use can also affect a person’s ability to communicate normally with others and regulate their emotions, and impair their ability to maintain relationships.
Next time you walk into a restaurant, look around and notice how many people are staring at the screen of a mobile phone or tablet. No one is talking to each other, they are constantly staring at the screen of their device.
Adults are not the only ones who suffer from these addictions. Our children today are also at high risk of becoming too immersed in the world of digital fantasy. Many parents of these young children are familiar with this problem and the problems that arise when these devices are taken away from them and the tantrums that result when the devices are taken away from them.
Another problem is the desensitization of children to violence in today’s society. Some parents are astonished by the level of violence in some of these video games that they thought were harmless until they looked more closely at the content. I am not condemning all digital offerings, as some of them have real educational value. However, studies have shown that the more realistic and repetitive the depiction of violence, the greater the impact on children, as they become overly involved and even obsessed with the games and reject any attempt to reduce their “screen time”.
Parents need to be more involved in the purchase of these games. Read the label on the game. If it is labeled “18+,” it is certainly not for eight or nine year olds. Maybe play the game with your child and see for yourself. Always expect resistance, which you are sure to encounter, but stand firm. Your child will understand the boundaries if they are fair and enforced.
I was also surprised to discover recently that some children can no longer tell the time from an analog clock, but only from a digital device. This fact was confirmed to me by talking to several local teachers I am friends with. It was as shocking as the news that cursive is no longer taught in public schools, despite it having been standard for over two hundred years.