In the next Healing Magazine (published May 30) – a variety of voices on the issue of whether our kids are “Getting Lost in TechnoReality”….
“It goes without saying that our media environment has evolved dramatically — now, screens are everywhere; unsurprisingly, today’s 8 to 12-year olds are exposed to 6 hours of media daily, while 13 to 18-year-olds are exposed to an average of 9 hours—more time than they spend in school or with parents … (We) must cultivate the ability to think critically about why and how we are using these powerful tools, and the awareness that when we use them, we are always displacing something else, something that might be as valuable as a conversation, a human touch, or a moment simply being present.”
- Michael Rich, MD, Director, Center for Media and Child Health, Boston Children’s Hospital
“The detrimental effect of neglect and competition of parental attention due to parental social media use is being closely examined, but harm can be substantial, especially in regards to infants, toddlers, and young children. Young toddlers frustrated for attention from a parent glued to Facebook may be most at risk for indirect harm from social media.”
- Andrew Clark, MD, KidsPeace psychiatrist
“Eventually I dropped out of high school, and for the next year and a half I was depressed, living in my parent’s basement, playing video games up to 16 hours a day. Every morning my dad would drop me off at a restaurant where I was a prep cook. As soon as he drove off I would walk across the street, and catch the bus back home. I would sneak in through my window and go to sleep — I had been up all night playing video games. A few weeks later my parents would wonder where my paycheck was, so I would make up an excuse that I quit, or I got fired, then I would “get another job” … Unfortunately, games didn’t fix the problem, and things only continued to get worse, until one night when I wrote a suicide note. Thankfully I didn’t go through with it, but it made me realize that I needed to get professional support…”
- Cam Adair, founder, Game Quitters
“Parents have a much higher calling than to lower the bar to keep up with every cultural norm. If we want the best for our children, then why do we keep putting the worst our culture has to offer in their pockets hoping they won’t be harmed? It is time to put your children’s devices down—because they can’t—and help them reclaim the life they are losing…”
- Melanie Hempe – founder, Families Managing Media
Check out http://www.healingmagazine.org/book/issue-41/ for current and back issues and how to subscribe to Healing Magazine!
