How do we discourage reliance on technology while allowing children to become accustomed to digital tools?

General Tech Technology & Software 2 years ago

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Posted on 16 Aug 2022, this text provides information on Technology & Software related to General Tech. Please note that while accuracy is prioritized, the data presented might not be entirely correct or up-to-date. This information is offered for general knowledge and informational purposes only, and should not be considered as a substitute for professional advice.

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manpreet Tuteehub forum best answer Best Answer 2 years ago

 

this is a question I struggle assessing myself as a programmer.

It's already key to understand computer science. It is and will continue to be even more increasingly important that our children are at ease with computer interfaces as society continues to provide information and services online.

I'll be honest, as a programmer I view skills like coding or even computer use in general, for research for example, to be really important moving forward, but we all know the child who destroyed their life playing games to no end.

Can anybody suggest an approach to teaching the utility of digital technology ( I do feel it is learn early and a cultural thing, I recognise a circle as a power button, my mother does not) without developing more social media dependant sheep??

I hear about children under ten demanding smart phones for Xmas, to me it just seems that nature is now forgotten, but on the other hand using computers is a skill as valuable as arithmetic.

How have you reconciled this in your parent child relationships? Thanks all for your input!

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manpreet 2 years ago

 

I can't speak to older children, but I can outline how we're approaching it with our daughter (who will be ten months old next week).

Basically, she does not get to play with an iPad, or our phones, or a tablet device. We also don't watch TV with her, though we might have it on in the background. If she looks at the TV we describe what's going on, but try to gently redirect her back to her toys. We do use our phones around her, and occasionally play video games, but do not allow her to directly interact with the devices. We instead focus on giving her physical toys that she can manipulate and grasp and interact with, and engage with her directly at all times while she is awake.

Our goal with limiting her interaction at such a young age is to give her the opportunity to develop the coordination and physical skills to someday handle a keyboard or mouse or whatever input device we come up with in the next decade. She gets plenty of examples for how technology works without deliberately exposing her to it (she has on multiple occasions swiped on our watches, it's a very intuitive process), and while she's interested in it she doesn't expect to be given access to it, and prioritizes her toys and interacting with us directly.

We also try to model how we want her to interact with technology; dinnertime is a time for conversation and engagement as a family, so when she's in her high chair with us at dinner we do not watch videos or the news as we did before she arrived. When we're just relaxing at home we do not sit on our phones while she is playing, the phones are away and we are engaging with her play.

Basically, I wouldn't worry about teaching your child directly how to use technology; my husband and I are both programmers and avid gamers (we watched Overwatch League throughout my labor!), and we both agree it's critical that our daughter learn how to use the computer and understand it, but what you'll find is they pick up computer skills just from every day activities that you don't even think about.

As for teaching children how to not fall victim to video game addiction or dependence, it's no different in my mind to a child wanting candy all the time. At some point the parent needs to parent, and ideally would be consistent, firm, and reasonable in their decisions from the get go, and have full cooperation from their partner or fellow caregivers. I grew up while the Internet was taking off and when video games became a really big thing, and my parents just treated games and Internet time as another thing I had to learn to enjoy in moderation and self-regulate, with gentle reminders and reinforcement from my parents.


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