At first glance this comes across as an old-man-shaking-fist rant, I think the author makes an interesting point. That in addition to the other psychological effects of dopamine-driven behavior...
At first glance this comes across as an old-man-shaking-fist rant, I think the author makes an interesting point. That in addition to the other psychological effects of dopamine-driven behavior fostered by having iPads and smartphones readily available, that there is also a loss of boredom. And that it isn't boredom itself that is worth having, it's that in learning how not to be bored, people are forced to exercise their creative muscles.
I have young kids and this is the battle that will define their childhood. I use screens quite a bit (more than I should I"m sure) so it's very hard to say "dont' do what I do." But at the same...
I have young kids and this is the battle that will define their childhood. I use screens quite a bit (more than I should I"m sure) so it's very hard to say "dont' do what I do." But at the same time, I have wonderful memories of long summer days spent playing in the mud, have pinecone wars, epic tags games, etc. We've moved to a neighborhood that fosters just those sorts of experiences so I'm keen on them taking advantage of it.
The compromise has been 1-hour of screen time a day for them when they've done their home work and chores. At least that's what we tell ourselves...some days it's all day but darn it if we're not trying.
Kudos for trying! My parents actually had the same rule when I was growing up (late 80s). 1 hour of TV OR computer time per day, non-cumulative, 2hrs on weekends. Exceptions made for when the...
Kudos for trying!
My parents actually had the same rule when I was growing up (late 80s). 1 hour of TV OR computer time per day, non-cumulative, 2hrs on weekends. Exceptions made for when the entire family did something together, or you where at a friends house. It was rough sometimes. My 2 brothers and I snuck around the rules frequently, and argued about it once we got into our teenage years and could buy our own TV or PC. Looking back though, I'm really glad they did that. The hardest part if I where to have kids now (I don't) would be modeling that behavior myself.
On one hand I could have spent less time on the computer growing up. On the other hand my parents helped foster my love of computers and now I'm a software engineer. 1 hour per day is a lot less...
On one hand I could have spent less time on the computer growing up. On the other hand my parents helped foster my love of computers and now I'm a software engineer. 1 hour per day is a lot less learning time.
I grew up with the internet, and from 2012 onward, with a phone too. I recall times pre-phone where I was bored out of my mind and actually capable of seeking something else to do, how hard that...
I grew up with the internet, and from 2012 onward, with a phone too.
I recall times pre-phone where I was bored out of my mind and actually capable of seeking something else to do, how hard that might've been. This included being creative, drawing, making stuff from wood, circuits, play the guitar, etc.
When I got a phone this changed, suddenly all the time I spent even moderately bored was spent browsing Reddit, chatting on Whatsapp and IRC and later Discord too. At this point I'm aware how much time I'm spending being "bored" on purpose: every fun thing I'd like to do is slightly less "fun" than browsing social media and as such most of my time is wasted. My attention span is horrible and every free second means I grab for the pocket again.
It should be said that social media isn't all bad and I've made a lot of friends throughout the years, but it's problematic how addictive it is and how easy it is to lose interest in all other things thanks to that.
Right now I'm working on throwing the phone aside more often, and when I'm bored I now find myself able to do things I've enjoyed before again such as reading books, listening music, being lost in thoughts or drawing/building stuff. It's a long way to go and it still isn't easy to put it aside, but it's a huge realization of just how much that device has influenced my life in a decade's time.
Edit: I feel this website's also a good way to help me get rid of Reddit and the lot. Still have social interactions and fun conversations but way less(if any at all) clickbaiting to draw away every promille of my attention.
I remember being a kid before the Internet. We had an IBM clone computer with a few games. My mother was a journalist (still is), and I learned very soon that writing was a good way to get praise....
I remember being a kid before the Internet. We had an IBM clone computer with a few games. My mother was a journalist (still is), and I learned very soon that writing was a good way to get praise. So every now and then I wrote short stories on the computer and sent to my mothers' place of work via fax machine. She and her colleagues sent their criticisms back. It was awesome having a bunch of professional journalists as my personal Portuguese teachers.
I also used to watch batteries spin on the ground, fought a lot with my sister, got a "girlfriend" by the age of 10 (not so bad :P) and watched a lot of crap on TV. There was also a lot of never-ending tedium, and this pain is worth considering in itself.
At first glance this comes across as an old-man-shaking-fist rant, I think the author makes an interesting point. That in addition to the other psychological effects of dopamine-driven behavior fostered by having iPads and smartphones readily available, that there is also a loss of boredom. And that it isn't boredom itself that is worth having, it's that in learning how not to be bored, people are forced to exercise their creative muscles.
I have young kids and this is the battle that will define their childhood. I use screens quite a bit (more than I should I"m sure) so it's very hard to say "dont' do what I do." But at the same time, I have wonderful memories of long summer days spent playing in the mud, have pinecone wars, epic tags games, etc. We've moved to a neighborhood that fosters just those sorts of experiences so I'm keen on them taking advantage of it.
The compromise has been 1-hour of screen time a day for them when they've done their home work and chores. At least that's what we tell ourselves...some days it's all day but darn it if we're not trying.
Kudos for trying!
My parents actually had the same rule when I was growing up (late 80s). 1 hour of TV OR computer time per day, non-cumulative, 2hrs on weekends. Exceptions made for when the entire family did something together, or you where at a friends house. It was rough sometimes. My 2 brothers and I snuck around the rules frequently, and argued about it once we got into our teenage years and could buy our own TV or PC. Looking back though, I'm really glad they did that. The hardest part if I where to have kids now (I don't) would be modeling that behavior myself.
I'm now a software engineer.
On one hand I could have spent less time on the computer growing up. On the other hand my parents helped foster my love of computers and now I'm a software engineer. 1 hour per day is a lot less learning time.
Also a software engineer...frequently have my laptop up and the TV on...sigh.
I grew up with the internet, and from 2012 onward, with a phone too.
I recall times pre-phone where I was bored out of my mind and actually capable of seeking something else to do, how hard that might've been. This included being creative, drawing, making stuff from wood, circuits, play the guitar, etc.
When I got a phone this changed, suddenly all the time I spent even moderately bored was spent browsing Reddit, chatting on Whatsapp and IRC and later Discord too. At this point I'm aware how much time I'm spending being "bored" on purpose: every fun thing I'd like to do is slightly less "fun" than browsing social media and as such most of my time is wasted. My attention span is horrible and every free second means I grab for the pocket again.
It should be said that social media isn't all bad and I've made a lot of friends throughout the years, but it's problematic how addictive it is and how easy it is to lose interest in all other things thanks to that.
Right now I'm working on throwing the phone aside more often, and when I'm bored I now find myself able to do things I've enjoyed before again such as reading books, listening music, being lost in thoughts or drawing/building stuff. It's a long way to go and it still isn't easy to put it aside, but it's a huge realization of just how much that device has influenced my life in a decade's time.
Edit: I feel this website's also a good way to help me get rid of Reddit and the lot. Still have social interactions and fun conversations but way less(if any at all) clickbaiting to draw away every promille of my attention.
I remember being a kid before the Internet. We had an IBM clone computer with a few games. My mother was a journalist (still is), and I learned very soon that writing was a good way to get praise. So every now and then I wrote short stories on the computer and sent to my mothers' place of work via fax machine. She and her colleagues sent their criticisms back. It was awesome having a bunch of professional journalists as my personal Portuguese teachers.
I also used to watch batteries spin on the ground, fought a lot with my sister, got a "girlfriend" by the age of 10 (not so bad :P) and watched a lot of crap on TV. There was also a lot of never-ending tedium, and this pain is worth considering in itself.