Concern over the effects of digital dependence is clearly something you share with me if you’re following these posts. One of the most pressing of these concerns is how it impacts the rapidly-developing brain circuitry of children and adolescents, and can impair and rewire their capacities for social intelligence. (See 1st and 4th posts in the list below.)
Recently it was announced that an action group in Colorado is introducing an initiative to ban cell phone sales to children under the age of 13. You can find many articles about it via Google, but for now, here is Salon’s take.
And…. go!
My idea here is to throw open a discussion, even if it’s just inside your own head. Better yet, bring it up at the dinner table or around the pool. How do you react as you read about this activist’s efforts? Are there points that resonate with you? Points on which you disagree or would push back? Do you have alternative ideas for tackling the real concerns raised?
I think it’s an important exercise to get ourselves thinking along these lines. Digital Dependence (and all the effects that go along with it) is mostly uncharted territory. This group’s efforts may or may not be as graceful, nuanced or feasible as can be, but they probably are the first of many attempts to rein in what feels like a runaway situation. (Take a look at one of the comments following the article–an amusing, if chilling, comparison of it to Pandora’s box.)
For your reading convenience, here are current Wired Wednesday posts:
Digital Dependence: Is the Smartphone Generation Ruined?
A (Funny) Picture is Worth 1000 Bloggy Words
Digital Dependence & Parental Anxiety: Keeping Trust Alive
Digital Dependence & Social Intelligence: Is Siri Dumbing Down our Humanity?
Taming Tech to Protect Sleep: A No-Brainer for Healthy Brains
Digital Mastery Tools for Parents: Slow Tech & iRules
Brain Hacking: Hijacking You from the Inside
Attention Deficits & Digital Devotion: 2 Pitfalls for Parents
“Don’t Use Your Device When…”: 2 Great Guidelines for Digital Mastery
Digital Imitation of Life: How Facebook is Like a Box of Donuts
Dataclysm in the Time of Alone Togetherness: Authors on Our Digital Dependence
Pained in Plain Sight: Digital Dependence Effects on the Body
Whether you’re curious, captivated or concerned about our digital dependence and device devotion, join me on (most) Wednesdays so we can explore it together. (Sign up here if you want to be sure not to miss anything!) ….. …..
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Tags: children, digital-dependence, handheld devices, PAUS, pre-teens, smartphones, technology, Timothy Farnum, tweens
