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As the mother of a pre-teen kid, I consider conflict my daily meditation practice: I tell myself to breathe and count to 10 every time one of my prods and reminders is met with another snarky ?I know, Mom.? And nothing causes more battles than his devices. When he?s on them, he?s a zombie, and it?s impossible to redirect his attention to homework, chores, bedtime or even just a friendly conversation.
Sound familiar" According to a new survey the US not-for-profit research group Common Sense Media, one-third of parents and teens say they argue with each other on a daily basis about device use. The report ? Technology Addiction: Concern, Controversy and Finding Balance ? polled American parents with kids aged 12 to 18 on their tech use and its impact on family life. Among the other sobering findings: 50 percent of the kids say they are ?addicted? to their mobile devices; 72 percent of teens and 48 percent of parents feel they must immediately respond to texts, social networking messages, and other notifications; and 69 percent of parents and 78 percent of teens check their devices at least hourly.
The long term consequences of screen time on our children?s brains and behavior is still largely unknown. Early studies show that multitasking can make us less capable of deep concentration and focus, and that reducing our face-to-face social contact may reduce our capacity for empathy. Most research has been on adults, however, with only limited studies on t...