I read this article by Nick Bilton from the New York Times, who gave an insight into how parents in the technology industry are raising their children at home with surprisingly low reliance on technology or the use of devices.
Steve Jobs reportedly said that in their home they “limit how much technology their kids use.” Jobs also reportedly made a point of having dinner as a family discussing books and history and a variety of things, without anyone pulling out a device. He created the device and he could limit its usage in his home.
Other parents who work in the technology industry had these to say on their low-technology parenting –
One technology professional said that he had seen the dangers of technology firsthand. which he doesn’t want to see happen to his kids. Some of the dangers he is referring to include exposure to adult content like pornography, bullying and becoming addicted to their devices, just like their parents.
Evan Williams, a founder of Blogger, Twitter and Medium reportedly said that rather than iPads, his children have hundreds of physical books.
Further research by the reporter seemed to show that a number of technology chief executives strictly limit their children’s screen time even banning all gadgets on school nights, and allocating time limits on weekends. Children under 10 are thought to be the most susceptible to becoming addicted, so their parents draw the line at not allowing any gadgets during the week.
One point that seemed to be the number one consensus among these techie parents was that there are no screens allowed in their children’s bedrooms ever.
One point that seemed to be the number one consensus among these techie parents was that there are no screens allowed in their children's bedrooms ever. Click To TweetAnother parent said he and his wife allowed their two teenage children to use their gadgets as long as they were in the living room, therefore being supervised.
This is rather surprising as most parents and consumers are guilty of letting their children have uninterrupted time using the iPad and other devices. I think it should encourage parents to think about access and the amount of time that children are allowed to spend on devices or hooked to technology.
What screen times and rules for using devices do you have in place in your home?
