Entertaining technology

If it worked perfectly, technology would be joyful anytime it's used. For kids throughout history, this has largely been true. Picking up a stick, making dolls, spinning tops, and flying a kite. We learn to harness the world around us for our enjoyment.

Only recently have we started to ask the question 'how much technology is too much technology?', especially for the growing mind. From iPad babies to Montessori children, the diversity in technological upbringing has never been greater.

Looking back on my own upbringing, we were technology forward within reason. I began life with some toys. A baby bouncer, play sets, and a Little Tikes car that I'd do laps around the house with, drive-by-eating corn muffins off the counter. I probably learned to read by asking my sister "what's that show with the 'b'?" (Blue's Clues recorded on the DVR). It was at that moment my sister knew she could no longer be a TV tyrant. I have fond memories of playing video games socially with friends and family, exploring new worlds and competing in the comfort of the living room. By my teens, I was allowed to use technology at my own discretion.

Without structure and limits, it is easy to become consumed by technology. Even with a fair amount of self-imposed rules, I'd stay up late watching TV, forget to eat dinner while playing video games, and scroll social media for hours without any goal in mind. Over time I realized that the easiest way for me to avoid the behavior I disliked in myself was to remove it entirely. If you want to avoid junk food, don't bring it in the house. If you want to avoid social media, delete it.

There is enough entertainment content in the world for anyone to live a life entirely consumed by it. I'm sure you could live millions of lives that way. As this content has increased exponentially, self-control has become that much more important. Never before in history have we been able to put a direct price on someone's attention at any given moment. It is on us to understand that value in the present and for our future selves. It is certainly worth more than the highest bid.

Over the holidays, I saw my 7 year old cousin watch a YouTube video with AI generated cats that quickly bounced between different scenes of emotional extremes. Crying baby kitten who lost its mother. Happy cat playing in a sandbox. A quick search will show creators raking in money on these videos while spending little to no time producing them. It feels as though we've given kids a shotgun aimed at their head.

Even as I write this on my laptop with my phone next to me, the temptations are tremendous. I have to actively stop myself from habitually picking up the phone and clicking on the app I'm hardwired to open. If I listened to my own advice, I'd leave the phone somewhere else. I'd unload the gun. Alright fine, I just threw it across the room.

The easiest way to use technology is passively. The news is on the TV in the background. Take a break by scrolling Instagram for just a few minutes. The trending word 'bedrot' implies there is no activity going on nor brain to be stimulated. Technology at its worst is a pacifier for the mind. A distraction to avoid actively engaging with your mind, the world, and each other.

This all speaks to our relationship with technology. What is a healthy relationship? The best answer I've come up with is one that is engaging, has a goal in mind, with moderation, and to provide something of long-term value. For kids, that means having reasonable quality and quantity limits while using it primarily for education or to socialize. It's honestly the same for adults, but you are only accountable to yourself. Good luck.

Originally published on Substack.