22 take-aways from my ‘Mad Lib’-style survey about concerns re: tech addiction in the modern family
For the past many weeks I have been concentrating on my ‘community offering’ for Entrepreneurial Design class at the SVA (School of Visual Arts) MFA IxD (Interaction Design) program. I have been focused on a topic that concerns me greatly. Read here for some context. See below for some of the key insights I gathered in my survey as well as some GIFs (that were themselves a form of obsessive addiction for me to find the ‘right ones’).
- “Technology is a fabric of our lives so they should be fluent (native) in it. But I am concerned about the lessons they learn: immediate gratification, short attention spans.” (Mother of 9 year old, CFO)
2. “In 20 years we will learn that all of this screen time for children will have been bad for socialization and made for challenging interactions.” (Mother or 6 & 8 year olds, consultant)
3. “I wish someone had told me before my kids started using devices that it will turn them into zombies while using electronics.” (Mother of 3 & 7 year olds, stay-at-home)
4. “In 20 years we will learn that all of this screen time for children will have been about as harmful as TV was for us.” (Father of 8 year old, creative director)
5. “Screen use in general by kids is excessive and parents use screens as a passive substitute for doing the hard work of parenting. Depriving families of the joy of communicating and fucking up in real life.” (mother of 11 & 13 year olds, designer)
6. “Advice I would give parents with kids 5 years younger than mine is treat screens like they are a good drug. It can be helpful, occupies the child so you can get shit done, and they can learn a lot. But set limits early and stick to them.” (father to 6 & 8 year old, doctor)
7. “I think it’s less the screen time than quality and structure of apps.” (father of 14 & 16 year olds, designer)
8. “I wish someone had told me before my kids started using devices that unboxing would drive unnecessary yearning for more consumption.” (mother of 5 & 8 year olds, digital media consultant)
9. “Advice I would give parents with kids 5 years younger than mine is keep the electronics to a minimum! When the baby is tiny & laying on your chest — don’t have the screen shining in their face.” (mother of 5 year old, pediatric occupational therapist)
10. “My policy for screen-time is NONE, which I regret. My kids spend too much time with them instead of enjoying life — going outside, playing with friends.” (mother of 4 children ranging from 8–17, ultrasound tech)
11. “I wish someone had told me before my kids started using devices: they’ll act like crackheads if you take them away!” (father of 1, 5, 8 year olds, Sr. Director)
12. “Kids are losing touch with life outside of screen-time. Are they living life for themselves or just watching others’ lives on screens?” (mother of 22, 20, 20 year old, CPA)
13. “The advice I would give parents with kids 5 years younger than mine is no screens at all for young children! NONE. Parents take a good look in the mirror, ask yourself WHY you had kids in the first place. Did you have them so you could all have your face buried in a screen, not communicating?” (mother of 11 & 13 year olds, designer)
14. “Do what’s right for you. There’s no right or wrong. It depends on your child on how they are with electronic appliances.” (mother of 7 year old, designer)
15. “I wish someone had told me before my kids started using devices that there will be plenty of time. Keep them off as long as you can. They grow up quick.” (father of 11 & 14 year olds, firefighter)
16. “Once your kids get to middle school you literally cannot do work without interaction with screens. In our school (middle), the children are REQUIRED to do all homework via a portal using: a Google Chromebook. They MUST use Google class to access homework assignments and teacher instruction. In effect, Google as a corporation has direct access and influence over NYC kids via hardware and software. As a parent, opting out is not a choice. Think about that!” (mother of 11 & 13 year olds, designer)
17. “Like a lot of other things, screens can enrich your life when consumed in moderation. They can erode your life when consumed too much.” (father of 8 year old, creative director)
18. “Advice I would give parents with kids 5 years younger than mine: Set up screen-free blocks during evenings & weekends. Try to mandate quality content (1 episode of PBS for 1 of Kardashians). I wish someone had told me before my kids started using devices, you need to be extremely rigid, even if it makes you unpopular. Once you give in, the game is up!” (father of 14 & 16 year olds, designer)
19. “My feelings about screen use for kids in general are…Very complicated. It’s obviously a critical part of our society. It’s how we socialize and how we share information. But Im not sure it makes us happier. We need to limit it — everything in moderation.” (father of 6 & 8 year olds, pediatrician)
20. “My feelings about screen use for kids in general are…mixed. They are part of life, yet have an addictive nature that is concerning.” (father of 4 & 10 year olds, market researcher)
21. “I played a ton of Nintendo as a kid — loved it but never getting that time back!” (father of 8, 5, 1 year olds, Sr. Director)
22. “I think in 20 years we will learn about all of this screen time for children will have been fine, if we build good habits.” (mother of 8 & 10 year olds)
23. “I think in 20 years we will learn that all of this screen time for children will have been a necessary evil.” (Mother of 9 year old, CFO)
