Time for fun?

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Step away from the screen!

Reports today, not surprisingly, have revealed that technology can be the thief of time. We have all known that for some time, of course. However, the report highlights particularly that it can be the thief of family time.  Experts are concerned that all too often a computer or games console becomes a ‘digital nanny’ , charged with occupying the children whilst the parents run to keep up on the acquisitive treadmill. Unfavourable comparisons have been drawn with Spain and Sweden – where greater emphasis is placed on family time in general, and outdoor physical activity in particular.

None of this is in any way surprising. However, it is also worth pointing out, I think, that the technological geniuses of the future will probably be those who have started young. A balanced approach to technology and the time young people spend in front of a screen may well help future generations to put technology at the service of healthier lifestyles. Its not a screen ban, but a screen discipline which is needed. Parents need to be modelling how to live with technology, since living without it is not an option.

I wonder how young the people behind the Swedish experiment below were when they started?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJMOI5_FKwg?rel=0&w=450&h=340]

2 thoughts on “Time for fun?”

  1. I wholeheartedly agree. I love technology. My kids love it. But we are very aware of technology as the thief of family time. So we have to regularly have no computer days, or no screen days. We write no-computer-game weeks into the diary every now and again. And I find the discipline of lent can help here as well. There is a natural drift for both me and my boys away from proper interactions to sitting in front of a screen, be it laptop, smartphone, or tv – because it’s fun and shiny and easy. But by being ‘intentional’ – actively deciding to work against this drift – we are trying to use and enjoy technology, and not let it rob us.

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