We are not helping our children, if we are not able to help ourselves.
We are not helping our children, if we are not able to help ourselves.
Our usage of social media is the opposite of what our kids need to see from us.
I’ve become keenly aware of how bad things have gotten with respect to tech related health problems. As an early adopter of computers, I was keenly aware of how much time I was spending on screens but the difference was this was long before the internet we know of and definitely before social media algorithms began to relentlessly serve us what we can’t resist.
Seeing the data and hearing the growing chorus of scientists, researchers, and concerned citizens who are saying “we have a BIG problem on our hands, our kids are getting sicker and sicker”, makes it unavoidable.
Rather than try to explain the issue, here’s a terrific video from Katie Couric and Jonathan Haidt, who is one of the latest authors to write a book on how childhoods are disappearing and being replaced by anxiety and depression due to the elimination of free play and the use of social media.
Smart Phones Have Created an Anxious Generation. Can We Fix It?
I remember reading in a buddhist text that one should not fall prey to the ‘lust of the eyes’. This phrase is also found in the Bible.
It is very telling that instead of heeding that basic guidance for happiness, we’ve completely gone the other way to where there are billion dollar industries that are completely designed to make users fall prey to the ‘lust of the eyes’.
I’m looking at you, #instagram #tiktok #facebook and #snapchat
What can we do? Well aside from following the advice in the video above, one tactic I have seen is to delete an app as soon as you feel like it’s not good for you. By deleting the app, you’ve added some friction to the equation thus making it that much harder to get stuck back in the trap.
The next tactic is to NOT re-install the app but instead to use the browser to access the social media site. By doing this, you are again adding friction to the equation and you’ll see that it is not nearly as likely to suck you in uncontrollably.
We’re glued to media. Smartphones just serve it best right now (ft. Julie Scelfo)
The second video features Julie Scelfo who is a journalist who has been reporting on suicides on campus and other trends among the young. In response to this, she started Mothers against Media Addiction.
While there is growing awareness of the problem, there is little interest in legislating a public health policy to protect the vulnerable, because of….you guessed it! MONEY
Do you agree that there is a problem? If so, what do think we should do?
Have you seen any been able to get out of the traps laid by these platforms or are you feeling like you need to get this in control too?
I have long been concerned with the intense negative influence from social media. My heart breaks every time my kids/grandkids are here and all five of them on are their phones through the entire morning - rather than talking to each other. My daughter's middle and youngest son are both suffering with depression, and social issues. Yet, use of their phones and video games continue to be a huge influence in their lives. I get a visit from each grandson for 2 weeks in the summer. My daughter tells me not to take away their phones - cause they need them. I nod my head, mumble something, and ignore her. The truly odd thing is each of them know my rules: 1) you come to the farm and you get one hour of phone time a day; 2) you spend time outside working on the farm, helping garden, or just playing, 3) you help cook the meals and clean up. So guess what? I never have to remind them - they follow these rules on their own. I have a sense it may secretly be a relief to them. I had not heard of this organization, MAMA. Excellent work! Thank you for putting this in writing and sharing these videos.