In her BlogTalkRadio show this Thursday, August 14th, Amy will discuss kids’ use of technology. The show will focus on the decisions parents make on when and how much to expose children to computing, games and the Internet.
We offer a look at some recent studies on use of the Internet by kids as well as a personal inventory of how techie our own boys have become.
Carter has a Facebook Profile
Children are at the vanguard
In an article on how parents monitor their kids’ use of social networks, author Mike Sachoff reports that one in four pre-teens are already account holders on MySpace, Facebook or Bebo. The lower limit for membership in those social networks is 13 or 14 years old.
Last June, Garlik—an online identity manager based in the UK who is also responsible for the QDOS identity ranking—commissioned the teen virtual world Dubit to survey 1000 UK children between ages 8 and 15. They supplemented this survey information with market research from 1030 UK parents. According to the findings, there are 750,000 underage members of the three large social networks, or about 23% of all UK children in that age range.
“Children are at the vanguard of the social networking phenomenon, using sites such as Facebook and Bebo in the same way other generations used the telephone.”
Tom Ilube, Garlik CEO
Their caretakers responded to that behavior. About a quarter of parents secretly log into their kid’s account to check online activity. A similar percentage admit to creating a second account for the purpose of spying on their children. Other findings from the commercial study include:
- 58% of parents claim they are more diligent now than they were a year ago
- 89% of parents have talked with their kids about the dangers posed by social networking sites
- Two-thirds of kids post personal information on their profile page, including current school and cell phone number
- 26% of kids aged 8-15 have strangers as friends
- 20% of kids have met strangers they previously only knew online
The Pew Internet and American Life project offers an additional longitudinal perspective on the growth of young kids online, as well as how parents participate in that exploration. A report released in April 2007 showed 55% of teens had a profile page and two-thirds of them restricted access to their information in some way. While the Garlik findings probably need better context to avoid coming off as fear mongering, safety is just one of the issues parent currently face raising kids in the Age of Web 2.0. Academic fraud, consumerism and cyberbullying are other areas of concern that confront parents as their introduce the next generation to technology.
Any dystopian fears about exposing kids to tech are countered by the more optimistic focus on benefits. Our (Western) world is so immersed in computers and mobile devices that not having early access to the Internet and Wiimotes may disadvantage children later in life. The creative and expressive tools available through computer, the ease of exploration, and the extended communities formed around niche topics of interest can help overcome limited resources or restricted educational policies in local schools.
An inventory of our kids’ technology
Our sons have a computer—a hand-me-down that only recently gave our eight-year-old Internet access. It sits in the main room of our house, in between the kitchen and Amy’s computer. The screens are visible, and we try to make consumption of the Web a social activity.
We have encountered two notable obstacles in this setup. The first is volume. Carter spends a lot of time on the Bionicle site, which features many movies with background music. He likes it loud. Our parents, regrettably speaking through us, don’t. Out come the earbuds, which addresses the noise but brings up a new issue of connectedness and shared experience.
The second obstacle is clicking on links. Many kids sites are self-contained webs within a larger web, with many clear warnings when you are about to leave the protection of their site. Facebook, YouTube and pretty much anything with site advertising offers no such indicators. We discuss the things he sees and explain our concerns, urging him not to explore YouTube on his own. At the same time, we want to demonstrate the freedom the Internet currently provides and how to discriminate between degrees of truth in its content.
Some precautions are taken. I do have to shield some of the YouTube content I might enjoy from the boys’ eyes and (mostly) ears while working from the living room couch. After a late-night screening when it was first released, however, the family enjoyed multiple viewings of Dr. Horrible. Carter and Amy play PackRat, and Archie loves watching Carter build things on Scratch and the LEGO Digital Designer.
Carter has accounts on a few social networks. We set them up, with a little guidance from him, and restricted who can view them. I am a big proponent of transparency and the ability for sharing to enhance your life, so use of these tools is encouraged. I am less comfortable gambling my son’s identity on emerging properties of an open system. A balance needs to be struck. He is currently working on creating a blog, and we have turned YouTube into a personal gallery for family projects.
After almost two decades of avoiding computer games, we are back in the mainstream with a Wii and plans to add Spore in the fall. I became sold on the Wii because of (a) it’s use of haptics and natural motion for input, and (b) the social nature of the games. Wiis are the new charades for family game nights. Not all of the games on the Wii have been as social as I would like (ahem, LEGO Star Wars) nor have the collaborative ones all captured the boys’ interest (ahem, Rockband).
Archie likes Wii Fit
Spore offers a different set of benefits. It is soaked in opportunities to educate on evolution, group dynamics, cultural capital, ethics, geology, and communication. Although it isn’t a social game, the stories of the evolution of creatures and the pair-programming style our sons typically employ to play computer games make it a communal activity.
In addition to his year-round campaign for Santa to bring a superpower machine, he is also hoping for his own laptop and cell phone come Christmas time. At age 4, Archie has been exposed to technology earlier than his older brother and has been able to experience its benefits in more meaningful ways because of a peer guide. Like his brother, Archie is practicing to read by selecting shows to watch from the TiVo now showing menu.
What is your philosophy on technology use by children?
We would love to hear your thoughts on when and how to introduce children to technology. If you are a parent, what are your plans and limits for your own kids? For non-parents, what kinds of strategies might you employ to address the issues of early adoption while still reaping the benefits?
Parenting for Humanity will be discussing these issues on their radio show this Thursday, August 14th at noon Eastern. Hosts Amy Makice and Lisa Stroyan invite you to participate in that discussion during the show, or post comments here.
12 replies on “Kids and Technology”
In regards to games, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has some nice data about the level of parental involvement in video game purchasing and play.
The ESA 2008 annual report is available at:
http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2008.pdf
Parenting is hard enough without all the technology! In our house I am thinking about using iPod touches for hand held gaming, music and video – just beginning to look at the parental controls available!
We talk to a lot of parents – and kids have multiple profiles and email addresses which makes things hard if you don’t have an open and honest relationship with your kids, get them to show you what they are doing and take an interest…
This is actually a topic we’ve been over in our household quite a few times considering that our daughter is not quite two and a half yet. Television is sort of the gateway technology and we have been very strict about limiting it. A lot of studies we have read (can’t site them here, it’s been too long) indicated that (at least tube-style) television monitors can actually adversely affect an infant or toddler’s ability to process imagery and/or adversely affect the cognitive development of the child. There seemed to be some sound science behind this suggestion, which we discovered while trying to decide upon whether to subject our emerging baby prodigy to some “Baby Einstein” or “Baby Mozart” videos.
Beyond that, most of the imagery on television is out of the context of an understandable framework for a young child and while I do not consider myself over-protective, I do believe that it is important to keep things “age appropriate.” This means that we share pre-screened videos with our child and never let her watch “television” programing at all. Of course, this goes further into the realm of media options than merely technology.
However, as she gets a little older, there will clearly be pressure to engage her with more techno-consumerism. We’ve seen the benefit of letting her use “her own” laptop in order to satisfy her curiosity about hitting the keys on Mommy and Daddy’s laptops, so I dusted off an old machine that I kept for some previously inexplicable reason. She loves to type on it or use the paint application, but the computer has no Internet or much of anything else that she would be able to accidentally launch.
Since before she was two she has been fascinated by our phones. She has conversations on her toy phones and loves to converse on the real thing. But I do not personally believe that a child has any real need for a personal cell phone until they are old enough to drive, and even then I would think it should be a limited (and earned) privilege. I know, I’m going to be “that” parent when my kid is in her teens. But I am a strong advocate of parental control (strangely, however, I am opposed to the V-Chip in televisions).
I have been searching high and low for a really good entry level computer that would be okay for a toddler. I think it would be a great tool for learning, but I have not seen a single one that I thought would be a good purchase. Either the “computer” is really a video game type of machine that connects to the television and plays games using a keyboard and mouse, which I do not like because it situates the child in front of the television and establishes that as the center of the experience, or it is a cheap imitation laptop with a minute LCD screen and activities that really are geared to a much older child. This is another reason that I sacrificed the old laptop, with the hopes that a real computer will survive my toddler’s hands and at the same time offer her something that she can actually grow into as she learns to read and interact in a more sophisticated manner.
My basic rundown is this: I feel that technology is generally a good thing to be fluent with but that it should not replace the natural experiences of interacting with the world. I feel that video games are not the healthiest way for children to play — I felt this way in the ’80s when the Atari was all the rage (I still have my original 2600) and I feel it even more strongly now. So I will delay their introduction and limit their use if it is allowed at all. This is tough for me because I think it would be fun to get some games out and see how my daughter reacts, but I also know that, especially at this young age, they can establish an addiction that might be hard to break.
I want to see more kids choosing the option of exploring the woods (or their back yard) and playing politically incorrect role-playing games where they shoot each other with stick guns or fingers while running after one another and skinning their knees. I want to see more tweens not getting exposed to Miley Cyrus or whatever the latest pre-packaged money machine is. Frankly, that means not letting my child use the Internet freely in the foreseeable future. And if I had an older child right now I certainly would not allow for any hand-held device that either made calls or surfed the web unless, like I said, she was old enough to drive… The dangers, in my opinion, far outweigh any benefits.
Also, learning from a book is still, I think, much better than learning from a computer. My computer is my primary research tool, but “analog” tools still offer a superior experience in most ways.
And for health concerns, I think that limiting technology could be shown to be a superior lifestyle choice. Eye strain, repetitive stress, sedentary tendencies, etc., could all be reduced by limiting and controlling exposure to technology. Regarding mental health concerns, my main goal is to always keep things age appropriate. This means, unless a child is able to fully grasp the implications of what he or she is doing, whether or not this will be immediate at the commencement of an action, then the activity should be avoided. I won’t screen violent films until there is a framework for understanding that violence — and preferably I will not encourage early desensitization. Likewise, I will not allow my child on social networking sites until she is both emotionally and intellectually prepared for them AND has a reason to engage in their communities.
This last point is perhaps the most crucial: there must be a reason to introduce a technology and encourage its use. That reason must be compelling enough and it must also outweigh any perceived threats that the new technology might bring. If these tests are passed, then there is no reason not to engage the new technology. Already I see the potential for eBook readers coming at an early age, for example; but not for personal video devices that suck a viewer into ever smaller worlds or anything that is going to detract from interacting with the natural world or actual peers.
Social networking, computers, video games, telephones, cell phones, and whatever else is coming next it doesn’t matter. Your kids are going to want to use it. What you need to do as a parent is go out there and use it yourself, get on the floor and play that game, look like an idiot playing Wii, get on Facebook and friend your kid, know the ratings on games, and just be involved. This has always been the solution to every new thing and every old thing too.
As for our family, we limit television and computer time to 1 hour a day, we don’t have cable, but watch DVDs, but right now they are 3 & 1 so it’s a lot less of an issue. We play wii with them sometimes, and admittedly 1 hour often turns into 1.5 or 2, but we’re ok with that.
I wish I had more time to really devote to giving you my feelings. Thanks for sponsoring such a valuable topic. To save time I will take a minimalist approach to my post.
In general, technology like many things is a tool. Tools can be valuable and dangerous, but are an eventually in all of our lives. The diligence shown by the people posting on these sites gives me great hope the risk of danger of these tools can be far outweighed by the value of the tools when done right.
Given the intellect and depth of the people posting, I feel I can only add a couple nuggets of simple advice. One is to consider having computers, video games, and cell phones only in common areas. (Like the living room). It forces more social interaction and is one way to monitor content, usage, etc. Privacy is important to a child I realize, but a kid locking themselves in a room with something can often be a warning sign. Another nugget is for those non-technical people out there: Do not underestimate the power of a cell phone. Cell phones today can do more things than a computer could do not that long ago and there are many dangerous things even a non savvy kid can get to.
I am huge fan of computers and other technology and have made my career using them. I am grateful to the value it adds to my family when used with some forethought. This blog is one of many examples of how when used well, it can do so.
And Jeff, I love and respect you as much as anyone I have ever met -But don’t dis Miley Cyrus 🙂 We are huge fans. Her show Hanna Montana, like many on Disney, have a positive message and I feel are much more a good influence on Addison than bad. Each show is positive, there is no swearing, and generally teaches a lesson in something promoting good behavior. Yes, it makes Disney a lot of money. We own as much Hanna stuff as anyone. But I’d rather spend money where she and Disney get rich, then let’s say, Paris Hilton.
Best wished to all
Tim
Mr. Roessler – since I love and respect you, too, I’ll admit that my comment on Ms Cyrus had nothing to do with her show or the character she plays, but rather the things I have been seeing about her online, in pop-culture blogs and so-forth, and in magazines or tabloids. I should have chosen someone else as my example, probably, but Brittany Spears (who was a sweet kid at 17 or so when I did a job with her) has become somewhat passé. Personally, I am not all that checked into the seedy personal lives of all the current or former tween-idols, but what I do see disturbs me… a lot. Monitoring the shows is easy and their content is at least somewhat accountable, but the lurid nature of what is easily discoverable via MySpace or, alas, Google.
Jeff, is anything on Miley Cyrus really that bad? No worse than two 15 year olds I remember in Germany 😉 God, that was a fun trip and makes me love and repsect you even more thinking about it.
[…] week we’re talking about kids and technology. Kevin wrote an introduction to the topic over at blogschmog. There’s lots of fear and judgment wrapped up in the […]
Jeff- I could have written exactly what you wrote seven years ago. I agree- it feels better, seems healthier, for the kids to be learning through romping through the woods, carving guns out of sticks, casting spells on the neighbors by burning leaves and worshiping Gaia. . . ah, I digress. One of the best ways I know for us to reboot is to go to a park with a forest and just explore for the day.
I also love to read and am happiest sitting in our backyard with a good book. I’m not quite certain why reading a paper product is better than reading something on a screen. Certainly there are fewer repetitive motion injuries, and less eye strain, but other than that, do I like books because they smell better? It’s a value judgment, and one that I’m starting to question.
There are times that our kids stumble into areas more mature than their current level of functioning- but that happens whether or not I “allow” it. If they go to school, if they hang out with older cousins, if they watch TV while shopping, if they go on unaccompanied playdates, it can happen. My hope is that I will be there when it does to help them navigate.
Tim- I’m with you on the Disney, although I’m quite cynical about all children’s programming- PBS included (they have contributed greatly to Archie’s obsession with Chuck E Cheese). Currently, Archie, Carter and I are watching Orangutan Island on Animal Planet and we love it. Gives us a platform for discussing life and death, friendship, sharing, and pretending we are primates. What more do you want in a show?
Thanks for the comments- I’ve written more over at http://empathic-parenting.com/parentingforhumanity/blog/2008/08/proposed-guidelines-for-technology-and-family/
and would love any comments you feel like sharing there.
Hi everyone! Doing some research for my own blog…came upon y’all….so I’ll practice my thoughts on you….
With the main breadwinner in our house having forged his career out of creating computer games, my ideas of no TV, no computers and no….anything, really, that you could plug in except maybe the toaster and coffee maker…until our kids were at LEAST five were kind of crushed right from the start. I did manage to keep our son away from the computer until he was one. Frank “researched” after he went to bed. But then Liam started asking “What does Daddy DO at work?” And, my husband said, “So, I just never get to show him what I do?”
Our compromise was that we would screen the games he saw and/or played, and one of us would always, always, always be in the room with him. His laptop was originally in the living room–all of ourse our. Now they are downstairs in the rec room. We’ve also made a point of having dialogue with him (and later his sister) about WHAT he is playing or watching. We ask questions, and since we are there, watching what he is doing anyway, we connect what they play or watch to the real world. We have turned Pokemon and World of Warcraft and Halo and Age of Empires into family events–and we have talked about the Greek/Roman mythology that some of the creatures are based on; when our daughter plays XBOX racing games, we talk about road rules and why you can’t do that in real life or when they play Halo we talk about why it’s fun shoot pretend aliens who are threatening violence but NOT OK to shoot a friend b/c he doesn’t want to play a game with you.
We also talk game mechanics and design, and why one game or TV show or movie was made the way it was, and why one format is better then another or why they should have done things differently.
Our kids also are aware of all the very complex math and science that goes INTO the games, no matter the format. When Frank brings a Beta version home, the kids help him test it. They explain to him why they like it or dislike it. We all talk about the pros and cons and Frank tells us how it was created, using what math (I usually zone off, but the kids apparently listen). We used to have time limits–we don’t anymore. Neither of them play for more than two hours at a time. This summer, they asked for the TV to be one a total of three times. They love to run and play board games and hike. Until recently, we don’t play computer when we have friends over (my son and his friends are at that age when that’s what they WANT to do…so they get to, if they play outside for an hour or two first).
Technology IS a tool, and we all use it in different ways. I think it depends on the family, and it definitely depends on the kids. Our son plays games far above his age-level. But he also reads adult-level non-fiction history books. We have allowed him access to games as he shows interest and proves himself mature enough.
Our daughter is different: she is more average-age in terms of her interests. She wants to play XBOX Cars or Barbie Wild Horses. Until recently, she hasn’t enjoyed blowing people up with fusion weapons. She does have a World of Warcraft character, but she really likes to earn money and shop. She’s only recently shown interest in actually doing quests. Her brother refused to play the preschool level phonics computer games. SHE loves them, and we make up poems and stories based off what she played that day.
Strangely, while we are very open game-wise, we have–until recently–clamped down on the TV shows. PBS is OK; Disney is OK; History Channel, and all blue coller reality shows are fine (Ice Road Truckers is a great one). But Nickleodeon? Not on your life. I can’t stand SpongeBob or shows on that channel. Most of prime-time? Not. Talk shows? NOT. Even Oprah…NOT, NOT, NOT. I could go on endlessly talking about my opinions on that…
For now, I will end saying, everything is a teaching moment. EVERYTHING can be used as a tool for learning more and connecting it to the real world. EVERYTHING. It takes our time–yes. But it’s so worth it. We have noticed that the kids we know who aren’t connected to the real world, the kids who aren’t in control of themselves–yes. They play computer games all the time. But why do they do that? Because their parents let them. They use the technology as a babyistter. They have no interest in the gamess themselves, ask no questions, need no answers.
But we don’t see it as a babysitter. We see it one more way to connect with our kids, as one more way we can share our knowledge and, as usually happens, learn something ourselves.
ebs
p.s. Jeff, we used Baby Mozart with Autumn. It was a break from reading to her or doing whatever…she sat in our laps and we watched it with her. Yes, it’s awful boring and sometimess even scary (I don’t like spinning clowns). But I was able to connect the images she watched on the DVD to things in real life, pointing them out, giving them names, etc. She has always been on the high end of vocab for her age group….Whenever I read reports on TV viewing or game playing with children, I wonder: where the parents PRESENT for all these tests? In the same room? Starting dialogue with their kids about what they saw? Or were the kids isolated, with no one but themselves to help them process….
[…] and posts mentioning dubitchat.com Analysis of this Post kids and technologyPost Source: http://www.blogschmog.net Posted: Aug 10 2008 16:35:33 in her blogtalkradio show this […]
[…] have always been a family in love with technology, especially television. Even the crappiest of shows is an opportunity for shared communal […]