A paean for technology-free(?) childhood

(Credit: Matt Asay)

Technology keeps making its way into younger demographics, a trend that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. I caught my 3-year-old trying to send "text messages, Daddy" the other day.

I guess I should teach her the difference between cordless and wireless.

To be globally competitive, the United States does need to inculcate high-tech training earlier in life for would-be developers, and companies like Red Hat have targeted youth as young as high-school age with training programs.

But I don't want my kids immersed in technology too much, too soon. I was a literature major, and still prefer reading Dostoevsky to Ars Technica, much as I enjoy the latter. Technology can assist in learning, of course, including with literature, but I also feel that something is lost when our experience is intermediated by technology, because the rhythm of technology moves much faster than old-world academics and maturation.

Nick Carr wrote about this in his insightful "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" article in The Atlantic, and took a barrage of criticism for it. But there's some truth to the notion that the Internet's immediacy makes us impatient with books or anything that doesn't deliver information in soundbites and searches.

I make my living from software, so I'm not advocating that we dump it anytime soon. Rather, I'm just hoping (and parenting toward that hope) that my kids will grow up playing soccer rather than manipulating FIFA09 on their Wii; that they'll read Tolkien, Austen, and Dahl rather than Nick.com; and that they'll text less and write more prose. We still need people who can do those things.

[deepwave]

I guess the old Greek adage applies to kids using new technology vs. old tech too.: "Everything in moderation."

[Pete Bardo]

Hey, Matt,

You know a lot of this is up to you as the parent. It's up to you to see that they play soccer, read books, write more/text less. She's 3 years old. What you teach her today will have more and longer lasting effect on her than anything you can do in the future. Stop blaming outside influences for her education, or lack thereof, and start taking some responsibility for her development.

[The_Decider]

Any knowledge that is worth obtaining can not be found in a simple sentence.

I think the most damaging aspect is that it prevents people from actually thinking and making logical connections.

[dragonbite]

My wife cought our (then) 4 year old logging into the computer but instead of using his username he was using "daddy". At 4 he's trying to hack into my account?!! At age 5 he asked me what my username was! Yeeesh, I'm going to have to watch him!

Kids, though, do need time away from technology. Our house, luckily, has a yard with paths through bushes up and down the hill, open fields, trees and rocks and "stuff" to help keep them occupied and while they don't know about text messaging they are learning about the internet and that just about everything is available at www.<anything>.com! Ugh!

Thank goodness for DansGuardian content filter! At least it may catch comething before I have time to click the close button!

[unbreakable2008]

I don't know about the article below. I find myself wondering how much more I would know and how much more capable I would be if I had access to the internet and fantastic tools like 4 core computers when I was a kid. I remember I had a hard time when I was young finding the books I wanted to read or watching a documentary. Back then video was not on demand..lol! You had to actually wait and see it by chance on TV. Now all the information a curious brain can ever hope for is out there?

However I dont know what impact it would have on my character. I am a person of technology who puts humans first.. the machines should be an extension of the mind.. a servant not the ruler. If I grew up immersed in technology I would not perhaps have the views I have now. It kinda bothers me that everyone seems to be holding and using a gadget all the time? everywhere! People roam along silently or talking on gismos, and they never have the time to interact or even look each other in the eye. Sure they are interacting with someone on the phone or internet via the gadget but they are not interacting with the people around them. Its like they live in a bubble. I love technology but when do people stop people people and start becoming cyborgs?

ping back from http://computerboom.blogspot.com/2008/11/paean-for-technology-free-childhood.html

[alaxsxaq]

Personally, I do not restrict access to technology for my 3 year old daughter except where it produces a manufactured experience and stifles her own creativity. In that vein, we've done away with the TV and exposure to entertainment on the internet or through toys that proscribe the limits of interaction is limited. I feel that a creative mind provides a lucrative path for her future and strive to create an environment that encourages her to explore and be creative. You may be interested in exploring the advantages of a Waldorf education for your child. My daughter has been involved in that form of education since she was 6 months old and I attribute her sense of creativity and exploration to things she has learned there.