Technology vs The great outdoors

I am on one hand old enough to remember life before the internet and on the other young enough to start and run this website.

In 2009, I was an awkward lanky 14 year old boy sitting on the couch. My mom blurted in her trailer-park hillbilly accent

"Her kid aint gonna be able to do nothin if she don't teach him" as she point at my nephew on the primitive phone

My aunt looked up and scowled at my mom before walking out of the room to use her phone in the other room leaving my then 3 year old nephew with us.

Fast forward 15 years and the trend is getting amplified by the day. I watch as the generation of outdoors kids are fading out and the generation of IPAD babies are inbound. As I see it, the battle of healthy technology usage is our great generational struggle. Our own personal Vietnam. I truly pray you don't take that statement lightly. I am not being cheeky. Technology's utility and distractibility rise at the same rate. Your job is to let it remain a useful tool and not cause you immense distraction from what you wish to have happen in your life.

This article in a nutshell

1. Attention as a currency

2. FOMO

3. Movement

4. Do you need to cut back?

5. Time limits

6. Conclusion

Our attention is the true currency

With whatever capacity you use the internet, your eye movement, mouse movement, time spent on page, and share rate are all saved. You see, the internet was created as a use it as much as you want so long as ads are allowed. (The Ad-Based Model)

This is great! After all, it costs enough to live without paying for each google. But, there are some setbacks to this model which I will now explain.

1. Ads are flashed before you all the time. If you think you are beyond falling prey to targeted ads, your not. Maybe you don't think it's a problem. It is.

   1. For one it's slowing down your searches

   2. For two, your buying stuff you don't need

   3. And for C, if you appreciate my site not selling out to Ads then buy me a coffee.

      
      

2. Your attention is being regularly hijacked. Don't think it is? Hide your phone from 7 AM to 2 pm each day and see how many times you unconsciously reach for it. Go ahead, I dare you.

   1. I learned this lesson the hard way.

   2. In basic military training they took my phone. I and everybody around me kept reaching for our pockets. We deemed this phenomenon "phantom vibration".

3. Your brain functions as you train it to. If you train your brain to sit and read articles such as this, then it will do so. If you train your brain to jump back and forth between tasks then it will do that.

CONTROL YOUR ATTENTION

Turn off all notifications, choose to attend to what you wish and stop walking around like a puppet. It is time to WAKE UP.

Our children become a barrier to our Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

Have you seen that new podcast? How about ___ on Netflix? These things become talking points in society and it feels bad to not be in the know.

For many parents though, to keep up with all these outlets would require ignoring our kids. Dear reader, I would hope you can develop a sense of JOMO. (Joy of Missing Out). You didn't watch the new hype because you were busy teaching your kid to use the stove. Good for you! You missed the news about the recent bombing in ___ because you were busy making money for your retirement so that your children aren't forced to care for you financially. Good for you.

Get rid of FOMO and tune into your JOMO.

We move less due to screens

Could you imagine what a video of you would look like fast-forwarded through the day? For many of us, it would be long bouts of sitting staring into our hands, standing staring at our hands, and pooping staring at our hands. What's worse, our kids are copying our movement patterns and developing without integrated primitive reflexes (See this article to scan your childs reflexes).

Backyard BBQ 2024

When we aren't staring at our hands we are sitting still staring at a t.v. or computer screen. It's no wonder all of these sedentary diseases are "coming out of nowhere". All screens are created equal. I had a client who said okay, I'll cut back on my kids tablet time before bed, we will sit and watch a movie instead. This is 5% better because the screen is at least further away allowing the eyes to have a different distance to focus at but still it won't allow the childs body to move or the childs brain to rest.

Do you need to cut back?

I have no idea. Do you want to?

If you want to, cold turkey has always been the best way to treat any addiction for me. I eliminate the thing from my life for a few weeks and then I slowly introduce it back and hope it doesn't take back over. I have tried just cutting back, as I know this works for many, but for me this never worked out. Try both and see what works for you.

What is a healthy amount of technology?

According to A.I.

For kids, 1-2 hours of screen time per day is generally considered healthy, especially for recreational use. This can vary by age:

• Toddlers (18-24 months): Minimal screen time, mainly for video chatting with family.

• Preschoolers (2-5 years): About 1 hour per day of high-quality programming.

• School-aged kids (6+ years): Up to 2 hours of screen time, focusing on educational content and balancing with physical activity and sleep.

It’s important to prioritize physical activity, face-to-face interactions, and sleep over screen time.

According to Jaemey Matherly OTR/L

Consider what type of technology use is being given to your child.

• YouTube and video games are like crack for kids with ADHD and Autism

• A short cartoon in the middle of the day can reset a kids day

• A family movie at the end of a long week is often overall positive

• A movie in the car allows the parents to talk

Consider ergonomics and eye health when giving kids tech. Phones and tablets are really hard on the developing eye and many kids put the screens dangerously close to their faces.

Consider time of day. Dr. Andrew Huberman (my favorite neuroscientist) says we should get sunlight first thing in the morning and shut off screens before bed. I tend to agree with this as I tried it and it worked. Energy up, sleep improved, etc.

Conclusion

Tech has always been improving. Humans may even only exist to make A.I. who can rule the world better than us. If you made it this far into the article then you understand we are ill equipped as humans to resist the urge of technology. Technology in excess lead to serious health problems in both adults and children. Enjoy your technology but use it wisely my friends.

<3

As always: if you find value in my writings, consider dropping me a dollar or two using the buy me a coffee link above.