My question in all this is what about the parents? The kids aren’t buying them themselves are they. What has happened to these parents? what are they thinking? The answer is they’re not. They’ve seriously lost the plot. These mostly 30 something parents (a generation awash with parenting guide books:-) must deep down know that if 3 yr olds are to develop into healthy, happy adults then they need proper opportunities to play, social activities, sensory learning etc etc. Somehow they have rolled over and succumbed to the force of the marketing, letting it override their instincts. It’s another example of herd mentality - now these poor toddlers are bring trained up to be consumers of “the next thing” dreamt up by Big Tech and managed by algorithms. As a single parent myself in the 70’s I was only too happy when the kids sat in front of their favourite TV programme after school. It gave me a bit of time off - but I didn’t let them stare at the screen for hours on end. If they had tried it would have been turned it off. Often they would say they were bored. Now it turns out psychologists say it’s not good to be stimulated all the time, boredom can result in innovation!
People dismiss this line of reasoning with “ oh that was back in the day” but we also faced new challenges then as parents - e.g the clamour for brands, another battle for us to fight if we couldn’t afford the labels. Can parents no longer stand up and say “ No” ?
I was 12 before I heard the F word when I went to grammar school (ironically!) from my rural idyll of a primary school (C of E my first teacher was Mrs Robinson the rector’s wife) where we children were sheltered from the modern world’s negative side. We had television (black and white 2 channels only), radio, washing machines, telephones (party line of lucky) and council housing but no profanity or other aspects of the so called sexual revolution. To this day I do not know what the political leanings of any of my primary school teachers were we were not exposed to politics on any shape or form. We did go to church every Wednesday morning but were not indoctrinated but learnt the yearly pattern of festivals, high days and holidays. The only outside media were consumed was the BBC children’s programmes at school and listen with mother and Blue Peter on BBC television. I trust my case.
Once again, I completely agree with you on this. Many adults, even the middle aged, already walk around zombified, completely enslaved to their smartphones, and they didn’t even grow up using them. When one considers that childhood is the time a person is shaped, it’s frightening to think what will become of modern-day youngsters whose parents don’t regulate their smartphone usage.
However, I think the real issue is the internet itself. It might be an ironic thing to say, as I have just read and commented on your blog using this medium, but I believe that it’s the biggest double-edged sword since the wheel. Yet, unlike the wheel (and fire, of course), its negatives seem to far outweigh its positives. And the chief problem is that the world’s movers and shakers are driving society to be completely reliant on it, without having a contingency plan.
Just imagine if the internet was somehow destroyed, perhaps through a yet-to-be-seen ‘mega’ internet virus. It’s not inconceivable, is it?
Governments, utilities, banking, the food supply chain – in fact, everything that constitutes our civilisation would collapse. Joe Public would be propelled back into prehistoric times but without prehistoric survival skills, while those in power would have us by the short and curlies as they reconstruct ‘civilisation’ exactly how they see fit.
Still, you’re right to say that we can’t uninvent or stop technology. We’re just going to have to take whatever happens on the chin.
NZ has banned the use of smartphones at school - they hand them in at the start of the day and get them back when they go home. That started this week but some schools had already initiated these changes and report favourably about the impact of more physical activity, more reading, less social media-based bullying. Will be interested to see whether it impacts one learning outcomes too.
I am a parent - and yes, I have got it wrong. Much like my dad, and his dad to; I could go on.
"Your eyes will go square", was my mother's best, Mills & Boon fag dripping nag - I took no notice. I am not sure parents are parents anymore, and those that aren't parents are pretending to be parents; especially those that Bugaboo about a city not knowing the turmoil that is coming - it's a tsunami of dreadful.
Tell you what - next time someone says, "let's all take a knee", "wear this mask" and let's, "THE BIG ONE" - "close down your schools" (with real donkeys in charge on all sides) - just say no...!
Let's have a real debate about education in the UK and my home country Australia - let's be honest, it's all ruined. I know this to be true as I have lived and breathed it for 10 years - I've tried paying fees for a better service and this did not work either. Labour will not fully reform the education sector - I suspect they will make it even worse - (as the Labour party is doing here) - but then again, the Liberal party that was in beforehand was as bad.
So, to those that want to ban the phone - think of the buzz that went around my village in the North, especially on those 'hopey-feely' holiday weekends, where a Nuddy-Mag was purloined from the Post Office, nothing would have stopped the boys from having a gawk.
Relax as Frankie said - Mike Read - "where are you now...??"
My question in all this is what about the parents? The kids aren’t buying them themselves are they. What has happened to these parents? what are they thinking? The answer is they’re not. They’ve seriously lost the plot. These mostly 30 something parents (a generation awash with parenting guide books:-) must deep down know that if 3 yr olds are to develop into healthy, happy adults then they need proper opportunities to play, social activities, sensory learning etc etc. Somehow they have rolled over and succumbed to the force of the marketing, letting it override their instincts. It’s another example of herd mentality - now these poor toddlers are bring trained up to be consumers of “the next thing” dreamt up by Big Tech and managed by algorithms. As a single parent myself in the 70’s I was only too happy when the kids sat in front of their favourite TV programme after school. It gave me a bit of time off - but I didn’t let them stare at the screen for hours on end. If they had tried it would have been turned it off. Often they would say they were bored. Now it turns out psychologists say it’s not good to be stimulated all the time, boredom can result in innovation!
People dismiss this line of reasoning with “ oh that was back in the day” but we also faced new challenges then as parents - e.g the clamour for brands, another battle for us to fight if we couldn’t afford the labels. Can parents no longer stand up and say “ No” ?
I was 12 before I heard the F word when I went to grammar school (ironically!) from my rural idyll of a primary school (C of E my first teacher was Mrs Robinson the rector’s wife) where we children were sheltered from the modern world’s negative side. We had television (black and white 2 channels only), radio, washing machines, telephones (party line of lucky) and council housing but no profanity or other aspects of the so called sexual revolution. To this day I do not know what the political leanings of any of my primary school teachers were we were not exposed to politics on any shape or form. We did go to church every Wednesday morning but were not indoctrinated but learnt the yearly pattern of festivals, high days and holidays. The only outside media were consumed was the BBC children’s programmes at school and listen with mother and Blue Peter on BBC television. I trust my case.
And a very happy May Day to you too, Paul!
Once again, I completely agree with you on this. Many adults, even the middle aged, already walk around zombified, completely enslaved to their smartphones, and they didn’t even grow up using them. When one considers that childhood is the time a person is shaped, it’s frightening to think what will become of modern-day youngsters whose parents don’t regulate their smartphone usage.
However, I think the real issue is the internet itself. It might be an ironic thing to say, as I have just read and commented on your blog using this medium, but I believe that it’s the biggest double-edged sword since the wheel. Yet, unlike the wheel (and fire, of course), its negatives seem to far outweigh its positives. And the chief problem is that the world’s movers and shakers are driving society to be completely reliant on it, without having a contingency plan.
Just imagine if the internet was somehow destroyed, perhaps through a yet-to-be-seen ‘mega’ internet virus. It’s not inconceivable, is it?
Governments, utilities, banking, the food supply chain – in fact, everything that constitutes our civilisation would collapse. Joe Public would be propelled back into prehistoric times but without prehistoric survival skills, while those in power would have us by the short and curlies as they reconstruct ‘civilisation’ exactly how they see fit.
Still, you’re right to say that we can’t uninvent or stop technology. We’re just going to have to take whatever happens on the chin.
NZ has banned the use of smartphones at school - they hand them in at the start of the day and get them back when they go home. That started this week but some schools had already initiated these changes and report favourably about the impact of more physical activity, more reading, less social media-based bullying. Will be interested to see whether it impacts one learning outcomes too.
I am a parent - and yes, I have got it wrong. Much like my dad, and his dad to; I could go on.
"Your eyes will go square", was my mother's best, Mills & Boon fag dripping nag - I took no notice. I am not sure parents are parents anymore, and those that aren't parents are pretending to be parents; especially those that Bugaboo about a city not knowing the turmoil that is coming - it's a tsunami of dreadful.
Tell you what - next time someone says, "let's all take a knee", "wear this mask" and let's, "THE BIG ONE" - "close down your schools" (with real donkeys in charge on all sides) - just say no...!
Let's have a real debate about education in the UK and my home country Australia - let's be honest, it's all ruined. I know this to be true as I have lived and breathed it for 10 years - I've tried paying fees for a better service and this did not work either. Labour will not fully reform the education sector - I suspect they will make it even worse - (as the Labour party is doing here) - but then again, the Liberal party that was in beforehand was as bad.
So, to those that want to ban the phone - think of the buzz that went around my village in the North, especially on those 'hopey-feely' holiday weekends, where a Nuddy-Mag was purloined from the Post Office, nothing would have stopped the boys from having a gawk.
Relax as Frankie said - Mike Read - "where are you now...??"