Top Five Parents’ Digital Age Benefits:
1.) I can micromanage my child’s education. I get electronic notifications if they misbehave, miss an assignment, or make a bad grade way before the report card comes.
2.) I can track my teens’ location by their GPS cell phone.
3.) I have 24-seven two-way communication like only the army used to have with my own children in case of emergency. Like if they want to go play at a friend’s house and want me to pick them up from school drive them there and then go back and get them a couple hours later to pick them up just as soon as they text me that they are ready to go.
4.) Driving with kids is so much easier. you don’t have to listen to them or help them learn how to resolve conflicts with one another while you drive.
5.) By the time they hit 13, if you let them have a smart phone, you pretty much never have to listen to them, talk to them, and probably pretty much won’t see them anymore.
Seriously, though, reply with your ideas about some of the pros of the digital age for parents and child development. I will collect the responses and repost them together.
Frankly, this stuff scares the heck out of me. I watch the way my own kids are sucked into their screens. I see smart kids in my office who are willing to give up everything for their video games and snapchat, etc. I thought it would be good to add some levity by conjuring up what is good for us in all this electronic intrusion into our lives. What do you think are parents’ digital age benefits? Please help me?
What is going on here?
Pros and Cons of Digital Media and Human Development (This is a pdf document I created which you are welcome to view or print and pass along)