Now-a-days parents get their kids, their first electronic gadget at a very early age, so their kids learn and stay in the competition from childhood. It is also mandatory in some schools to be digital, for educational benefits.
Initially we leave our kids with these gadgets so they are engaged. Later they delve into killing animals and finding rare minerals to survive and get to the next level of the game. Some parents are perturbed, then they find that this is the trend and other kids are also playing it, so it would be OK.
Parents take a serious concern when they find that the child has lost contact with the real world habits, like playing or reading. And the child come to the parents with seeing those images in the dreams. The screens aren’t good for health, they may leave kids with staring wide-bloodshot eyes. Many parents intuitively understand that ubiquitous glowing screens are having a negative effect on kids.
Now, when the parents try to take away the game as they see the ill effects, the child retorts. Most of the techies, keep their kids away from technology. Silicon Valley tech executives and engineers enroll their kids in no-tech Waldorf Schools. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Amazon creator Jeff Bezos and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales went to no-tech Montessori Schools.
Recent brain imaging research is showing that those iPads, smart phones and Xboxes are a form of digital drug—exactly the same way as cocaine. Technology raises dopamine levels, it is hyper-arousing. To these addictive effect some USA researchers call screens “electronic cocaine” and Chinese researchers call them “digital heroin” and others call “digital pharmakeia(Greek for drug).”
The immediate solution requires detoxification for some time—no computers, no smartphones, no tablets. The extreme digital detox even eliminates television. It is difficult as digital temptations are everywhere.
The longterm key is to use Lego instead of Minecraft; books instead of iPads; nature and sports instead of TV. Demand schools to be no-tech for up to at least 10 years old children. Limit screen access, no tech dinners—just as Steve Jobs used to have tech-free dinners with his kids. The technological evolution is at high speed and so is the need for parents at the present times. The screen addiction should be taken away ASAP, as it may reduce the growth of your child.