Here's some terminology I've been playing with in my parent eds, tell me if you agree! I call it "secondhand screens" when one person's screen technology is affecting someone else's. For example, scrolling TikTok with sound on in a waiting room or when a kid is publicly using and iPad and the rest flock around. I've also been using the term "secondhand algorithm" which describes secondhand contagion from online trending content even if your kid isn't on social media. For example, the Sephora Tweens trend (when very young girls ask for skincare they don't need). Keep up the great work!
I really like that secondhand concept, and am definitely going to start adopting it in my talks, too (with a shoutout to you and your great work)! So thanks for that.
Makes a lot sense. As secondhand smoke is to cigarettes, so secondhand screens are to personal devices. And the harmful effects of secondhand smoke are thoroughly established, so too should be the harms of secondhand screens.
Really like this! As a parent to teens and husband who has a different approach to tech than I do, I can really attest to the impact of secondhand screen usage on a personal level. Will start using this in our Parent Ed presentations as well!
This is an excellent point. The sustained use of smartphones and tablets has the effect of eliminating all those things that makes life worth living.
In my experience, good and bad technology can be divided with a simple test. Machines that contain a terminal allowing programmatic system access, such as laptops or desktops, are designed to make smart people smarter. Entertainment devices (TVs, I Pads, smartphones) are designed to make dumb people dumber. Therefore, while I am an avid computer programmer, I do not keep any entertainment devices in my house, and will forbid my children from using them entirely. In conclusion, if you can't control a machine, the machine is controlling you.
Here's some terminology I've been playing with in my parent eds, tell me if you agree! I call it "secondhand screens" when one person's screen technology is affecting someone else's. For example, scrolling TikTok with sound on in a waiting room or when a kid is publicly using and iPad and the rest flock around. I've also been using the term "secondhand algorithm" which describes secondhand contagion from online trending content even if your kid isn't on social media. For example, the Sephora Tweens trend (when very young girls ask for skincare they don't need). Keep up the great work!
I really like that secondhand concept, and am definitely going to start adopting it in my talks, too (with a shoutout to you and your great work)! So thanks for that.
Makes a lot sense. As secondhand smoke is to cigarettes, so secondhand screens are to personal devices. And the harmful effects of secondhand smoke are thoroughly established, so too should be the harms of secondhand screens.
Really like this! As a parent to teens and husband who has a different approach to tech than I do, I can really attest to the impact of secondhand screen usage on a personal level. Will start using this in our Parent Ed presentations as well!
This is an excellent point. The sustained use of smartphones and tablets has the effect of eliminating all those things that makes life worth living.
In my experience, good and bad technology can be divided with a simple test. Machines that contain a terminal allowing programmatic system access, such as laptops or desktops, are designed to make smart people smarter. Entertainment devices (TVs, I Pads, smartphones) are designed to make dumb people dumber. Therefore, while I am an avid computer programmer, I do not keep any entertainment devices in my house, and will forbid my children from using them entirely. In conclusion, if you can't control a machine, the machine is controlling you.
thank you for this
and also your previous article on that child's question- so heartbreaking