Amen! Here’s to uncomfortable starts, and glorious results. Like so many things in life (going to the gym is a great analogy) the things that are worth doing are difficult and painful—but always worth it.
I don’t need convincing that a screen-free child is a different being from the screen-addled child. It just seems many adults and parents haven’t turned the corner yet or come to realize the devastating effects of screen-based addictions. I was a secondary school teacher for many years and saw the slow and harmful intrusion of screens in the lives of students and in my classroom. Would that schools ban them and go back to computer labs where time and lessons can be better structured and monitored. Instead, schools are exploring the use of AI in education, which could be a benefit but only if reigned in through strong controls. That probably won’t happen if every student has their own device to freely use as they like.
Hi Katherine! Thank you so much for all your writing; I appreciate it very much. I was wondering if you might consider giving up an hour of your time for me to interview you for the Nourish Balance Thrive podcast. I've interviewed Peter Gray a couple of times, but nobody with recent experience as a parent has talked about how to manage screens.
I agree with what you wrote here about action preceding motivation. However, I also agree with Peter when he points out that taking away screens when the kids don't have access to others for play is somewhat cruel. We have three kids (10, 6, and 3) and we're taking a self-directed, non-coercive, play-based approach to education here in Santa Cruz, CA. Our great challenge is finding other free-range kids for play! Once there are other kids, screens become uninteresting.
Your kids can play with each other or themselves. I just got back from a weekend away with 9 adults and my 4 year old. He had plenty to do and there were zero screens. I do wish there were more free range kids around but it's not a reason to keep your kids on screens.
When you change the environment (which I define a combination of culture, technology, markets, and government), people change their actions, which changes outcomes.
This article brilliant describes how this phenomenon works when kids who are addicted to screens (e.g., phones) have those screens taken away. Their environment changes, and, therefore, so do their actions. Fantastic!
In a similar vein, one of my all-time favorite videos describes how a relatively small change in the environment can drastically change outcomes, How Wolves Change Rivers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q
Amen! Here’s to uncomfortable starts, and glorious results. Like so many things in life (going to the gym is a great analogy) the things that are worth doing are difficult and painful—but always worth it.
I don’t need convincing that a screen-free child is a different being from the screen-addled child. It just seems many adults and parents haven’t turned the corner yet or come to realize the devastating effects of screen-based addictions. I was a secondary school teacher for many years and saw the slow and harmful intrusion of screens in the lives of students and in my classroom. Would that schools ban them and go back to computer labs where time and lessons can be better structured and monitored. Instead, schools are exploring the use of AI in education, which could be a benefit but only if reigned in through strong controls. That probably won’t happen if every student has their own device to freely use as they like.
In your book, how do you define “childhood”? Does this include teens?
Hi Katherine! Thank you so much for all your writing; I appreciate it very much. I was wondering if you might consider giving up an hour of your time for me to interview you for the Nourish Balance Thrive podcast. I've interviewed Peter Gray a couple of times, but nobody with recent experience as a parent has talked about how to manage screens.
I agree with what you wrote here about action preceding motivation. However, I also agree with Peter when he points out that taking away screens when the kids don't have access to others for play is somewhat cruel. We have three kids (10, 6, and 3) and we're taking a self-directed, non-coercive, play-based approach to education here in Santa Cruz, CA. Our great challenge is finding other free-range kids for play! Once there are other kids, screens become uninteresting.
Hi Christopher. Sure, happy to chat about the podcast. You can find my contact info here: https://katherinemartinko.ca
Your kids can play with each other or themselves. I just got back from a weekend away with 9 adults and my 4 year old. He had plenty to do and there were zero screens. I do wish there were more free range kids around but it's not a reason to keep your kids on screens.
My tagline is: Environments Shape Outcomes
When you change the environment (which I define a combination of culture, technology, markets, and government), people change their actions, which changes outcomes.
This article brilliant describes how this phenomenon works when kids who are addicted to screens (e.g., phones) have those screens taken away. Their environment changes, and, therefore, so do their actions. Fantastic!
In a similar vein, one of my all-time favorite videos describes how a relatively small change in the environment can drastically change outcomes, How Wolves Change Rivers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q
I've seen that one and it's great! Thanks for sharing.