health [sponsored by]
HI
HEALTHY with
Watching my son eyeing a piece of candy when he thinks no one’s watching is a masterclass in human nature. He closes one eye, his tongue pokes out from the corner of his mouth, his hand walks itself carefully across the table on tiny, pudgy fingers. Then he pauses...looks over his shoulder...looks back...licks his lips…then, quickly, he snatches it and shoves it in his mouth. True, he’s 4—but that struggle against immediate gratification never really goes away. That’s especially true in these times, with the world literally at our fingertips. Developing healthy digital relationships and working with our kids to think about their relationship
6
GULFCOAST FAMILY LIVING
to technology is now as critical to successfully navigating our culture as teaching them to brush their teeth. Unfortunately, pairing instant communication and access to nearly endless amounts of mindless content with the developing prefrontal cortex (the wrinkly gray bit in the brain that deals with impulse control and critical thinking) is a recipe for absolute disaster.
1 OUT OF 5
One out of five teens reports that they have electronically sent or posted nude or seminude pictures or videos of themselves online, according to a recent survey from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Anyone’s stomach would drop thinking
90 TO 95% about this statistic and the fact that an estimated 90 to 95% of school
kids carry cell phones. Additionally,
21%
the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that nationwide, about 21% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying, which can lead to risky behaviors, become the reaction to them, or usually both. This issue feels overwhelming. It can be difficult to enforce digital boundaries with our kids, but as the saying goes: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. It is possible for kids to improve their relationships with technology. Keep reading for some techniques to help.
