healthy living them, and turn them into permanent, longterm memories. Examples of downtime for younger kids can be a walk outside, coloring or reading a book. For teenagers and adults, taking time to meditate or exercise without listening to music gives the brain a perfect opportunity to rest and reconnect.
Technology: Frenemy?
Take a screen break and enjoy the world around you By LEA HANSON
M
ore and more families are putting moratoriums on technology choosing a particular time of the day or day of the week to refrain from using devices with screens: TVs, phones (but still allowing phone calls), tablets, computers, etc. Whether referring to this recess as No Tech Tuesday, Sans Screen Sunday, or the Unplugged Challenge, parents are seeing the benefits of limiting their kids’–and their own—exposure to technology. For most, the purpose of such a moratorium is to prevent over-exposure and also encourage more face-to-face connections. The average child today spends up to five hours a day in front of a screen. Nearly two-thirds of full-time workers own smartphones, up from 48 percent just two years ago. While most Americans, young and old, say our wired devices make life easier and more interesting, they are admitting that phones, tablets, and computers have increased their levels of stress and even led to feelings of isolation and difficulty concentrating. The past decade has shown a splurge of technology and while many of its effects are positive, some are not so positive. 12
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Sedentary bodies Exercise and movement is important at any age. Obesity in both children and adults is a problem for the majority of Americans. While one cannot fully attribute obesity and a sedentary lifestyle to technology use, it certainly plays a role. The reality is, when our kids are watching TV or playing video games, they aren’t moving, stretching, and strengthening their bodies. Can technology (re)wire our brains? Some attribute overuse of technology to poorer attention skills, for both children and adults. Too much multi-tasking or stimulation can have long-term effects on the way people think and behave. Our ability to focus is being undermined by constant bursts of information. Continuous stimulation provokes excitement and without it, we feel bored. Because we’re bored, we turn toward technological stimulation. And the cycle continues. Brains need rest, too Brains, especially growing ones, need downtime. Time away from stimulation lets the brain review the experiences, solidify
Being a technology role model Role modeling healthy use of technology to our kids is important. Parents have the ability and responsibility to illustrate how our devices can help us to better engage rather than disengage in ‘real life.’ What are we teaching our kids when we constantly look at our phones? What priorities are we modeling when our kids see us from the sports field looking down at a 4G tablet instead of looking up, watching them play? Dr. Sherry Turkle in her book, Alone Together, says kids easily feel hurt when moms or dads are on their devices instead of interacting. Break the cycle Once we’ve learned to rely on a device, it’s hard to resume doing things the “old fashioned way.” But, even the smallest change can enact a technological adjustment. Here are some easy alternatives:
• Exercise without music or television • Before bed, read instead using a tablet • Have more toys without batteries than toys with batteries in the house • Never underestimate the ability for the simplest activities to be stimulating: PlayDoh, blocks, drawing • Limit use of a screen in a vehicle; try chatting, listening to the radio, or simply looking out the window
If you feel as though your devices are taking over your family, consider creating guidelines around technology use in your home. Perhaps it’s no phones at the dinner table or no screen time an hour before bedtime. Perhaps your family sets a maximum number of minutes or hours of exposure per day. Perhaps it’s a full moratorium: one day per week, one week per month, or one month per year. Whatever your family chooses, celebrate the opportunity to spend time together - unplugged.