Moving to Learn

Tech Diet – Four Tech Tools To Help “Tech Fat” Families Reduce The Use Of Technology

While the benefit of technology is obvious, inherent risks of technology overuse by young children are unrecognized and largely ignored. The virtual world is devoid of touch, movement, human connection, and nature – four critical elements for child development and learning.  One in three children now enter school developmentally delayed, one in four are obese, one in six have a diagnosed mental illness, and one in ten are addicted to video games and/or pornography. Child aggression and sexual violence is problematic, resulting in some countries restricting access to video games and pornography e.g. Iceland proposing a ban on internet porn. Sedentary, isolated, overstimulated, and neglected, the new millennium child is struggling to survive, and child sustainability is now in question. Health and education professionals are positioned to provide early detection and intervention for children and families struggling with technology addiction. This article is designed to offer helpful tools for professionals to help with early identification and treatment of family technology addictions.

Babies with iphones, toddlers with ipads, and children immersed in porn and violence, are now a socially acceptable norm. Computers imbedded in glasses and windshields are now available. Many parents are addicted to technology themselves, and consequently use technology as a soother to entertain upset and lonely children. Detached children are attaching to devices in droves, fueling escalating addictions, and resulting in behaviors which are readily diagnosed as mental illness and medicated. Self-regulation, or the ability to self soothe without a device, while a known determinant for social and academic success, becomes unachievable in the presence of addiction.  As brain development is concordant with environmental stimuli, overstimulation from technology prunes tracks to frontal cortex, causing attention deficit, poor impulse control, and inability to learn. Without any evidence to support technology educates as opposed to just entertains, many parents and teachers conveniently believe these devices are educational, further supporting escalating usage.

Early detection and intervention for child and family technology overuse is a growing field for health and education professionals. This article provides four links to useful tools to assist with what appears to be a daunting task, addressing prevalent and rapidly escalating child and family technology addictions. Assisting families in reducing their usage of technology requires initial groundwork in the area of family reconnection and identification of healthy activities, which indirectly address addiction. Pediatric occupational therapists are experienced in the use of play to enhance development and learning, and are experienced in promoting attachment, and can consequently assist health and education professionals in early detection and treatment of child and family technology addictions. Stuart Brown, author of “Play – How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul” reports that the opposite of play is depression, and that parent: child attachment and trust is established through play. Going outside to play can reverse the effects of technology overuse in children and their families.

Following are four “Tech Tools” to help families manage balance between technology and healthy activity:

Technology Screen – used as an essential component in health and education assessments to determine baseline technology usage rates. This screen incorporates research findings that many parents don’t really know how much technology their children use, as is so difficult to manage transportable devices.

Ten Steps to Unplug – guide to assist families along the path toward reducing technology usage.

Technology Schedule – encourages parents and children to negotiate and schedule balanced use of technology and healthy activities.

Tech Diet – unplug challenge to reset family values, interests, and activities. Cris Rowan is available to come to your community, school, or health center for health and education professional trainings in early detection and intervention for child and family technology addictions.

Cris can be reached at info@zonein.ca or 1-888-8zonein. Additional information can be found on her website www.zonein.ca.

Cris Rowen

Cris Rowan, BScOT, BScBi, SIPT

Cris Rowan is a biologist, pediatric occupational therapist and sensory specialist with expertise in the impact of technology on child development, behaviour and learning. Having worked in school settings for over 3 decades, Cris is committed to improving student health while also easing the job of learning for children. Cris is a well-known international speaker and author to teachers, parents and therapists globally on topics of sensory integration, learning, attention, fine motor skills and the impact of media content including video games, social media and pornography on children’s brain and body development. Cris has a BSc’s both in Occupational Therapy and in Biology, is a SIPT certified sensory specialist, and has Approved Provider Status for CEU provision with the American Occupational Therapy Association. Over the past 3 decades, Cris has provided over 350 keynotes and workshops, writes monthly articles for her blog Moving to Learn, publishes the monthly Child Development Series Newsletter, and is designer and creator of Reconnect Webinars which offer research evidenced information for teens, parents, teachers and clinicians to manage balanced between screens and healthy activities. Cris is member of the Screens in Schools committee with Fairplay for Kids, member of the Institute for Digital Media and Child Development and sits on the Board of Directors for the Global Alliance for Brain and Heart Health. Cris has two adult children, Matt and Katie who grew up without screens.

Cris can be reached at crowan@reconnectwebinars.com. Reconnect Webinars offers a free, 5.5-hour CCAP accredited Screenbuster Program training webinar for teens which qualifies them to perform Tech Talks for their peers. The Screenbuster Program requires one counsellor, teacher or principal to complete the 3-day Balanced Technology Management certification CEU provided course in order to adequately supervise the teens.

Share This Article

Follow On Social Media

2 Responses

  1. Hi there I was writing to see if you would be able to email me a flier that you have entitled ” .10 Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should Be Banned for Children Under the Age of 12 “. I was looking for a flyer for it to download but could not find it. If you would be able to I would appreciate it.
    Thanks

Recent Articles

parent sos
Technology and Children

ParentsSOS (Parents for Safe Online Spaces)

Fairplay and David’s Legacy Foundation launched a new initiative called ParentsSOS (Parents for Safe Online Spaces). Our new ParentsSOS site features the stories of twenty families who have lost their children to social media harms.

Read More »