4 ms·
I'm wary of the proposed solutions. I spent very significant time during my childhood using computers. At the time, I would have had scarcely anything to prove
by thomastjeffery 9y ago
I'm wary of the proposed solutions.
I spent very significant time during my childhood using computers. At the time, I would have had scarcely anything to prove that time was in any way "useful". I would have been hard pressed to convince others that my behavior was not detrimental.
Because I did spend so much time freely using computers, I learned how to use them. I learned about Linux, partitioning, bootloaders, programming, 3D modeling, etc.
My childhood learning experience happened over the course of more than a decade. It was full of totally pointless endeavors, a very significant part of it was just paying video games (which evolved into modding video games years later), and none of it would have happened with overbearing parents obsessed with the merits of my interests.
- nawtacawp 9y agoI would imagine a lot of us here who grew up in 90s would have the same experience. However, I do not see the same parallel to using a mobile device dominated by facebook, Snapchat, emojis and games. There is nothing to tinker with. I also don’t believe that mobile device use bridges to computer use — which could possibly cause a child to show interest in ‘how are these apps made?’
- thomastjeffery 9y agoThat's the problem with locked down devices. It seems like no one cared that when we got powerful supercomputers that fit in our pockets, we couldn't use them like real computers. These arbitrary limitations are the real problem. I don't think adding to the collective fear of children using computers will help change that. It's more likely to convince parents to choose more control and censorship.
- dragonsky67 9y agoI've got to say that I agree. We've been caring for three of our sisters kids recently. They are absolutely mesmerized by the ipads. To the point that you could drop a stack of dishes next to them and they would barely register. Taking them to the museum is a exercise in frustration when you find that they ignore any chance to play with the dinosaur bones or look at the solar system models. Present them with a screen and they are captured. I was shocked to see them staring at a monitor that had a scrolling error message on it.. I don't think they are brain damaged, but you would not know it to see them anyware near a tv or monitor. It seems that they have little ability to process the world if it is not presented on a screen.
- xy55 9y agoDo you believe that your experience is typical?
- thomastjeffery 9y agoEven if I am in a slim minority, I think it is impossible to tell what children will find similar interests. A culture that keeps children away from those experiences affects everyone.
- whywhywhywhy 9y agoIs an (Android or Apple) tablet a computer though?
- FussyZeus 9y agoI fail to see how the technical minutia that differentiate desktop PCs, laptops, tablets and phones affects their ability to create dopamine-producing feedback loops on demand. Everything past that is just semantics between platforms and interaction styles.
- thomastjeffery 9y agoThey are severely arbitrarily limited ones. That's a very related problem.