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I hardly ever watched TV, but found myself binge watching Netflix. The on-demand model is so much cleaner than regular TV where you have advertisements being sh

by cncrnd 8y ago

I hardly ever watched TV, but found myself binge watching Netflix. The on-demand model is so much cleaner than regular TV where you have advertisements being shown for almost 1/3 of the time. In fact, I liked Netflix so much that I cancelled it because it was becoming a distraction. If I have kids they definitely will not have access to any such thing, and I feel sorry for the kids growing up with it today.

willio58 8y ago
I get where you’re coming from but self control is an important thing to teach children. If your version of self control is fully disconnecting, I understand that but it doesn’t mean you should feel sorry for kids that have access to Netflix. (Speaking as a 21 year old who spent a number of years of my childhood watching Netflix with my family)
- cncrnd 8y ago
  I'm also in my early 20's. I think children are by nature more impulsive, and if they have access to Netflix at a young age without enough parental restrictions they might start down a bad path. When they're older it's easier to contain. That's part of the reason for age restrictions on drugs/alcohol. Some drugs aren't all that different from dopamine inducing digital stimuli. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for self control, isn't fully developed until age 25.
  - krageon 8y ago
    The age restrictions on drugs (alcohol is also a drug) are because of researched and profound effects on developing brains. It has very little to do with undeveloped self-control (although that is definitely a thing). The difference in effects on dopamine between drugs and anything that isn't a drug is also profound, mainly because drugs will make things happen that simply cannot happen normally. I don't at all agree with your "children should not be exposed to things they might want" premise, but that is a discussion for another day.

by cncrnd 8y ago

willio58 8y ago

I get where you’re coming from but self control is an important thing to teach children. If your version of self control is fully disconnecting, I understand that but it doesn’t mean you should feel sorry for kids that have access to Netflix. (Speaking as a 21 year old who spent a number of years of my childhood watching Netflix with my family)

cncrnd 8y ago
I'm also in my early 20's. I think children are by nature more impulsive, and if they have access to Netflix at a young age without enough parental restrictions they might start down a bad path. When they're older it's easier to contain. That's part of the reason for age restrictions on drugs/alcohol. Some drugs aren't all that different from dopamine inducing digital stimuli. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for self control, isn't fully developed until age 25.
- krageon 8y ago
  The age restrictions on drugs (alcohol is also a drug) are because of researched and profound effects on developing brains. It has very little to do with undeveloped self-control (although that is definitely a thing). The difference in effects on dopamine between drugs and anything that isn't a drug is also profound, mainly because drugs will make things happen that simply cannot happen normally. I don't at all agree with your "children should not be exposed to things they might want" premise, but that is a discussion for another day.