In this story, it sounds like they just didn't understand how bad it was. The parents might not also be very good with technology themselves, and so some easy

In this story, it sounds like they just didn't understand how bad it was. The parents might not also be very good with technology themselves, and so some easy options might not occur to them. I'm not a parent, but in friends of mine who are, I often see the scenario play out in reverse. They use technology as a way to pacify their rambunctious kids or otherwise get a few moments of respite - and so they foster that tech addiction without knowing it, until its really taken hold.