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We're a homeschooling family with a single Pinwheel phone shared among our three kids. It has no browser and no way to access social media. But it does have b
by jawns 2y ago
We're a homeschooling family with a single Pinwheel phone shared among our three kids. It has no browser and no way to access social media. But it does have basic smartphone functionality, like phone, texting, photos/videos, music, etc.
In contrast, our kids tell us all the time that their peers in various extracurricular activities almost all have unrestricted phone and technology use.
I would like to hope that if we raise our kids with "healthy" technology use, then they will ultimately be better off.
But my fear is that unhealthy technology use is so pervasive that they'll end up in the same sort of unfortunate situation as being the only humans left after a zombie outbreak.
- winrid 2y agoI fear it will be difficult for me to do this and not make them social outcasts. Part of being a parent is also helping your kids fit in and be successful "socially". I think what you're doing is good. Hopefully enough parents do this that it doesn't seem weird when a little one doesn't have a phone. My one year old can already steal my phone, hold it, and scroll/mess with buttons with her thumbs, open camera to look at herself... so I try not to use it around her anymore.
- 9dev 2y agoAt some point we somehow decided being an outcast is bad all around. However, looking into the past, a lot of people who used to be loners became artists later in live, or scientists, or tinkerers. I know how this sounds at first, but having the time to drill down to the absolute core of something, uninterrupted by a big social circle or crushes yields its own merits.
- paulcole 2y ago> However, looking into the past, a lot of people who used to be loners became artists later in live, or scientists, or tinkerers. A lot of people who used to be loners become loners later in life, too. And a lot of artists, scientists, and tinkerers weren't loners early in life. You can make up whatever story your heart desires to convince yourself you're making a good decision.
- dkhenry 2y agoWhen you see a societal pattern that is physically, and mentally bad for your kids why would you want them to fit in with it?
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- bequanna 2y agoI’d argue that the US puts far too much weight on “social success”. Our culture will consider someone who is not some extreme extrovert or constantly seeking attention a social failure. The older you get, the more important family becomes and your group of close friends is typically small. Maintaining a large number of superficial friendships is typically some you grow out of anyway, so maybe we should be teaching kids to skip that step.
- winrid 2y agoI think there's a difference between just being introverted and being bullied or excluded. I don't care of my child is an introvert. I do care of they want to make friends and can't.
- gorlilla 2y agoAll things in moderation; including moderation.
- dkhenry 2y agoMy wife and I also have three kids that share a simple flip phone, with no real access to social media, or the internet. A good number of their peer's do have unrestricted access to smart phone's, and as they have gotten older I think they have started to turn the corner seeing how destructive it is. My son lamented about his neighborhood friends never wanting to play because they are addicted to TikTok, and even thought there are still times he begs us for a smart phone so he can fit in, its starting to sink in that unregulated screen time is a huge problem. We have also slowly increased his freedom to regulate his own screen time, both TV and Computer, and have seen him self-regulating, and commenting how easy it is to get sucked into being a screen zombie.
- itslennysfault 2y agoI'd be worried about the opposite effect. The sheltered kids were always the ones to party the hardest when they got to college and had their first glimpse of freedom. I'm sure there is a happy balance somewhere, but finding it is certainly the trick.