I've watched this video of Simon Sinek talking about "millennials in the workplace" multiple times and shared it with my son, husband, and friends. This one short video touches on so many complex topics it's hard to sort out where to start a conversation. This blog post is NOT about millennials being entitled, self centered, poor communicators, lazy, etc. There has always been and will always be generation gaps - just take a look at this article entitled "15 historical complaints about young people ruining everything." The seventh example from this article is from 1859 where Scientific American railed against the game of chess saying it was "a mere amusement of a very inferior character." and how people "require out-door exercise--not this sort of mental gladiatorship." I remember when I was starting in the workforce and hearing similar complaints about my generation and later about Gen-Xers. | |
I'm more interested in talking about how growing up with electronics has and is effecting children. My son is 16 and has grown up with the Leap Pad, Gameboy, Nintendo DS, Xbox, Play Station, iPod, iPhone, Minecraft, War games, etc. I've always worried about their effects, but there was no scientific long term studies to draw on because they didn't exist yet. I guess that's the problem with being on the forefront of a trend. Simon Sinek does a good job describing how different aspects of long term technology use manifests itself in the workplace. My son was reluctant to watch the video at first, but later agreed that the video made some excellent points.
I'm not going to reiterate his points in this blog because I'll never do it justice. You should watch the video and take away from it what is most helpful to you. What I do want is to point out that the problem is only getting worse. Technology is getting less expensive and more engaging and is being given to children at a younger and younger age. Parents are equally distracted by technology as their kids. 5 years ago, there were countless articles speculating about the effects of technology on children and spouting rules like children should not have more than 2 hours of screen time a day. Now the articles are about how parents are so distracted with their devices and ignoring their children and how they use technology as a pacifier with their kids.
Unfortunately there isn't a rule book on how to approach this problem of technology use. Much like other areas of parenting, you have to know your child /children, what rules make sense in your household, sense when things are going astray, give them good guidance, etc. Some common sense suggestions are to spend quality time together, have conversations, do fun things outside and away from electronics, don't let kids sleep with their electronics (charge devices overnight in a common area of the house like the kitchen), etc. Teaching kids about the appropriate use of technology is now just another reality of life and it starts with being a good role model.
Clearly I'm a proponent of technology or I wouldn't be teaching kids how to use them in school. But like many things in life, technology has it's benefits and its problems. I was in a class at Columbia University this summer where the instructor, Cornelius Minor, said studies show that by age 14, kids are predisposed to either be creators or consumers of technology. By being aware, we can counter the negative aspects of technology and prevent our kids from being controlled and pacified by technology, but rather have them use technology beneficially.
Please leave a comment below if you'd like to share a tip with parents on kids and technology use at home.
I'm not going to reiterate his points in this blog because I'll never do it justice. You should watch the video and take away from it what is most helpful to you. What I do want is to point out that the problem is only getting worse. Technology is getting less expensive and more engaging and is being given to children at a younger and younger age. Parents are equally distracted by technology as their kids. 5 years ago, there were countless articles speculating about the effects of technology on children and spouting rules like children should not have more than 2 hours of screen time a day. Now the articles are about how parents are so distracted with their devices and ignoring their children and how they use technology as a pacifier with their kids.
Unfortunately there isn't a rule book on how to approach this problem of technology use. Much like other areas of parenting, you have to know your child /children, what rules make sense in your household, sense when things are going astray, give them good guidance, etc. Some common sense suggestions are to spend quality time together, have conversations, do fun things outside and away from electronics, don't let kids sleep with their electronics (charge devices overnight in a common area of the house like the kitchen), etc. Teaching kids about the appropriate use of technology is now just another reality of life and it starts with being a good role model.
Clearly I'm a proponent of technology or I wouldn't be teaching kids how to use them in school. But like many things in life, technology has it's benefits and its problems. I was in a class at Columbia University this summer where the instructor, Cornelius Minor, said studies show that by age 14, kids are predisposed to either be creators or consumers of technology. By being aware, we can counter the negative aspects of technology and prevent our kids from being controlled and pacified by technology, but rather have them use technology beneficially.
Please leave a comment below if you'd like to share a tip with parents on kids and technology use at home.