Yesterday, the Huffington Post launched a new property called “Screen Sense” which is a new resource designed to help parents understand and learn how to work with technology in their lives as well as their children’s. As part of the launch event, I was invited to participate in discussing this exact topic on Huffington Post Live (a live video stream of current and trending topics of the world).
Obviously, this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart as much of the content on HighTechDad.com is devoted to understanding where and how and if technology (and social media) integrates into the family lifestyle. Screen Sense looks to have a compelling set of regularly updated content from a variety of authors and perspectives. In my opinion, the more discussion and education that can take place around this subject, the better prepared our children can be for the future. As parents become more involved in understanding the impact of technology as a tool within the family, they too are armed with more information that they can use to work WITH their own children to help provide them the resources to succeed.
As part of the launch, I was invited to participate in a great live video discussion with other parents and writers on a live video show. Hosted by HuffPostLive’s Ahmed Shihad-Eldin, the other guests and I discussed a wide variety of topics centering around tech in the family. Joining me were:
- Lori Leibovich (New York, NY) HuffPost Executive Lifestyle Editor @lorileibovich
- Katie Hurley (Los Angeles, CA) Mother of a 5 and 3-Year-Old @katiefhurley
- Lisa Belkin (New York, NY) HuffPost Senior Columnist for Life, Work, and Family @lifeswork
- Susan Stiffelman (Los Angeles, CA) Teacher, Psychotherapist, Huff Post Blogger @susanstiffelman
The full HuffPostLive 30 minute video is embedded below (and you can access it here directly):
What are your views on the topics covered, the discussion and technology in the family environment? Leave a comment and let me know!
HTD says: If you work WITH your children, I believe that technology at home can be a very positive tool and influence.
2 Responses
Good job yesterday. Wish you got more talk time. I agree with you that technology and social networking are tools, and not necessarily the enemy. The funny thing about my daughter is she is so busy with dance (sound familiar?), she sometimes neglects her social network, so overexposure is not really an issue in my family. But when she does get in front of the screen, she does use it to connect to her dancer network. Some of these dancers are working professionals in LA, which she uses as inspiration for her art. Without technology, her circle of influence would be limited to the local dance scene, rather than being exposed to the much larger dance world. She is able to use YouTube to see performances she would have otherwise never had access to. I know your daughter does the same thing. Heck, if it wasn’t for technology, our daughters probably wouldn’t be the BFFs they are today because of their busy dance schedules. So to get to my point (or is it pointe?), I think it is far more important to discuss with our children about how they are using technology, rather than just laying down time limits. I would let her spend the whole day on the computer, if I’m sure she’s using it for her academics and her art. But if she were only using technology for mindless entertainment, then I would consider imposing restrictions.
Thanks Scott. Yes, it is definitely a fine line to walk regarding tech, social and family. Striking a balance of on-line & off-line is critical. With out daughters, their free time is so precious so we need to give them some social and tech time, but still with limits. For dancers though, social is part of their promotion and yes, staying in touch with other friends around the globe. The most important thing is making sure that they understand what those limits might be (based on age), sticking to those limits and giving them the tools to be successful.