Finding Balance: A Better Alternative to Demonizing Technology

Demonizing technology is not the solution, instead, it’s more of an obstacle.

Now, when you read the topic, what is the first thing that pops up in your mind?

A continuation of the age-old debate on whether technology is a boon or a bane? Arguments and counter-arguments? Listing the merits, adding personal views in a desperate attempt to make it interesting? And then finally ending it all with a few generic sentences because there’s no firm conclusion?

Sounds boring and monotonous… isn’t it?

So, let’s do ourselves a favour. Leave this topic for now. Let’s talk about our daily lives! Don’t worry, we are not going to blabber about some incident that occurred and then jump onto another one, and then yet another… My attention span has improved significantly. (Ah! You’d get the reference if you have read the previous article. Interested? Click here. But don’t forget to complete this one!)

So, with months passing by, since this pandemic grasped the world, life has started to gain its pace again, coming back on track. People have started to adapt to these times and have in fact found means of enjoyment in these challenging times as well.

The older children are busy with their online classes and the younger ones are busy creating a mess! As parents, it can be quite challenging to manage them especially when guests drop in.

The teens, of course, won’t bother you much. They are mostly confined to their own rooms. (Did we rekindle some flames of anguish?) But that, in turn, bothers you. They are always hooked to their gadgets, right? Don’t want to mingle, don’t want to get involved in other activities? You recognize this scenario. But before you start blaming them in the back of your minds and criticizing their ‘indiscipline’, read on.

Suppose, your friends come over and your kids, the younger ones, are to be looked after, what do you do then? (apart from being super lenient and including them in your get-together)

You ask them to go to bed or to sit down to study. But just like you aren’t super lenient, they too aren’t super obedient. So what’s next?

What is the first idea that comes to your mind? What about that favourite series they have been wanting to watch since long? Don’t you engage them with something similar, so that you can have your own me-time? Most parents do the same. (Don’t lie now, we can sense you making a face).

Now, when you think about it, didn’t you do the same thing to that teenager when he/she was 7 or 8 years old probably? Didn’t you hand them gadgets, only for the sake of having some space? So, in a way, didn’t you yourself, lead them into this?

Parents themselves push their children into the grasp of technology and then rebuke their kids for being in the grasp of technology. Ironical, isn’t it? And this brings us back to our topic.

The initial steps that pave the way to a grasping addiction

Parents hand over the gadgets to their kids when they themselves need some space, but rebuke them when they wish to put it to their own use.

We are always ready to blame others. But when it’s our turn, we seldom see the fault. Following this tradition, it is we, who introduce our kids to technology, engage them into it, and then either chide them personally for that or put the blame on the entire generation. But do we ever analyze our own self?

It’s a common scenario these days in almost every household. You don’t agree with me? Maybe, next time you need to keep your kids engaged, take it as a challenge not to use any gadget or equipments and then see for yourself the trouble you face.

When the toddlers refuse to eat, parents play their favourite videos on ipads, or allow them to watch cartoons while trying to put the food into their mouths.

When you have a meeting and don’t want your kids to run around the room, creating havoc and disturbing you, what do you do? Most of the time, you’d hand over the mobile to them, letting them play their favourite game.

When you want to go out for a drive or to attend a party and keep your children home, what do you do? Allow them to watch television, surf the net and play games. That’s what most parents do.

And this leads to an unhealthy obsession with technology which, to your utmost dislike, turns into an addiction.

And now, comes the second phase, when you become concerned about this and start worrying. Due to this, you now wish to keep your children away from technology and put in all efforts to do the same.

The negative consequences of ‘demonizing’ technology

Technology surrounds us all the time, a day without these innovations of technology is unimaginable.

Keeping your kids away from technology is not the solution.

We live in a world where we are surrounded by technology and distancing ourselves completely from this would mean lagging behind.

With every passing moment, the demand for innovators increases. And keeping technology and innovation away means a decrease in competence.

If you feel that your kid’s screen time is beyond the acceptable limits, it is your duty to curb the unnecessary activities and carve out time for the constructive ones. Binge-watching videos for 6 long hours would not benefit much, but attending an online class for one-third of this time would do. This is the distinction we need to understand.

But we don’t want to make this distinction. Why?

A mother when asked why she allows her 4 years old kid to consistently watch videos on the mobile, replied, “This has become essential. Otherwise, she creates a lot of fuss while eating and we have to run after her in order to feed her. What would have taken me an hour, can be done within minutes while watching these videos. Moreover, this keeps her occupied and we get the time for other work.”

So basically, we put them into this habit, for saving our own time and keeping the exhaustion away. How can we then accept this distinction, as it would ultimately lead to fingers pointing back at us.

Our insecurities make us portray technology as negative, without taking into account our own negligence and irresponsibility.

The old proverb which people have forgotten today

Technology has both advantages as well as disadvantages, but we consider only the merits when we use it ourselves, and emphasize more on the demerits when the kids use it.

Practice what you preach. But this we seldom do.

You might be asking your kids to keep the mobile away while using it yourself. Maybe you are using it for any of those “it’s right because we are an adult” reasons. But still, how do you expect them to obey?

We tweak the rules as per our convenience (a typical trait of human nature). We quote the merits of technology in our defense, when we ourselves use it, and emphasize the demerits when it is used by the kids.

There are some parents who themselves are addicted to social media and would target their kids, making them click cute pictures or dance around, in order to make a ‘viral’ post. And when their children grow up, getting hooked to social media, they’d serve them long lectures accompanied by spicy taunts. Great. (Rather tasty! Add some salt and pepper of your experience as well)

Now, before some of you get offended and start looking for me :), let’s get to the main point — the solution (so that we may run away to a safe place).

Conclusion

Maintain a balance between learning something fruitful and also enjoying it. Instead of avoiding technology, accept it and use it judiciously.

The solution lies in maintaining a balance. Instead of demonizing technology and trying to keep kids away from it, we should strive to make constructive use of it.

You need to talk to your kids and make them understand the importance of maintaining a proper balance between everything. But before you do this, make sure you apply this to your own lives. Because ultimately your kids follow your footprints.

Allow them time to use technology, but guide them on how to use it judiciously. Activities that are fruitful as well as fun, like coding games and learning other skills online, can be a great choice for the same.

Finding balance and establishing it is indeed a much better alternative to uselessly demonizing technology because the latter would lead to arguments and disagreements but definitely not yield any result.