Technology is Not Neutral: The iPad is a Rattle on Steroids

Technology Is Ecological:

Technology is not neutral. Most often people will tell you that that technology is neutral, the problem is not with the technology but in how it is used. Those who make this argument usually appeal to the old example: “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Although this is true its only half the story.

The best way to describe how technology changes the modern home is to compare it to biological ecosystems. When you introduce a new species like a lion into a jungle it changes the ecology of the entire jungle. The average zebra or antelope’s lifestyle just changed! Now, consider the difference between a home that has a gun in it and one that does not. A home with a gun in it probably means the family in the home knows a thing or two about gun safety. Even if this is as simple as: “Don’t go near the locker in the corner of the basement…” Technology is not neutral.

The iPad is Like a Rattle On Steroids!

Similarly, when you bring an iPad into the home, you change the ecology of the home. I like the way Hanna Rosin put it in her article “The Touch-Screen Generation”:

What the Pros Say:

If this kind of technology is so powerful, what are parents to do to make sure our homes remain a safe place for children to grow and develop?

However, if your children are anything like mine, you probably don’t need anyone to convince you that too much screen time is bad for your children. When my daughter watches anything for too long, her mood changes for the worse, and becomes a little monster if you try to take “the video” away from her. It is obvious that modern parents need a strategy.

I am preparing to speak this weekend at Kedleston’s Family Adventure Camp on technology in the home, and how parents can exercise digital discernment in how they treat technology in their home and family life. Stay tuned for my upcoming post: “The SMART Strategy: Technology and Your Family” (this will go live on June 28, 2014 at 1:00 PM).