A new study by the Barna Group reveals that families are more dependent on technology and media than ever and could benefit from some reflection on how they manage their time on-line, in front of the TV and on their digital devices. The research found that:
- Parents are just as dependent on technology as teens and tweens.
- Most family member, parents included, believe technology has been a positive influence on their families.
- Very few adults or youth take substantial breaks from technology.
- Few families have heard or expect to hear churches address technology.
David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, summed up action that the findings call for: "The Christian community needs a better, more holistic understanding of how to manage existing and coming technological advances. Parents, tween and teens need more coaching and input in order to face the countless choices they make regarding how technology affects their attention, interests, talents and resources."
Read the full report at www.barna.org
Very interesting. Modern technology is moving at a phenomenal rate with new devices being developed daily! Technology is here to stay but we must learn to master it to use it wisely instead of allowing it to master us! The Bible predicted that knowledge would increase in the book of Daniel. (see Daniel 12:4)
I am all for my children to grasp technology and run with it. “Use it as a tool” is the most common phrase I used to hear. Technology’s prominence in our life has reached a point where we all have access to the world in our pockets; that is why it is even more important that we learn to harness this Bull economy that is the technology industry.
I would argue that there is a negative relationship with the rise of technology and the amount of time that individuals spend relaxing outside, relaxing playing backyard cricket, relaxing going to the beach in summer and relaxing going for a walk in your local park after work. i.e. the more accessible technology is, the less time we spend on ourselves. If we can take a bold step and say, “I need a break” and actually get up and walk outside this would be a huge achievement for man kind.
I think the key element here to move forward is Time Management and before you all pull out your iCal’s to slot in “walk in park: 5:15pm” I would like to say perhaps a shift in attitude toward relaxing is needed.
Is Relaxing a waste of time, unproductive and generally not accepted. Or does this down time not only help us to be more productive later but from this we can produce the memories of families that will last for generations. I can hear myself say, “Remember when I hit that six and out!”
Rather than Master the technology we should “Re-learn” to “Relax”.
We have all grown up from sitting in front of a new device called a Television and then the next generation replaced that with Nintendo’s and I am sad to say I think we have replaced the nintendo with the Mac.
If we attempt to Master the technology, we may find ourselves occupied for quite some time because, you see, technology is updated, upgraded and changing on almost a monthly basis. An example of this is Apple has intentions of releasing a new iPhone 5 in the coming months that will blow all our minds.
It is apparent that the next generations will incorporate the tech world into their daily needs however I believe this should not be at the expense of our other needs. If we all engage in a mind shift and “Re-Learn” to “Relax” we can enjoy technology at it’s fullest AND enrich our lives in a meaningful way.
Sorry, One more side comment.
My beautiful pregnant wife took my very handsome 4 year old son out to the backyard a couple of weekends ago to have a picnic. Not only was this a beautiful thing to see him exploring the backyard, running through the grass and generally being gorgeous but from this came a gift for me for father’s day. It was a picture drawn a couple of days later. The picture was a drawing of the sun, the grass, a picnic rug and… “mummy and daddy and me”.
I keep the picture at work, with me, right next to my computer screen.
I find the Parental Controls in MS WIndows 7 very effective,
Technology is the need of the day. The technological advancements have made society take a leap towards success. Every technological reform is a small step towards advancement. Every invention in technology is a step towards the progress of mankind. Centuries ago, hardly anyone would have even dreamt of working on a computer. Generations of the past would have hardly imagined being able to communicate with people on the other side of the globe. But there were some intelligent minds to dared to dream of such revolutionary discoveries and they made the ‘impossibles’ possible.
The next time you are in a public place where families gather, such as a playground, a children’s soccer game or a museum, see how many parents are focused on their mobile phones instead of watching their kids.
The compulsive attention people pay to their mobile devices is becoming a trend that should concern us, according to MIT professor Sherry Turkle. In her new book, Alone Together, published this month by Basic Books, Turkle suggests that the time is ripe for widespread rethinking of the way we use cutting-edge technology.
Good point ‘Electrician.’
Just a reminder to read the BLOG post rules. You must use your real name.
Thanks
I totally agree with this statement! but I think that it is necessary to restrict the access of children to ensure that they develop in the street!