Dear Geek Ethicist\u2014<\/p>\n
I just read about the new parental control app<\/a> for Kindle Fire that has a \u201ctimer feature to lock Kids Place after specified amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n Come on: isn\u2019t this just making lazy parents lazier<\/a>? I get that parents want to block certain content, but auto shut off is taking it a little too far.<\/p>\n You\u2019re the ethicist: what do you think?<\/p>\n Sign me,<\/p>\n Annoyed At Lazy Parents<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dear Annoyed\u2014<\/p>\n There are two ways to answer this letter: as a non-parent and as a parent.<\/p>\n As a non-parent, I would commiserate with you on the lazy parents of the digital native<\/a> generations and conjecture about the kinds of kids these parents are raising.<\/p>\n As a parent, I would have a different perspective.\u00a0First, Parenting is not a vocation for the lazy<\/a>. If you need proof<\/a> of this, spend the day with a friend who has kids. Kids, plural. And make sure you spend the whole day<\/a>. No time off, no coffee breaks: an entire, grueling day. When you see that parents are not even allowed the luxury of a bathroom break without company<\/a>, you will begin to understand how tiring parenting is.<\/p>\n Assuming a non-lazy parent, why would s\/he need auto-shut off for the kids\u2019 devices?<\/p>\n Mom is about to take the Kindle Fire away from little Johnny when:<\/p>\n A.)\u00a0\u00a0 The dog pukes on the floor<\/p>\n B.) \u00a0 \u00a0A pot on the stove boils over<\/p>\n C.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A neighbor knocks on the door<\/p>\n D.)\u00a0\u00a0 Johnny\u2019s sister starts crying\/screaming<\/p>\n E.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Johnny\u2019s little brother falls down and bloodies his lip<\/p>\n You know what the answer to that is?<\/p>\n F.) ALL OF THE ABOVE. Mom returns to the task of plying the Kindle away from Johnny after the hour or so it takes to deal with each of those episodes. Whereas, if the Kindle had auto-shut off? One last thing Mom (or Dad) has to remember to do, on top of laundry, dishes, breakfast\/lunch\/dinner, cleaning, shopping, etc.<\/p>\n The crying and screaming that Johnny will inevitably do when his toy shuts off: Mom will have to hear that and deal with it just as she would if she had physically removed the Kindle from his grip. No ease of pain there, just the convenience of knowing something will happen when a parent wants it to happen\u2026for a change.<\/p>\n A recent survey from Northwestern University indicates that technology isn\u2019t making parenting easier, it\u2019s making the job more difficult<\/a>.<\/p>\n Which brings me to another question: Why do<\/em> parents let their kids use technology?<\/p>\n 1.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s convenient.<\/strong> In an article <\/a>for the NYTimes, Steve Almond admits: \u201cwe park the kiddos in front of SpongeBob because it\u2019s convenient for us….\u201d Notice he doesn\u2019t say it makes his life easier. But sometimes as a parent you just need a few moments of peace so you can think\u2026and drink enough coffee to deal with the rest of the day. 2.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All the other kids are doing it.<\/strong> I mean, your kid can\u2019t be the only kid in kindergarten who is unable to work an iPad<\/a>, right? It might say something about your child\u2019s intelligence….<\/p>\n 3.) \u00a0 Technology is\u00a0not all bad.<\/strong> Check out this article<\/a> on the seven myths about young children and technology: there are good and bad things about children’s technology use. The good things are really good and the bad things aren’t as bad as we think.<\/p>\n 4.) \u00a0 \u00a0Learning in Disguise!<\/strong> Technology gives children access<\/a> to information and learning tools, in the guise of fun and games.<\/p>\n 5.) \u00a0 \u00a0Overuse is a myth.<\/strong> Screen time, contrary to popular belief, is well managed by parents. In a 2013 national survey by Northwestern University, average screen time of a child one year old and younger was one hour, fifteen minutes; for those children aged two to five years old, average screen time was 3 hours. If parents were truly lazy, those numbers would be much, much, much higher.\u00a0 Technology gives parents amazing tools for streamlining their job(s), educating their children and enriching everyone\u2019s lives. Moms connect on social media, like Facebook<\/a> and collaboratively solve problems, share advice and swap\/barter\/sell used and new baby gear. Parents make use of the Internet and YouTube<\/a> to figure out how to fix the *#&$% broken stroller, plan a healthy dinner, treat a bee sting and help Junior come up with an idea for his science project. Parents can have diapers delivered<\/a> to their door monthly (one less thing to think about!), find the best local service providers<\/a>, and research<\/a>\u00a0learning apps.<\/p>\n
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