Technology and the iGeneration

Does it seem like your child has their phone attached to them at all times? Or that Facebook has taken over your computer? Then you are probably living with someone from the iGeneration. The iGeneration is anyone born since 2000 , but realistically, anyone from 1990 on fits the description.

Looking at the last ten years, there is an obvious trend in technology increase among teenagers. In 2000, time spent online was approximately 2.5 hours a week but in 2010 that number jumped to 18 hours per week. In 2000, 400,000 text messages were sent a day and in 2010 that number skyrocketed to over four million. Video game revenue has increased from 7 million dollars in 2000 to almost 20 million in 2010. And the latter piece mentioned above….Facebook? Users have skyrocketed to almost 5 million users since the site’s conception in 2004.

So are our kids headed for disaster? Will all the violent video games cause more violence in the world and desensitize them? Surprisingly, there has been a statistical decline in youth violence since 1993. However, this does not mean that it is perfectly acceptable to allow a child to spend endless hours on video games a day. Regardless of violence, video games can keep children from healthy activities such as proper exercise, social interaction, homework, and chores. As a therapist, I often advise parents to ration the child’s video game time. Give a set amount of time and if it’s an incentive for your child, allow them to reasonably earn more for positive behaviors such as homework and chores.

Is all the communication through phone and computer rather than face to face unhealthy for children? No, but each child needs an individual approach. If your child is not involved in any outside activities and you find they spend all their time in their room either texting or instant messaging rather than face to face interaction, encourage them to go out and get involved in something. There is also nothing wrong with monitoring their use or amount of communication. Some parents put the phones in the house up at a certain time at night to keep children from losing sleep and talking or texting on the phone all night. A limited amount of computer time, or even specifically internet time, can also be given just like video games. Keep the computer in a central area where you can monitor what they are doing. Allow them so much time to use social networking sites like Facebook or instant messaging and then stick to that limit. If they are in a monitored area, you can be sure they are using the computer to write that paper for English rather than IMing their friends.

There is no magic amount of time that children should spend on the television, computer, or their phones. Each parent needs to use an individual approach based on their child’s needs and behaviors. If you think you may need extra guidance with this, talk to other parents in your community to see what they are doing that is reasonable or see a counselor who specializes with children and parenting issues.