10 Important Considerations in this Digital Age

 The increase in use and integration of technology into our daily lives has led to an increase in addictions to technology. Here are 10 important things to keep in mind if you feel you have crossed the fine line from general use to problematic use:

1.     It is never too late to change your understanding, attitude, behavior or coping with problematic digital media use in your own life or in that of a child or significant other. 

2.     All hope is not lost.

3.     We need to be more intentional and concrete with each other and our youth about what developmental tasks, learning and experiences are necessary to become and remain a heathy human being.

4.     We need to be more intentional and concrete with each other and our youth about what skills, capacities, traits, habits and attitudes are necessary to acquire in childhood in order to become a functional adult.

5.     We need to educate our youth on numbers 3 and 4 and to reinforce these needs and qualities from pre-school through college.

6.     We need to understand the risks, impacts, best practices and potential pitfalls for maintaining a healthy digital diet.

7.     It is important to become educated and then evaluate and moderate our own digital behavior.  We need to inform and discuss with others and to be a consistent role model for maintaining a balanced digital diet and living our values.

8.     We need to explore nature, pursue off-line activities, separate from our devices, have adventures, challenge ourselves, slow down, embrace boredom (or at least tolerate it), seek meaningful connection, dance, move and experience things that feed our souls.

9.     We need to establish guidelines, rules, best practices and policies in our families, schools, and communities to support our successful development of healthy digital media habits and to join together in resisting the influence of advertisers and developers striving to keep us hooked.

10.  No matter what your child, partner, friend, neighbor, colleague, teacher, doctor, spiritual mentor, technology expert or advertising company says about society, technology and living in this digital age…

OUR OVERUSE AND ADDICTION TO DIGTAL MEDIA & SCREENS IS NOT NORMAL OR HEALTHY.