"That’s right — your kid’s brain on Minecraft looks like a brain on drugs." -Article in the New York Post
I came across an interesting article the other day about kids and screen addiction. The quote above is chilling. Think about that quote which is based on research and is fact. A child's brain who is addicted to screens looks the same as someone is who is addicted to cocaine or heroin. That should make you stop and think. That should make you stop and think that maybe you should limit the screen time for your kids. I know I need to. I can also relate. I can feel the tug of the screen, even when I have no reason to go on it. I see myself grabbing for my phone, just to check it, knowing there's no new messages or notifications. But there's that pull. That pull in your brain that is making you do it, even when you don't want to or have no reason for it. It's an addiction. I don't feel as if I have a full blow addiction to screens, nor do I think my brain looks like a crack addict, but I can definitely see how it can happen. With unsupervised children "cranking" out the hours, becoming addicted is real. (Pun intended). As the article states, breaking an addiction to drugs and alcohol requires you to get rid of all that stuff. How do you break a technology addiction? How can you go 4-6 weeks without using or looking at any type of screen? I would say it's close to impossible unless a major life change happens (quit job, move to the mountains, crawl under a rock, etc.) Prevent your child (and self) from becoming a Glow kid, who you begin to think their face actually does have a blue glow to you because the only time you see their face, it's with a screen 5 inches away.
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