The Challenging Impacts of Technology On Children & Potential Solutions (Sara Filipcic)

Now that I’m going to be a parent soon, I can’t help but wonder about how all this technology is going to impact my kiddo? And what can I do about it to help them be happy, heathy, and prosperous? I recently discovered the work of Sara Filipcic who spent years studying the impact of technology on children and now has started a new company to help improve the situation called BeHumane. Her research painted somewhat of a dire picture that made it clear that we as a society need to do something about this: Adolescents using devices 5 or more hours a day (vs. 1 hour) were 66% more likely to have at least one suicide-related outcome1  Results of a 2016 Common Sense Media Report found that 50% of teens “feel addicted” to mobile devices, while 59% of parents surveyed believe that kids are addicted to their devices2 Seven-in-ten U.S. teens said anxiety and depression is a major problem among people their age in the community where they live3 Technology can negatively affect children's developing social skills, relationships, health, and overall ability to focus, developing their social skills. This can lead to more children being socially awkward, withdrawn, shy, or intimidated by social situations.4 Going deep into this area of study there were many more subtle “aha” moments that helped her form her vision for BeHumane which aims to teach kids how to use technology effectively. For full details on the episode check out the show notes here: https://scottbritton.substack.com/s/evolutionfm-podcast