Parenting Pointers: Raising Generation Tech

There's no question that technology is more readily available to our kids than it was to us. The statistics about media exposure for kids is scary, if you've ever heard them. The average kid watches 4 hours of TV a day, and over half have a TV in their bedrooms, for example.

As parents, we have to admit that the stream of messages our children could be exposed to is likely less than ideal. In his book Raising Generation Tech: Preparing Your Children for a Media-Fueled World, Jim Taylor, PhD, begins the first chapter with a startling summary of its influence. When children 10 and under were surveyed about the very best thing in the world, the top 10 results included being a celebrity, being rich, good looks, and watching films. Luckily, families, friends, and heaven/God showed up too, but when I was a kid, I'm pretty sure I wasn't thinking of celebrities and being rich - and certainly not movies as being one of the top 10 things in the world.

Taylor provides a variety of tips and information to help parents influence how messages reach their kids. For example, it's important to recognize that internet addiction is a very real phenomenon, especially in a world where children under 18 spend over 7 hours per day in front of a screen for entertainment (not for school). He also discusses the idea of Facebook depression, which can occur when children's self-esteem suffers as they compare their walls and friends and posts to that of other people who may have more.

How can parents encourage responsible behavior? First of all, parents need to learn and understand the sites their kids are on. If your child is on Facebook, you should be too - and same with other social media sites - so that you can see the ways people interact with each other, and so that you can help your child understand the difference between what people will type and what they'll say. Parents also need to teach their children media literacy skills and healthy skepticism, so instead of seeing all the attention certain celebrity lifestyles get, it's balanced with a look at how that coincides with your family's values, and what some of the unseen consequences might be.

The book contains a great deal more information and tips, and if you have a kid who is very wired, it's worth picking up to read to get a perspective on how you can balance the virtual world with the real one.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book to facilitate this review.