Digital heroin

[Spareribs]

There's a bunch of new info out there that when you expose babies and young children to phones and tablets, you are giving them what's called digital heroin. You are creating screen addicts.

In my opinion, I agree. I commonly see parents exposing kids to these devices so they can keep calm and well behaved at the McDonald's and such. To me, I feel this is so artificial and against nature and a form of bad parenting that is socially accepted.

Of course, I'm not an expert and I don't have kids. However, I've always believed in the double edged sword of technology where it can be great but it can also make life more complicated too.

So yes. Digital heroin is the socially accepted drug like alcohol. (Even though I'm not against alcohol, I believe it's a drug too)

http://nypost.com/2016/08/27/its-digital-heroin-how-screens-turn-kids-into-psychotic-junkies/

 

[jmills8]

Same for teens and adults.

 

[Spareribs]

I agree

 

[VNandor]

Probably one of the least harmful addiction one can have. Those devices can be obtained legally, are not expensive (minus the TOTL devices), and aren't particularly harmful in a physical way.
 
Also, there's a fine line between addiction, bad habits, and even passion.

 

[Spareribs]

True. But it can be harmful if it affects sleep patterns, social skills, porn addiction, attention problems, lack of motivation, physical inactivity,

Becoming addicted in childhood years vs adulthood years is worse because addiction is more hard wired into the brain.

To think open mindedly, there can be a positive side to screen addiction to kids. It can reduce mischief activities, lower crime rate and lower bullying.

Overall, I do believe in nature and letting the childhood mind develop the natural way.

 

[VNandor]

True. But it can be harmful if it affects sleep patterns, social skills, porn addiction, attention problems, lack of motivation, physical inactivity,

Very true! All I was saying becoming addicted even to the "milder drugs" like alcohol, nicotine or weed will most likely have more severe consequences. Not to mention the illegal ones.
 
The things you mention as bad effects may not necessarily (but can) come from computer/phone addiction. I mean some people (well, maybe most?

) are just naturally lazy for example or simply prefers to be up late night.
 
 

Overall, I do believe in nature and letting the childhood mind develop the natural way.

But isn't the whole point of parenting is to not let children develop in a natural way? They rather force them to develop in a desirable way which is being defined by people's ever changing standard of what's good and what's bad.

 

[Spareribs]

Good point

 

[franzdom]

It's really obvious you don't have kids.
How can you keep a kid ipod or phone free once they see mom & dad using one?
 
To me it seemed a lot less troubling than sitting them in front of a TV with commercials.
 
There are lots of positives you are missing as well, we live in a computer world, and being motivated to tap into that technology can be very helpful from a career standpoint.

 

[VNandor]

 
There are lots of positives you are missing as well, we live in a computer world, and being motivated to tap into that technology can be very helpful from a career standpoint.

Being addicted to something is not the same as "being motivated to tap into it". Just because someone uses cocaine it doesn't mean he knows (or want to know) how to make it. Same goes to computers/phones/softwares etc. So yeah being motivated to know how technology works is good, being addicted to it is not.

 

[chrismini]

You're actually trying to link heroin addiction to video games and kids spending too much time staring at their various devices? I started shooting dope in 1983. It's but for the grace of God I'm still alive. There's nothing out there that can mimic the horror of being a dope fiend. Do yourself a favor and let this thread go away quietly.

 

[Spareribs]

Ok. Let's call it digital crack.

 

[MikePio]

Anybody who has had issues with drugs (which includes alcohol) will know that it strips you of everything. Lets just put it this way, I would rather have my children addicted to their cellphones and computers than to heroin, crack or alcohol. At least there is positive benefits of technology as well, in drugs there is just solitude and darkness. 

 

[GRUMPYOLDGUY]

I commonly see parents exposing kids to these devices so they can keep calm and well behaved at the McDonald's and such.

The parenting went bad when they took their kid to McDonalds... Forget the iPhone.

Sent from my E5803 using a highly trained, special forces carrier pigeon

 

[Spareribs]

Good point. I didn't want to talk about bad parenting with McDonalds and poor diet because there already is an enormous amount of information out there on that particular topic.