Working with technology, I have a love-hate relationship with it. True enough, it makes our life so much easier, but without control, it messes up everything.
I am okay with the idiot box because one has not much control of it. If your favourite TV show is on, you watch it. If there's nothing good on, you leave it. The same goes with game consoles. Once you get bored with a particular game, you’ll leave it until you get your next favourite game. It’s those equipped with an Internet connection which are worrying because the possibilities are endless!
Don’t get me wrong. I am guilty of giving gadgets to my son to fill up his time, too. It lessens his boredom whenever I have to drag him along to run errands. But, boy, am I glad nowadays he doesn’t seem so much into them anymore. His game time is limited to only Saturdays and Sundays, and each session is only for a little while. He doesn’t have his Sony PSP with him everywhere he goes. He spends time in the car chatting with us, and observing his surroundings most of the time now, which is something I prefer him to do (even though there are times we have to take turns talking!).
These days, on weekends, he’ll ask to do at least one outdoor activity and we usually won’t say no to it.
Nowadays, when I’m in a room filled with kids, none of them are playing with each other because they are busy exploring their iPads, Galaxy Tabs or something similar. True enough, there are endless possibilities with those gadgets and the justification for using them (educational applications) is acceptable. However, I feel that these apps do not provide the result they should when there’s no interaction between the gadget, the child and the parents.
The same is true of TV programmes. TV shows are effective when a child watches them with an adult and asks questions and gets feedback. That’s when technology becomes useful to the child, not as a mere gadget to distract the kids from interrupting adults.
One needs to worry about the ads that appear on the applications, too. Without adult supervision, kids may accidentally click on them. Luckily, when my son has access to these latest gadgets (we don’t have them, yet), he’ll play with them, but he doesn't ask when we're going to get one.
I think he’s gotten the idea that we don’t need to have everything other people have, unless it is necessary (my constant nagging worked?!).
My son has been asking to have an Internet connection installed at home for so long now. I have to refrain from doing so at the moment, just because I don’t want him to get hooked on mobile gadgets. Both my husband and I already have access to the Internet on our smartphones and also unlimited usage at the office. I don’t see the need to have another connection at home ... at least, not at the moment. Not until I can be very sure our son is able to stick to his limited usage time when he has the facilities.
Nahlah Ishak
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