7 Ways Technology Has Made Parenting More Difficult

Technology and parenting

I find it so ironic that when you have a baby they don’t come with instructions however, it feels like they are pre-downloaded with the ability to properly operate technology before they can pretty much read, write, and use the bathroom independently. Consequently, as a parent I find technology both a blessing and curse.

Here are 7 ways that technology has made parenting more difficult.

  1. Shortens attention span

It’s constantly being reported that the attention span of Americans continually dwindles as technology continues to make apps and products that introduce information in shorter increments. This limits their ability to focus in school and discussions at home. If we continue on this path, a college lecture will feel like a death sentence.

  1. Access to inappropriate content

One day I overheard Oscar the Grouch say something that was inappropriate for him, come from my son’s laptop. He had come across some Sesame Street parodies with adult language on YouTube. This was with the parental filters active. This saddens me because it gives children access to things that they are not mature enough to handle. It’s one click on Google-search away. Literally, you don’t need to necessarily have the awkward or nervous conversation about the birds and the bees because if they can spell birds and bees, well they can have that conversation without you with a few visuals to knock it out of the park.

  1. Access to bullies and predators

The internet is a worldwide playground that doesn’t have enough playground monitors. There are stories reported weekly about children who are getting cyber bullied from school mates and total strangers. This obsession to share our lives leads to the obsession to be continually criticized and critiqued. It’s also a place where predators can hide and slip in the DMs of children like a wolf amongst a pasture of sheep.

Also Related: 10 Tips for Families Considering Homeschool

  1. Push to be inclusive

There are so many kid adaptations of adult size products such as cell phones, mp3 players, tablets, laptops, etc. You name it and they will create it if hasn’t already been done. Luckily, social media apps do have age requirements but nothing that is so secure that basic addition and subtraction skills can’t change.

  1. Lost skills like telling time on a clock and reading

As a teacher in the classroom I have met so many children that struggle or can’t read an analog clock. They are so accustomed to reading the digital time that they pester me throughout the class to ask how much time’s left in the class.  Pushing children to read more is harder because you can find a video that gives the same information that they would find reading articles.

  1. Legislation

There are several laws around technology that are great but the laws vary from state to state. Which means that everyone is not being held accountable for the same things. There have been a few cases where teenagers and middle schoolers have faced criminal prosecution for sexting. Which as a mother of a Black boy in America has me feeling all kinds of hesitations as he grows and wants a phone. I’m not condoning sexting but that is a concern I have going forward.

  1. More monitoring

Things are constantly changing. There are always new apps and versions rolling out. Therefore, it is making it harder to keep up with all the devices, social media apps, and websites to monitor.

I don’t know if I’m an overbearing mom but one thing I do know is parenting is hard enough and some of the things like technology, that are supposed to add ease to our lives, actually come with its own set of disadvantages.

Do you feel like technology makes parenting harder for you?

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