The Gospel Coalition podcast recently featured an interview of Andy Crouch by Collin Hansen. They discussed how technology (particularly smartphones and similar devices) affect children and family life . They share valuable reflections on the sort of serious considerations Christians should give to how we use technology.
Andy Crouch on How to Become a Tech-Wise Family: Collin Hansen interviews Andy Crouch about putting technology in its proper place.
2 responses to “Families and technology”
Thanks for sharing this. I didn’t want to listen to something 45 minutes, but it caught my attention immediately. My multi-generational home needs to hear this. I raised kids in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s…my crazy world. When my first was born in ’76 we didn’t even have a phone. In the 80’s we had a micro-wave, Nintendo and a TV remote without cable TV. The 90’s brought cell phones and computers.
My 2 year old grandson lives with me and technology rules. Technology does the parenting. This incredibly sweet boy has behaviors I have never seen. This podcast makes me want to cry, because as the other primary parent, this is a wake up call. As a substitute teach, I see what technology does in a class room, both negative and positive. I have a whole summer to be home with this tiny human while his momma works. Time for gramma to close the laptop and turn off the TV so this little guy can learn about life away from that rectangle babysitter.
Dawn, thank you for sharing how you see this affecting children, parents, and grandparents. There is much good that comes with technology, but we must recognize the way it can reshape our lives. It is easy to let the TV, smartphone, game box, etc. become the center of our attention instead of the people around us and other important priorities.
We also struggle with this as adults. It’s easier to get lost in my smartphone than to have a conversation with the flesh and bone in front of me because I’m not always in control. When I remotely communicate with someone through a device, I can shape an image of that person into what pleases me at the moment; I can even “mute” the person if I don’t want to hear him. Imagine what a society exposed to this might look like–it’s exactly the world we live in today where the civility of discourse has rapidly eroded and our ability to deal with disagreement and adversity has greatly diminished.
Electronic media and devices can be great tools, but the cost is too great to ignore the potential harm. We must take time to reflect on how best to use these resources for the glory of God and our good. It won’t look the same for every family, but it has to include an intentional plan.