Read a thought-provoking report on CNet about the discovery of new species of dinosaurs: one’s named “Spelling” and the other “Conversational Skills”.
The findings are a result of Nickelodeon-commissioned study on “The Digital Family”. The study surveyed both parents of toddlers to teens and the teens themselves. Focus groups were also conducted as were interviews. The questions centered around the children’s usage of television, digital video recorders, video on demand, the Net, mobile phones, video games and MP3 players.
Surprisingly, the study indicated the TV watching has increased by about 2 hours per week since a similar study was conducted in 2002. Well, it’s surprising to me because I feel that the hours that I watch television now has been cut dramatically as compared to before the Net was prevalent in my house.
Another point raised was the increased reliance on the Net and mobile phones for communication and performing daily tasks. The study required some parents and teens to go ‘cold turkey’ and survive 10 days without access to the Web. As for me, I’m very sure I’ll not be able to survive being without Internet access for more than an hour unless I’m out and about with family and friends. Even then, I still steal a few minutes to check on my email via my mobile phone. 
So, how is this related to parenting? Well, I’m sure the next generation of children will be even more reliant on technology. I’ll have to keep up with the ins and outs of technology to ensure that Matthew and myself can be able to communicate properly. Otherwise, instead of a generation gap, there would be a technology gap between us.
Anyway, go read the news report on CNet for the full details.
Technorati Tags: kids, learning, parenting, education, teens, toddlers
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