Technology Addiction

If you want to learn more about the role technology plays in our lives and lives of our kids, read Adam Alter’s book, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping us Hooked. I recently read Irresistible and had my eyes opened to the many ways in which technology developers create tools, apps, games, and more in ways that are addictive. Alter quotes one design ethicist who says, “the problem isn’t that people lack willpower; it’s that there are a thousand people on the other side of the screen whose job it is to break down the self-regulation you have.” Parents, that is a frightening reality that we must always keep in mind as we work to build in God-honoring borders and boundaries for our tech-savvy kids. The answer is not to eliminate technology from our kids lives. Rather, we should be teaching them how to use God’s good gift of technology in ways that keep them from addiction and idolatry. Establish wise technology borders and boundaries for your kids.