06May 2019 by nrcmmc
Digital Addiction

Digital Addiction

Hazards
“Son won't turn off his video game? Daughter obsessed with ‘likes’ on Instagram? It may not be entirely their fault. Like the high-octane sugar in a pint of Ben & Jerry's and that irresistible chemical spice in Flamin' Hot Cheetos, the ingredients in social media, video games, apps, and other digital products are carefully engineered to keep you coming back for more.” Common Sense Media has recently published an article describing the science behind digital addiction.  Please read and ponder how this may be affecting you and your family members…  The article includes some helpful tips to manage the “tricks” that are built into these digital products.  (Note - there are references to specific social media examples that we do not endorse) Link to Article *Please note, that although we have…
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11Feb 2019 by nrcmmc
Smartphones for Smartfamilies

Smartphones for Smartfamilies

Cell Phones, Guidelines
In the same way that you don’t hand your kids the keys to a car without any training and simply say “Good luck,” you shouldn’t hand them a smartphone and say, “What could go wrong?” Their lives, your life, and others’ lives hang in the balance physically, legally, and spiritually. In short, we advise against giving your children a phone if you are not ready to have a conversation with them about it multiple times a week for multiple years. Your family is on a journey together of enjoying, leveraging, and self-regulating your phones. And there is a destination! It is when your son or daughter has demonstrated integrity and has learned how to self-regulate his or her phone (that is, your kids no longer have limits imposed by you;…
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