Do you think phones have ruined family togetherness? In today’s digital age, smartphones have become a hugely integral part of our daily lives. These devices offer convenience, connectivity, and a plethora of information at our fingertips. However, as smartphones have become more ubiquitous their impact on family interactions and relationships has come under scrutiny it’s […]
After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why? In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness […]
97% of 12-year-olds in Britain have a smartphone ‼️📱 You may have seen or heard the campaign that’s gone viral (in a good way‼️) by Daisy Greenwell who shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, outlining her worries about the expectation that children in year 5 and 6 at Primary School will be given smartphones, mostly […]
“It’s not a drug, but it may as well be”: Expert opinions on whether kids are addicted to tech. Most people associate the word “addiction” with problems like gambling, alcoholism or drug abuse. But look at a child bent intently over the electric-blue glow of a smartphone, and it’s hard not to wonder whether we […]
Tonight on our Parenting Round Up we discuss: Ant McPartlin ‘drink drive’ crash. Will.i.am blames ‘pill pushing parents’ of kids with ADHD for killing creativity. Grammy award winning artist will.i.am is blaming ‘pill pushing’ parents of children with ADHD for “destroying potential”. The Voice judge and pop star suffered from the disorder as a child, […]
I work with lots of parents at the end of their tether about their teenagers use of technology. But what about pausing to ponder our own use? I have to watch my use of Twitter and my constant checking of my iPhone for Instagram, Face Book, LinkedIn updates. If you can’t stop checking, clicking, surfing […]
Here’s an interesting article in the Bangalore Mirror about screens, mental health and your child’s wellbeing. Unplug your kids from being a screen addict before it affects their mental health. Everyone seems happy. The digital intervention seems to be an easy distraction for the kids and a relief for the parents. But one needs […]
I found this really interesting infograph on my Scoop feed today that I thought you’d find interesting today too.
I’ve just discovered Eric Pickersgill take a look at his extraordinarily powerful message – simply shown through his black and white photos of the impact of smartphones on our relationships, experiences and missed moments of being present #PauseToPonder http://www.ericpickersgill.com What can you do just for today to be fully present in the moment ? What […]
I’ve been working with a client whose father was an alcoholic and I read with great interest this article printed in The Good Men Project. “Our self-esteem is exceptionally low. Our addicted parents were unable to provide the love and nurturing we required to form secure attachment.” There are many adults among us—many of […]
I was fascinated to read that when Steve Jobs was running Apple, he was known to call journalists to either pat them on the back for a recent article or, more often than not, explain how they got it wrong. Nick Bilton was on the receiving end of a few of those calls. Here’ s […]
How would your kids feel if you decided to do a Digital Detox Week ? With the news that toddlers are becoming obsessed with gadgets, I’m asking – do we need to really limit our child’s tech play time: Read more at UKMumstv
I love my iPad but are you using them as electric babysitters? It seems that some toddlers play with iPads nearly half of their waking day and this is leading to withdrawal tantrums of an extreme kind! As a former Deputy Head I also worry about their ability to concentrate on any one task – […]
I wrote an article awhile back called “The Addictive Nature of Apples and Blackberries” about the addictive nature of our smartphones – as I got a new Blackberry and got very excited every time i saw the red light go off. I’ve also written about the little girl I saw on a London bus obviously […]
In today’s Daily Mail there are some truly harrowing photographs of Amy Winehouse’s descent into addiction. I believe that it’s a good idea to talk and teach your kids about things that happen in the news and this is no exception. On Sunday as the news broke on Twitter and my son called me to […]
