We are living in a turbulent moment regarding the relationship between digital technologies and minors, something that has implications for how we digitize education or carry out digital literacy for schoolchildren. Between the two polarized positions, the “prohibition” and the “embrace” of screens, many families are unsure whether they should take a less permissive attitude or if, on the contrary, they are overly strict.
While in the school environment this struggle seems to be currently leaning towards digital denialism in Spain, with the ban on the use of mobile phones in educational centers, it is advisable for families to take technology seriously. As expert Carlos Magro argues, we must accept that it is not possible to imagine our lives without technology, without it placing us in a resolute acceptance of how we use technology. We have the capacity for decision-making and, therefore, for improvement. And this becomes an unavoidable responsibility within the family sphere.
Impact of technology
Needs of each other in the family environment
Adolescents holding smartphones
There is evidence of the negative effect of the use (or misuse) of mobile phones and social media during childhood and adolescence. UNESCO, for example, highlights that digital technologies present risks such as invasion of privacy, distraction in learning, and cyberbullying. In this situation, adults can – and should – conduct fieldwork to help us qualify that evidence and contextualize it. That is, every mother, father, or guardian must thoroughly understand the quantity and quality of screen time their children engage in to assess how it may be influencing their daily lives.
Opening safe dialogue spaces in which children can talk about the needs, problems, or challenges they face in their relationship with digital technologies is essential. Technology is an essential part of their lives in certain aspects, such as socialization during adolescence. However, the fact that they need to interact through electronic devices and social networks does not mean that there are not a multitude of variables that each family can consider, from the age at which they access the mobile phone to which social networks to use, how, when, and how much.
On the other hand, if our children are prohibited from using their cell phones at school, this imposition also has effects in our homes, not only on children and teachers: families must also examine their need to keep track of their children and the level of trust, autonomy, and communication that we may consider necessary or essential.
The challenge of establishing a relationship between young people and digital technologies demands social responsibility and collective responses that go beyond mere prohibition. The use of digital technologies cuts across and permeates all areas of society (social relationships, learning, professional, economic, cultural contexts…). Therefore, it is urgent to address how we accompany future generations in developing a constructive, healthy, and meaningful relationship with digital technologies.
Straighten the course
Ideas for the family environment
Teenager texting on a smartphone
Considering the three levels of needs (of the children themselves; of mothers, fathers, and guardians; and social needs), let’s focus on what we can articulate from home, regardless of the age of the children:
1. Awakening Consciousness: To escape from technological sleepwalking, from the lack of questioning the use of technology, we should observe the usage of each family member (including ourselves) to have a more realistic idea of our relationship with technology. This should not only be a punctual diagnosis but a state of permanent presence that prevents us from falling into toxic inertia and allows us to reclaim spaces for dialogue.
2. Engage in Dialogue: The spaces for dialogue that we reclaim can also be used to foster a critical stance towards the use of technology. This does not mean demonizing it, but rather, from a young age, discussing the inherent conditioning of technology, how it influences our understanding and relationship with the surrounding world, and how we want to position ourselves towards it (values, knowledge, skills…).
3. Commitment: It is advisable for this dialogue to translate into actions, commitments that we can take on a family level, beyond how much we restrict screen time or mobile phone usage. For example, if we talk about the reliability of information sources at a young age, we can commit to consulting various sources when searching for information to then compare them (it could even be the weather forecast).
4. Follow-up: We close the cycle of consciousness with the follow-up on the agreed commitments. Considering if we are capable of upholding them, the effort they require of us, or even more interestingly, what we have learned from putting them into practice. This follow-up is crucial as a support for our children.
We are in a continuous process in which not only children learn, but also families. In that process, it is worth remembering that “Digital Natives do not exist”. The “digital natives” are the mothers, fathers, and guardians: they are the ones who can accompany their children and help them develop the values, knowledge, and skills necessary to live in a digital society.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Amaia Arroyo Sagasta is a professor and researcher in Educational Technology at Mondragon University.
