The Phenomenal Brain Cells

Did you know your child is born with about 100 billion brain cells and that during his first three years of life these cells make trillions of connections with one another?

And did you know that those very connections form the foundation of his intelligence?

Yet, because of the overuse of technology, many children are not receiving adequate stimulation during the pre-adolescent years to forge these neural pathways and maintain the ones they have formed.

Simply put, if your child is engaged in regular technology use, chances are there may be some delays and possible disruption to his developmental processes.

And, as of early 2025, we now have proof that screens are not only delaying development but causing damage to a child’s brain.

Statistically speaking, 20% of children are being labeled learning-disabled (including the increasing number of speech delayed children) and 30% of this generation's children predicted to be unfit for an entry level job.

Unfit for an entry level job!

According to professionals like Chris A. Rowen, author of Virtual Child: The terrifying truth about what technology is doing to children, these numbers continue to rise with the deluge of technology in children's lives today.

What is a Parent to do?

What is a parent to do? With technology lurking in every corner of the modern world, with your children being specifically targeted by the "educational" software companies through corporate strings in Washington, and with the gaming industry's enormously powerful lobby navigating a world with less technology does require much effort.

But there are things a parent can do to postpone the inevitable.

Say No to Smart Phones

I made the fatal error of letting my kids get smartphones at 15 and 17, respectively. I would not do that twice. Mark my words: never let your children get a smartphone for as long as they live at home. NEVER!

If you do, you’ll remember this advise and wish you had taken it.

If they want to get a flip phone when they are older, okay, but they should pay for it with their own money and pay for the monthly bill too.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Next, always remember that your children will not ask for technology if they don't see you using it and if they aren't around friends who are using technology.

Therefore, out of sight, out of mind.

Keep your children away from technology with simple steps like hosting your television and computer in your bedroom and office and by keeping yourself unplugged as much as you can during the time you spend with your children.

As far as your home is concerned, it's really that simple.

How to Deal with Tech Friends

When you visit friends, let them know that you are trying to raise your children in a low-tech zone and that you prefer your children play with their children rather than plug in together. Most reasonable and caring people will respect such a request; I know my friends did.

Another thing you can do is to seek out new friends who are trying to raise their children in low-tech or tech-free environments. This alone will make life much easier for you, especially as your children get older and technology becomes more of a pressing issue.

Extended Family

Sometimes extended family can present the biggest challenge. They may be less understanding of a family member who chooses to go against the family tech grain.

Do your best to educate your family about the harm technology causes to young children, and be proactive in organizing activities to keep the children busy when you do visit.

Alternatively, invite your family to your home where you can encourage more social interaction and where low-tech house rules are in place.

A Question for Reflection

A question you can ask tech-friends and family as you promote a low-tech world for your kids is to consider what children do not do when they are plugged-in.

Children are not outdoors engaged in a 3-dimensional world, playing, socializing, and having adventures. A lack of movement leads to health problems and a lack of socializing leads to anti-social behavior. Furthermore, children are not developing their intelligence and learning new things—let your tech friends do the math!

Gaming companies will argue that video games teach children to multi-task and think faster and, while this may be true, common sense tells us that it is hardly worth the price of handicapping your child’s intelligence, health, and well-being.

Forge Alliances

One last thing: you can join alliances like www.commercialfreechildhood.org and www.commonsensemedia.org both of whom are trying to protect your children from being lured into a virtual world by the technology industry.

If you doubt the importance of these organizations, then consider this: 73% of children are at risk for becoming addicted to some form of technology.

We owe it to our children and to our grandchildren to do something about it. Protect your children while you still can because no one is going to do it for you.

We can blame the tech industry all we want, and they certainly have much to account for, but ultimately the choice to let our children use tech or not is ours.

And so is the responsibility for the harm that it causes our children.

My children were raised screen-free and I can tell you that it is so much easier. They were engaged in the real world, never complained of boredom, and never once hassled me about wanting to use a screen.

How much easier can it get?

Raise a Reader! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read!

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Get a copy of Liz’s “could not live without” book, Education’s Not the Point: How Schools Fail to Train Children’s Minds and Nurture Their Characters with groundbreaking Essays on educating your kids by John Taylor Gatto, Dorothy Sayers, and Liz herself.

About Elizabeth Y. Hanson

Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a “whole” child, based on tradition and modern research, Liz devotes her time to helping parents to get it right.
Liz is a homeschooling thought-leader, as well as the creator of two unique online courses, Raise Your Child Well: Preserving Your Child's Natural Genius by Laying a Solid Foundation During the First Seven Years and the Smart Homeschooler Academy: Homeschooling the "Whole" Child for a Well-Trained Mind and Character
As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, Liz has 23 years of experience raising children and working in education.
Liz is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. For a copy of The Short Angry History of Compulsory Schooling, click here.