danah boyd nails it: "We blame technology, rather than work, to understand why children engage with screens in the first place."
This is the Catch-22 that we've trapped today's youth in. We've locked them indoors because we see the physical world as more dangerous than ever before, even though by almost every measure, we live in the safest society to date. We put unprecedented demands on our kids, maxing them out with structured activities, homework and heavy expectations. And then we're surprised when they're frazzled and strung out.
For many teenagers, technology is a relief valve. (And that goes for the strung-out, overworked parents and adults playing Candy Crush, too.) It's not the inherently addictive substance that fretting parents like to imagine. It simply provides an outlet.
The presence of technology alone is not the issue. We see much higher levels of concern about technology "addiction" in countries where there's even greater pressure to succeed and fewer social opportunities (e.g., China, South Korea, etc.).
If Americans truly want to reduce the amount young people use technology, we should free up more of their time.
Blame Society, Not the Screen Time [danah boyd/New York Times]
(via Dan Hon)
