I was watching a video the other day of former Facebook vice president of user growth Chamath Palihapitya and a couple of lines that were profound were
“I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works. That is truly where we are.”
My children are not allowed to use these tools.”
“I would encourage all of you, as the future leaders of the world, to really internalize how important this is. If you feed the beast, that beast will destroy you. If you push back on it you have a chance to control it and reign it in.”
“There is a point in time when people need a hard break from some of these tools.”
“The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth. And it’s not an American problem — this is not about Russians ads. This is a global problem.”
I dug a bit deeper on Silicon Valley tech execs and their kids interaction with tech and devices etc. The verdict is in. They are in on something that the rest of us are still yet to figure out. Majority – like 90% of them are screen nazis with their kids.
Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda did not permit their children to have cellphones until the age of 14. Even after the children of Bill and Melinda Gates received cellphones, their use was severely limited. Gates told the Mirror in 2017 that his kids have a firm screen-free “bedtime hour” after which all tech use is off limits.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s 11-year-old son doesn’t own a cell phone — and the TV can only be accessed with “activation energy.” “At home, our television is not easily accessible, so that there is ‘activation energy’ before you can easily go watch TV,” Pichai said. “I’m genuinely conflicted, because I see what my kids learn from all this.” Take read to find out about activation energy
Twitter co-founder Evan Williams has replaced Ipads with books – lots of them for his children
In Steve Jobs’ household, dinnertime was reserved for face-to-face conversation with his children — meaning no iPads or iPhones in sight. In an interview with a reporter, family dinners in particular were special to Jobs, the late Apple CEO, because they provided a space for him to discuss different topics and connect with his kids.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his wife Anu carefully negotiate what sites their children are allowed to go on, and for how long.
Investor and ‘Shark Tank’ star Mark Cuban set up special routers in his house, allowing him to monitor when his kids are using the internet — and shut down all activities when they go over their set screen-time limits.
Snapchat cofounder and CEO Evan Spiegel and former Victoria’s Secret Angel Miranda Kerr limit their 8-year-old’s screen time to 1.5 hours per week. Spiegel himself grew up not watching TV as a kid, and has said it forced him to read, build things, and think for himself. He told the Financial Times that he wants to pass on the same benefits to his daughter.
I dunno…. but there is definitely something in the Kool Aid and our kids are tasting it.