I have been toying with the idea of creating a digital detox specifically for kids in the early years who have got into problematic video gaming. Reason is I just completed a course for health care professionals through Intenta on managing problematic gaming use. It was mind blowing. But the more I read up on persuasive design and some of the behind the scenes work that goes on in the designing of these digital tools, the more I realize we need more than digital detoxes to survive the onslaught of Big Tech.
I try my best to eat well – even though I have the biggest sweet tooth! I cannot claim to be a healthy foodies or exercise guru yet the thing I hear time and time again is it is easier to develop a lifestyle of healthy interaction with your food, avoiding those spikes in sugar, exercising even 30 minutes three times a week, ensuring you get 8 hours of sleep etc etc – a healthy lifestyle.
Enter digital detoxes. Some things I have heard parents say after doing a 7 day or a 30 day detox is ” the tantrums have gone down drastically since the detox” or “My kids are able to play independently,” or ” I finally have my son back again.” Digital detoxes are great because you have given the brain a chance to, in essence “restore factory settings.”
The constant bombardment of dopamine rush has been cut off and now the brain can self-soothe with minimal overstimulation / input.
Some recommendations I would make :
Adopt a digital philosophy in your home – how we interact with digital media, what do you believe as a family is the role of digital media in your lives. This you can do through creating a Family Media Plan
Continuously educate yourself and your family on how these tools are being created to tap into some of our most basic human instincts of connection, reward and feedback. Some books I can suggest you can dig into : Stolen Focus, Digital Minimalism, The Shallows, Glow Kids, reSET your child’s brain.
Make digital wellbeing a lifestyle as opposed to a one off 30 day event. Consume technology without it consuming you as a family.