Children Meets Tech
5 Keys to Keep Our Children Well in the Tech-Savvy World
Children used to be portrayed as resilient, robust, and bulletproof.
Our children today, however, suffer unprecedented levels of anxiety, learning, and behavioral problems, with a significant increase in chronic diseases. The worst of all, cancer.
According to a report from the Australian Childhood Cancer Registry in 2019, the number of cases of childhood cancer increased by 67% in the 33 years between 1983 and 2015, while the incidence rate rose by 34% over the same period.
Children used to be portrayed as resilient, robust, and bulletproof.
What was fundamentally different before and after 1983 to cause this change?
While processed food has been in the limelight, we cannot ignore the drastic changes in our lifestyle and environment.
Before 1983 children spent most of their time outdoors. Indoor entertainment was next to none as TVs only had very limited channels. The artificial lighting was predominantly from incandescent bulbs. Their living environment was largely natural.
Children belong to Nature. We all do.
The world has evolved since 1983 with the introduction of the internet, LED and fluorescent lighting, wifi technology, multiple numbers of wireless devices, various screens, and five generations of mobile networks. Children now spend 95% of their lives indoors.
No doubt we are living in a tech-driven world and we shall all embrace technology as a tool to achieve our greatest goals. However, when technology costs our children’s health, it costs too much than we can afford. There are better and safer ways to live well in the modern world:
Let children play outside as much as possible
Nature is the children’s ultimate playground and where they belong. It has all the resources they need to advance their senses and capability. Figuring out nature is more than slightly challenging than figuring out electrical devices. Studies after studies show kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors. Isn’t that what all parents want for their children? Living in New Zealand is primed for outdoors: parks, beaches, playgrounds, biking & hiking tracks. Use them often.
Make your home wifi-free
The radiofrequency (RF) used in wifi technology was declared by the World Health Organisation as a possible carcinogen in 2011 and reported in late 2018 by the US National Toxicity Program as cancer-causing, beyond doubt. This RF radiation is in all homes where wifi routers, and wireless, smart or Bluetooth devices are used. That’s almost all of us. Children and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to this radiation because of their smaller size and thinner skulls. Precisely, children absorb twice the amount of radiation than adults, and their bone marrow absorbs 10 times more. Hardwiring computers and devices with the ethernet cable would eliminate the RF radiation, or simply turning wifi off while sleeping would make a significant difference to start with.
Minimize blue light exposure after darkness
Sleep is the foundation for health. Exposure to blue light at night suppresses the production of the sleeping hormone, melatonin. Unfortunately, our children today are exposed excessively to this blue light because it illuminates all our phones, computers, televisions, homes, cars, and streets, which explains the staggering rise in children’s sleeping problems. Children who don’t sleep well are prone to disease because their bodies can’t properly repair and regenerate. Engaging them with interactive, fun, and interesting family activities would lower their need for screens.
Own no smartphone until adulthood
I hear parents scream, that’s impossible, peer pressure is real! Yes, it’s no doubt an uneasy task. Was it easy for Steve Jobs and Bill Gates? No, but done. It’s ironic that all the schools in Silicon Valley are noticeably low-tech. Pause on that for a second. Why do the inventors of modern technology restrain their children from using technology? If they can, why can’t we, why shouldn’t we? Parents should lead by example in the home environment and instill the concept of using technology smartly in our children from an early age. Promoting physical interaction and communication, educating, and surrounding the family with like-minded people are proven receptive and sustainable.
Teach them to love the sun, sensibly
Sun is the life force for all living organisms on Earth. As beings of light, we humans are powered by sunlight and dependent on the varying frequencies of the sun throughout the day and the four seasons. However, we are taught and told to block the sun, with sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and layers on our children from sun up to sundown. While it’s sensible to avoid sunburn, which is mostly from prolonged exposure to mid-day sun in summer, exposure to sunlight is essential for all our body functions.
Sunlight reduces all causes of modalities.
