Archive: Around Town

Digital interactions have become an important part of life, especially for young people who are growing up in the digital age.  But how is their average 6.5 non-homework of daily screen hours affecting their concentration, development and off-line relationships?  The Lansing PTSO (Parent Teacher Student organization) sponsored two showings of the film 'Screenagers' by physician Delaney Ruston to kick off an ongoing discussion about the impact of cell phones and other digital devices and activities to engage parents, community members, and students from 4th grade to high school seniors.

"This is the largest parenting issue of our time, and we're all trying to figure it out together." PTSO President Kristen Hopkins said at Monday's Board Of Education meeting. "What better way to do that than to have a conversation about it?  One of the ideas that came out of the documentary was a 'Tech Talk Tuesday'.  That resonated with the Wednesday night audience that I was a part of.  We started that in November and it's been going strong every Tuesday, including during the break, for the last six or seven weeks."

The idea came from the movie, and, indeed, the Screenagers Web site has its own Tech Talk Tuesday, a blog with posts on various topics that cover ideas like when it is appropriate for a child to get his or her first cell phone, how data is inconclusive on how much screen time actually decreases communication skills in real life, and how a parent's comfort level talking to their kids may be the culprit, or how kids deal with rules about using digital devices at home.

By the middle of November the Lansing PTSO was ready to launch its own Tech Talk Tuesday.  The first post, on November 15th, featured a Washington Post article entitled 'This Is What It's Like To Grow Up In The Age Of Likes, LOLs And Longing', about a 13 year old girl's point of view on life with her iPhone.

The online world can be dangerous because it is largely unfiltered.  While the Internet had brought many interactive advantages, people who do not have your best interests in mind abound.  That had placed a burden on parents as they try to figure out a balance between productive online participation and, what for many is a new territory fraught with stalkers, bullies, thieves -- and in the worst cases abductors and murderers.

Then there is the issue of Internet addiction -- how does a parent keep a child from becoming addicted to gaming or the Internet?  Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.  But banning digital devices and online access is not a viable option as cyber-life has become more and more integrated into our real-world lives.

That's where Tech Talk Tuesday comes in for Lansing families.  Every Tuesday a technical article is posted on the PTSO Facebook page, and viewers are encouraged to discuss the issues each article raises.  Hopkins said the PTSO is also encouraging the community to share articles

"We have gotten extremely positive feedback," Hopkins said.  "We have put the call out to the community that if someone reads an article or has a question, submit that so we can continue to further develop this conversation and work together to navigate through this world of technology and try to understand how much is too much, how little are we holding back our children, and vice versa."

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