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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1234839
While most parents cave when the kids need tablets, smartphones and computers day and night to survive, Apple's Steve Jobs and Microsoft's Bill Gates both emphasized that they limited how much technology their children used at home when growing up. Chris Anderson, former editor of Wired Magazine said his wife and he had firm time limits and parental controls on devices their five children had access to growing up. He said he had seen the dangers of technology and that he didn't want it to happen to the kids. The dangers include exposure to harmful/inappropriate content like pornography, hate messages and bullying. Perhaps one of the worst is device addiction that way too many adults suffer from – constantly checking the device, cold sweats when it's not immediately at hand, checking the first thing in the morning. You know, that void of not being connected. Anderson had one rule that could never be broken, ever; "There are no screens in the bedroom. Period. Ever!" One thing everyone knows is that kids need sleep. Most agree that devices mess it up. Give a person – any age – a book and the mind tells the individual when it's time to shut down. Put a screen in front of them and they're quickly disconnected from what really matters, what makes them nourished/enriched and grounded as a person. Gen Zers and above think nothing of binging every segment of a new show that's released on Netflix or other OTT services – 10, 15 hours' worth of entertainment at a single sitting. Our behind gives out after even the best 108-minute movie; but give a kid a screen with Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers, and they're good for the day. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen use to one hour a day for children 2-5 to one hour a day for older youth to make certain media doesn't reduce adequate sleep, physical activity and personal/group interaction. But it all depends on the quality of content and the amount of involvement parents have with their children during the screen time. Parents – or any adult – will readily agree that screens,