A quick summary of what we talked about on our Monday space about kids, AI and tools.
with contribution from Arjan
Next session: https://aburra.xyz/space/228 (everyone is welcome to speak)
You can't control everything.
You need to always keep talking about it (no matter the eye rolls).
Taking away the phone or blocking an app will not solve a problem. Kids find a way around it. For example: My kids have watched TikTok videos or accessed streaming services using a browser. If that fails, friends will help in two ways: Watching stuff together or letting them use their phone.
Raising zombie kids who are helpless without technology (My fictional story Muted Words deals with that in some ways)
Conversations with friends and internet strangers. Anything between cyber bullies to adults playing kids to trick them.
But, while we focus on negativity with tools, tools are just tools and it's up to us parents to teach kids how to discover the positive. For sure, I could do more in that domain than just pointing it out. Some of the creative and collaborative ways I've seen my kids use tools
Capcut to make videos and photo collages of friends and send it to them. You have to add the right background music, too.
Homework Whatsapp group with system detailing who does what when.
Use AI to do mindlessly stupid busy-work type of homework (I'm looking at you PE teacher who gives oral exam 👀)
No chat about teens is complete without talking about peer pressure. When applied to adults, we call it FOMO, to soften the edges. Same shit. The ways out of it are the same:
Recognize when you are pressured into it
Know your boundaries
Don't cross your boundaries
Develop escape mechanism or routines to get out of situation
Got wisdom to share on this topic? Or burning question that keep you up at night? Or just feel like chatting about kids and tech? Join me for the next one https://aburra.xyz/space/228
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Wow, great summary. Was really fun. Thanks, friend.
On Kids, social media & teach @arjantupan & I talked about what we are afraid of & what we love https://paragraph.xyz/@cheshirecat/026-kids,-social-media-and-tech Next space is planned for Monday 12h UTC+1 https://aburra.xyz/space/228 (sry folks on the US west coast. But you never know, you might be up 😅)
This was such a nice and open conversation, K. Thank you so much. Really liked chatting with you about this. Learned a lot.
In @kbc's latest blog, we dive into managing kids and technology. Key takeaways: you can't control everything, conversations are essential, and blocking apps won't stop access. Embrace tools positively—kids use them creatively. Peer pressure is real; teach boundaries and escape mechanisms.