Latest / 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids. / How the Internet is Shaping Our Kid's Brains

Transcript

How the Internet is Shaping Our Kid's Brains · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another episode of 5-Minute Parenting.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to be talking about how the Internet is changing our brains.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: With instant access to a world of information, it's no wonder the internet has changed society and the way we relate to each other and the world.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: But more important, it has been shown that it actually affects our brains.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: We are born with approximately a hundred billion brain cells, and those brain cells called neurons connect to each other through pathways.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: When we strengthen those pathways by repeated exposure to something, and the internet definitely provides repeated exposure of stimuli, it also provides positive rewards on an intermittent basis, which keeps us coming back for more, which is why the Internet can be addictive.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: As parents, we have a responsibility to help our kids learn how to use the Internet without it taking over their lives and affecting them negatively.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: In 2008, Gary Small was one of the first researchers to show the effects of the Internet on our brains.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: He and his colleagues' research showed that with the introduction and increased use of the internet, we live in a state of continuous partial attention.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: We keep tabs on everything while never really truly focusing on anything.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: And when we partially attend, we place our brains in a heightened state of stress.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: In the book Shallows, What the Internet is doing to our brains, Nicholas Carr writes, quote, never has there been a medium like the Internet that can so widely scatter our attention and do it so insistently.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: In addition to changes in attention, it also affects our ability to think deeply, to focus for long periods of time, and to form new memories.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Fortunately, our brain has an amazing ability to rewire itself.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: We often hear that it takes so many repetitions to break or create habits.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: So there are some healthy ways we can benefit from using the internet without its unhealthy consequences.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, we need to participate and have our children participate in activities that strengthen our focus and attention.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Spend some time each day completing a single uninterrupted task.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: For example, reading a chapter two in a book or playing a musical instrument, working on a craft or another project.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: How many times when we as adults are engaged in something else do we feel a strong urge to check our phone or something on the internet?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: I know because I'm guilty, but we need to resist that urge and teach our children to also do it.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: For our children and teens, it may mean keeping their device in another room away from them so that they can focus on the task in front of them without being distracted.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, return to nature.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Take regular breaks from technology and take those breaks in nature, go on walks, go to parks.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Kids need to engage in some outdoor playtime.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Some research has shown that being in nature may actually improve our creativity.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, an added bonus is getting some fresh air and exercise, which is another positive way to rewire our brains naturally.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, create technology-free zones.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: This will look different depending on your family, the age of your children, and so forth.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Discover some times when everyone in the family can turn off technology, perhaps during dinner time or family time together, whether playing games or watching a movie, taking a walk, etc.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone in the family, including adults, needs to abide by the rules and set a good example.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Technology has its place, but we need to rule it, not let it rule us.