Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by TaupeRanger on Friday December 16, 2022 @08:38PM (#34023297)

For every one of these anecdotes there's another where the kid got unrestricted access and is now incapable of going anywhere or doing anything without having their tablet with them, and is chronically addicted to the screen at nearly every waking moment, to their extreme detriment in school and social encounters. I have a family member like this.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by kaesar14 on Friday December 16, 2022 @08:48PM (#34023386)

I think the more important thing is fostering your children to have other interests - when the electronics are given just to make a kid shut up it can eventually become their "real" parents. When parents are active and make an effort to show their children other activities and find what they're interested in, the electronics won't be as enticing.

Maybe that requires a child having some built in proclivity towards some manner of creative expression or physical activity, who knows.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by friedman23 on Friday December 16, 2022 @11:16PM (#34024587)

Like I said in another comment, phones and tablets are portable slot machines. Gambling wins over "other interests" every time.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by quest88 on Saturday December 17, 2022 @01:40AM (#34025447)

That can't be true. If it were, no kid with access would have other interests.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by Scarblac on Saturday December 17, 2022 @02:18AM (#34025614)

Not all kids are the same. Not everyone gets gambling addicted either.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by kaesar14 on Saturday December 17, 2022 @12:48PM (#34030203)

Yeah, every time is a huge exaggeration.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by kaesar14 on Saturday December 17, 2022 @10:54AM (#34028814)

That’s just not true for every child. Children are not so reductive.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by friedman23 on Saturday December 17, 2022 @02:50PM (#34031473)

Ah ok, so you are fine with taking your child to Las Vegas and sitting them in front of the slot machine with a handful of quarters? Maybe just give them a small heroin injection too, there's a chance they wont get addicted.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by kaesar14 on Saturday December 17, 2022 @06:01PM (#34033184)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum

Also, giving your children unfettered access to the internet is not the same thing as giving them money for a slot machine. They don't have money unless you give it to them. It's not difficult to prevent them from having unlimited access to your credit cards.

Children will grow up into adults that have access to all this stuff anyway. Better to teach and manage excess early then restrict.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by friedman23 on Monday December 19, 2022 @10:39AM (#34053323)

I reject that it's reductio ad absurdum. We do not know the effect of this kind of stimulus on children and how it can affect their development.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by kaesar14 on Tuesday December 20, 2022 @06:21PM (#34074293)

So clearly it's comparable to heroin and slot machines at Vegas then, if we don't know the impact. Just gotta get a couple more years in to know for sure whether we can compare it to opiates :)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by Scarblac on Saturday December 17, 2022 @02:18AM (#34025610)

Those other interests don't have a real chance to compete against endless YouTube etc, real life is just slower and gives less stimulation per second than the output of a whole industry trying to play their mind.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by kaesar14 on Saturday December 17, 2022 @10:55AM (#34028825)

I don’t know, I see it with the children around my family all the time. They’d rather play with one another then sit around on their phones. You’re not giving the children enough credit :)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by hunter-gatherer on Friday December 16, 2022 @09:22PM (#34023658)

I have two nephews like this. Their future looks incredibly bleak. Although I believe the culprit is that their parents are always "phone on" as well.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by friedman23 on Friday December 16, 2022 @11:15PM (#34024582)

Yep, all these people don't understand they are handing their kids slot machines disguised as harmless kid games. Completely irresponsible.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by ngoilapites on Saturday December 17, 2022 @04:14AM (#34026191)

There is no black or white on this point, still clearly there is an unprotected risk.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by Kranar on Saturday December 17, 2022 @01:50AM (#34025493)

Yep and what's worse is no parent is going to ever admit that they gave their child unlimited screen time and now their child is addicted. Anecdotes that exhibit this kind of asymmetry are effectively worthless.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by quietbritishjim on Saturday December 17, 2022 @05:15AM (#34026516)

Selection bias!

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet ad... by Dudeman112 on Saturday December 17, 2022 @09:42AM (#34028117)

Indeed. People growing up isn't a function of one variable

[ Parent | on HN ]