In a story we talked about yesterday, BusinessInsider.com says a lot of the greatest minds in the world of digital technology limit how much access their kids have to the technology they helped invent.

You might be surprised to find out that Bill Gates' kids didn't get smart phones until they turned 14, Steve Jobs didn't let his kids use the iPad when it came out - and Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, doesn't want his nephew to be on any social networks.

It's a longer article, but it might confirm what you already suspected - time spent away from screens and with other people, is better for kids (and probably for all of us adults). And yes, I understand the irony of you reading about this online.

The article tells the story of a study involving 100 pre-teen kids. Half spent five days at a tech-free retreat where they did things like archery and hiking and orienteering. The other half stayed at home with all their normal tech available to them. After the five days, the kids who had been at the tech-free retreat showed huge gains in empathy, meaning they much kinder to their fellow human beings. Something we all need a little more of these days.

My two daughters are 23 and 25 now. From what I've seen, they get more excited about talking about the times they spent looking for Petoskey rocks, learning how to shoot bows, fishing or hiking with our dog than anything they did online.

Here's the article. Worth the read, IMO.

 

Banana Don and Stephanie McCoy amuse and thrill you every weekday morning from 5:30 – 10AM on the radio at 100.7 WITL.

Noted zythologist and all-around fun guy Banana Don can be reached via email at don.jefferson@townsquaremedia.com and on Twitter at @WITLBananaDon and @WITLFM. Also, Facebook friend Banana Don and Stephanie at Facebook.com/BananaStephanie and Facebook.com/WITLFM.
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