Guess What? Technology Might Not Be Turning Our Kids Into Mushy Brained Zombies

Okay, before you raise your eyebrows and make a quick judgment and wiggle your finger at me and say I'm an awful mom, hear me out.

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I do not truly buy that using technology is turning our children's brains into mush and them into screen zombies. There, I said it.

Is a lot of screen time bad for our kids? I think it can be. Is screen time and technology making our kids dumb? In moderation, I don't think so. If screen time and technology were the big bad monsters that so many make them out to be, why did schools across the nation switch to a virtual learning model rather than hand out paper packets during the coronavirus pandemic? I would hope that if educators and experts believed screens and technology were truly toxic for our kids, they wouldn't have leaned so heavily on virtual learning.

I do, however, think the content little brains are soaking in is something we need to be aware of. We've been told for years the dangers of sitting our kids in front of the television and I believe the same is true for all screens, but I also think that screen time, in moderation and when used properly can be a wonderful thing.

My son has a kid's Amazon Free Time tablet and it's loaded with educational books and games as well as ABC Mouse. My husband and I use the tablet as a supplement to our homeschooling and our son doesn't even realize he learning because he thinks he's just being allowed to use the tablet as a reward play.

My husband and I have noticed that when our son plays with his tablet, he's faster with his math answers and also better with his spelling. We absolutely do not allow our son to spend an exorbitant amount of time on his tablet and we don't substitute it for childcare. We use it as a reward but the trick is that the reward is helping our son learn without him even realizing that he is.

If you've been under the impression that technology and smartphones are turning our brains into mush, you might be wrong. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati studied the subject and claim that our gadgets are not dumbing us down. Sure, we rely on our devices more than ever, but our devices are actually helping us figure out simple things which free up our brains to focus on other, harder things.