The Big Disconnect: Protecting relationships in the Digital Age
On average, kids spend 7.5 hours each day in front of a screen. Pediatricians recommend no more than 2 hours each day.
Catherine Steiner-Adair is a clinical psychologist and instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She says that new technology is transforming the way that we communicate with each other, but she fears that families are in crisis around this issue.
Her new book, “The Big Disconnect,” looks at how young people rely on texting and social media for advice and friendship and how this overexposure to technology puts them at risk for developing unhealthy values. Steiner-Adair claims that the widespread use of electronic devices like smartphones and tablets has negative effects on empathy and developing relationships within the family.
In her book, she offers practical advice on how to protect family relationships in the Digital Age.
Diane Rehm and her guest discuss the effects of technology on children and their families and what parents can do about it.
Click here to listen to the program.
The book also answers some of these questions:
- Have iPads replaced conversation at the dinner table?
- What do infants observe when their parents are on their smartphones?
- Should you be your child’s Facebook friend?
