The Computer Trap....how much time are you spending staring at a box?

Hello everyone I hope you've had an excellent weekend. It finally felt like summer in Sydney and I believe it was a wintery day in the Northern Hemisphere. Pure enjoyment for everyone.

I had a great conversation today with one of my closest friends about computers and their place in the family. Following our conversation I thought I'd do a little research and find out just how much trouble computers are causing and I was alarmed.

I discovered (what I already knew to be true) that couples are breaking up due to computer use, children are becoming violent due to the games they are playing and the online company they are keeping. Families are being torn apart due to a box that plugs into the wall.

I don't want to spend to much time on this because as I've said before I'm not in any way against technology, it has it's place. What I am against however is the amount of time we spend staring at a screen and ignoring life that's going on around us. Reality is what's happening in our backyards, in our kitchens and lounge rooms. Reality is not found behind our screens (have you ever looked behind your screen, it's either a bunch of wires or if it's a laptop like mine all you'll find is a table top!!!!).

In some of the research I did I found that in a Stanford University study or 4000 people they found that there is a noticeable effect even with just 2-5 Internet hours/week, and it rises substantially for those spending more that 10 hours/week, of whom up to 15 percent report a decrease in social activities. Even more striking is the fact that Internet users spend much less time of talking on the phone to friends and family. Basically, through excessive computer/internet usage we are losing contact with our social environment – our reality.

I encourage you to limit the time you spend on the computer and those in your home.

Don't allow all hour access
Encourage conversation
Keep the computer in a high activity location (not in a room away from the action)
Check history files regularly
Limit games played
Establish a ‘log in – log out’ book for the family and decide what an acceptable amount of computer time per person and stick to it
Keep each other accountable

Lastly, if you find yourself getting definsive when someone says something about the amount of time you’re spending on the computer you might want to stop and think because.....they’re probably right.

Take care, be well and keep loving each other.

Susan xoxo

©thefamilyroom 2006