Steve Jobs was a Low-tech Parent
In preparation for a major topic in our next book on brain health, I ran across a fascinating article in The New York Times (NYTimes.com/2014/09/11) with the title “Steve Jobs was a Low-tech Parent.” When Steve Jobs was running Apple, you would have thought that his home would have been littered with screens. On the contrary, when The New York Times interviewed Mr. Jobs he started with, “We limit how much technology our kids use at home.” Surprised? If the experts realize the importance of balancing tech time, shouldn’t all of us follow their lead?
He went on to reveal that he often bans all gadgets on school nights and puts time limits on weekends and holidays. Apparently, when The New York Times interviewed several other CEOs of tech companies, they had the same surprising reply. They also said their kids accused them of being overly restrictive about tech stuff, but these technology experts stood their ground. Their main concern was their children’s exposure to harmful content, like pornography, bullying from other kids, and eventually becoming addicted to their devices. A top restriction that every tech-savvy parent and expert seems to agree on: “There are no screens in the bedroom, ever!”
Steve Jobs ended his interview with, “No one ever pulled out an iPad or computer at our dinner table. The kids did not seem addicted at all to devices.”
Again, it’s a question of balance.
Dr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his “little patients” call him, has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years. He received his medical training at Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the world’s largest children’s hospital, where he was associate ward chief of the newborn intensive care unit before serving as the chief of pediatrics at Toronto Western Hospital, a teaching hospital of the University of Toronto. He has served as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California School of Medicine, and University of California: Irvine. As a father of 8 children, he coached Little League sports for 20 years, and together with his wife Martha has written more than 40 best-selling books and countless articles on nutrition, parenting, and healthy aging. He serves as a health consultant for magazines, TV, radio and other media, and his AskDrSears.com website is one of the most popular health and parenting sites. Dr. Sears has appeared on over 100 television programs, including 20/20, Good Morning America, Oprah, Today, The View, and Dr. Phil, and was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine in May 2012. He is noted for his science-made-simple-and-fun approach to family health.