THE TECH-WISE FAMILY BY ANDY CROUCH, CHAPTER 5

Imagine someone calls you up one day:

            “Hello?”

            “Greetings, neighbor. I represent a research company, and we would like to include your family in a significant experiment.” 

            “Ok, what’s this about?”

            “Yes, it’s simple. We play hours of entertaining images and video each day in front of your child and measure the long term health effects. The whole thing will probably take about ten years. Your child is a one year-old, correct?”

            “Um, is it safe?”

            “We’re not sure. We are pretty sure something will happen, but we’re not sure what.”

            You are shocked. “That sounds like a horrible idea. No thank you!”

            “Wait! Did I tell you that millions of people have already signed up their little ones—you would be just like them.”

            “Millions?!”

            “Yes! You’d all go through it together.”

            “Huh,” you ponder. “I don’t want my child to be different from everyone else.”

            “Yes, and what is more, they’ll be occupied for hours each day—no more bothering you with questions and complaining. Think of everything you’ll get done!” 

            “Well, that does sound good . . .”

Although this conversation is fictitious, the experiment is real. Our generation is performing an experiment on our children, and we’re not sure what the long-term consequences are. This was enough to give Apple founder Steve Jobs pause when making decisions about technology for his own family. In 2010, when asked about the new iPad and his own children, he replied, “They haven’t used one. We limit how much technology they use at home.” Makes you think, doesn’t it?

As you read Chapter 5 of The Tech-Wise Family, consider the wisdom of guarding our children’s hearts and minds in a culture that would rather our children fix their eyes on a screen instead of on our Lord Jesus Christ.