To help your child become an autonomous and resilient learner:
Foster empathy by favouring family time over screen time.
In her book The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age, Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair examines the technology paradox : how technology both enriches and erodes our lives.
In addition to the detrimental effects that technology has on development and learning, Dr. Steiner-Adair points-out that the adolescent brain is not mature enough to make good judgements about what to watch and how to behave online. Even teenagers are not yet fully able to distinguish between right and wrong, tasteful and distasteful, or even funny and cruel content, and can therefore end-up being exposed to things that are harmful to them. What’s more, the anonymity associated with the online world means that young people are not learning to be accountable for their words or actions and often engage in much crueller behaviour than they would in real life.
Children learn values, ethics, accountability and empathy – critical skills for navigating the world successfully – through the normal ups and downs of authentic family relationships. So, if you want to foster empathy in your child, try reducing your child’s exposure to technology and increasing the amount of time you spend together.