According to the NYTimes article referenced on our course blog, teenagers "spend six-and-a-half leisure hours a day switching among computers, TV’s, movies, video games, books, iPods, cellphones and texting." And that's a conservative estimate.
I think of my own daughter who will return from school in a few minutes and say, predictably, "Can I use the computer?" My response varies from day to day. of course, homework, piano, and pets need to be taken care of first. Then... if I am busy, sure, go ahead. Without limits, this little nine year old will be gaming on the Disney Website or emailing her friends in Rochester or Boston for literally HOURS. But 6 hours? To use a colloquialism, "OMG!"
O.k., this is a beautiful picture of socialization, but I have a few reservations. What about this juvenile obesity problem? Excercise takes time, too. Are these kids getting up out of their seats? What about the three dimensional world, and gaining new experiences of life outside of the screen? I hope we're not going to start saying, "It's o.k. if they don't, because three dimensional experiences won't be important in the flat world." Yikes! Aren't some of these power-down times what give kids the opportunity to develop that right brained thinking Pink talks about?
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