By Monish Ghatalia
Founder, worldoo.com
The digital age and the rise of technology have often left me wondering about children growing up today, as compared to how I grew up. While my vacation days were spent running about and playing the classic ‘hide and seek’ or ‘pakdam–pakdi’, forcing my parents to drag me back home, kids today are caught by the tech bug. Parenting today means growing digital natives.
Much before my daughter was born, the tech bug had already caught up with her; the ultrasound, the baby monitoring apps, the pregnancy e-books... each of them in turn assuring us of her safety and helping us plan right. The bug advanced further, and my smartphone became a toy in the hands of my li’l one! Now, precious moments such as the child’s first step, first smile and first words have grown to include the first time your child successfully downloads an app, creates an email address or clicks that first selfie! While all my firsts were celebrated within the family, showcased proudly through a photo album, the Internet today has enabled me to share my daughter’s firsts with a larger community and in real time.
Children are becoming accustomed to technology at a young age. Just the other day, I was asked if I was spoiling my little one by letting her play alphabet games on the tablet... From the time we grew up with model cars and bikes, teddy bears and dolls, a natural evolution has happened. It's beyond growth. While our parents never allowed us to play with toys all day, parents today too won’t allow a child access to their favourite gadgets all day. So, why do we live in a state of fear? Why can't we accept evolution? Then again, school is a whole new ball game and computers an integral part of the curriculum. Parenting in the digital age is not just what I or my spouse do, it is also what educators and the community does as a whole. Just as an economic crisis in one part of the world can affect someone else in another part, engagement over the Internet today and the content that circulates is a matter of concern for parents all around the world even as they want to expose their children to all the good in technology. It is time that parents are able to hand-hold their kids and lead them into the digital world in which they have been born. As a parent, I have had to accept the change in priorities, the need and focus being to channelize digital consumption so as to have a lingering positive impact.
I have realized that at the end of the day, no matter how much children fiddle with gadgets or the Internet, their ultimate aspiration is to be like their parents. The digital age is an eye-opener; it encourages parents to learn, and only when parents learn to balance their own digital priorities can they set fabulous examples for their children. After all, our children are our future, and we have a right to be optimistic that their contribution to the world will be greater as a result of the digital transformation.
Feedback: monish@focuscircle.in
