Finding balance is a struggle, in every area of life. I often find myself swinging to one extreme or another, no matter if it's in an area of parenting or theology or politics or exercise or reading or food or... screen time. I've read so much about the negatives of screen time that I have been guilty of lumping all technology into the "evil, addicting, keep-it-away-from-my-children" category. Now, I am still fairly convinced that a lot of technology falls into that category - but thankfully not all of it does, and we've been encouraged by finding some very positive, child-friendly technology during the past year. I've been looking forward to sharing it with you all, just in case it might be something that your family would enjoy too!
I love how Andy Crouch views technology in his book The Tech-Wise Family. In that book he shares that in his family, they strive to only use technology that promotes togetherness and connection. And contrary to my previous belief, there is such a thing!
It's no secret that we love good books and stories and the Yoto Audio Player has been enriching, entertaining, and just plain fun for our children. Here are just a few reasons why we all love it:
- no internet access: this guarantees no unwanted content or ads. This is the main reason why I believe this device is safe for kids and better than other Google or Apple devices that can also play stories for children. I may be over-protective in this regard, but I'd much, much rather err on that side. Besides the run-of-the-mill junk that is foisted on us through commercials and advertisements, pornography is an insidious multi-million dollar industry that is working hard to gain more addicts every single day. I don't trust any filter or parent protection to outsmart that much money; nor do I trust that filter to be smarter than my children. There are ways around every filter, pornography is harmful and damaging, and I believe restricted internet access is safest right now for their young brains and bodies. Side note: if you want to talk to your kids about this issue and don't know how, Greta Eskridge is a fellow mom and author with amazing encouragements and resources on how to do so.
- kids can use it independently: it's simple and sturdy and even our 3 year old can stick in the cards and turn on a story.
- easy to transport: it gets carried all over the house and doesn't have to be plugged in unless for charging. Our kids also bring it along on road trips and use it in the back of the van, though the volume is a little too quiet for everyone to hear when driving down the freeway. You may see this as a perk, however - Mom and Dad in the front seat can't hear it at all and can have their own conversation!
- good stories that Mom doesn't have to read! I love reading to our children and I do it every day. However, if I am not feeling well or am too busy or just need a break, this is a marvelous way to fill their minds with even more excellent stories. The Yoto website has an impressive collection of story cards available to purchase and they are continually adding more.
- the power of re-reading: I don't know how you feel about Charlotte's Web, but at the moment I am heartily sick of it. That is because our boys have fallen in love with the audio book version and have listened to it approximately 589 times on their Yoto Player. I exaggerate, but only slightly. I have been hearing the muffled voices of Fern and Avery coming from their room, every single day during rest time for at least the last six months. Middle Brother and Little Brother in particular have the entire book memorized and will quote lengthy paragraphs to me which is hilarious, especially when they imitate all the voices more accurately than I ever could. I have even resorted to telling them "You MUST listen to something different today! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE ABOUT WILBUR!" However, despite my frustration and annoyance, I am secretly pleased because re-reading is powerful, this is an excellent book, and can you imagine what will happen as a result of that language being embedded into their little minds? I don't know - I may never know for certain - but I am convinced it can only be good. Words are the most powerful weapon we possess and those who can write, speak, and use them well can truly, actually, change the world.
Back in the fall I listened to a podcast episode with the founder of Cosmo Together and he asked a simple question which blew my mind because I had never considered it before; namely, "Why haven't Apple and Google created a safe kids' phone?" Obviously they do not lack the resources, talent, money, or ability to do so. The answer has got to be "because they will not make money off it." It is in their best interests to create addicting technology that gathers data about its users which can then be sold, and a simpler, safer device for children would not fit with this business model. However, Cosmo has a different model which is kid-friendly, and we decided to give our boys a Cosmo Smart Watch for Christmas. They are thrilled and we are optimistic that it will be beneficial to our family. Now, we've only had it for about two months, but so far we love it because:
- again, no internet access! Whew. Dodged a bullet there. They also can only receive calls or text messages from approved contacts, which is relieving - no spam calls or inappropriate texts. We've added one set of grandparents as contacts, which is a fun way for the boys to connect with them.
- no games, social media, or other addicting features: I have to say that when we first gave this to our boys, they were thrilled and obsessed because it is their first real device and look, Mom, I can take 50 selfies of myself making ridiculous faces!! However, it's now been a couple months and their enthusiasm has cooled, as I hoped and believed it would. Selfies are fun for a while but just don't have the addicting qualities of games or social media and PRAISE THE LORD FOR THAT. I want this to be a tool, not a time-sucking, soul-crushing, conversation-destroying distraction. And we are doing our best to use it as a tool. They enjoy sending messages to Daddy if he's gone on a work trip, and will take pictures of their block creations or art work to send to me too. They can call grandparents or use the timer when we are cooking. They can check how many steps they've taken for the day and then run circles through the house if they think they need more!
- encourages independence: we have been able to give the children some short periods of independence, which I believe is good and even necessary for them. We are also thankful that we can use this at times when they might be at a class or sports practice or other events where we are not present but may need to contact them.
- GPS location monitoring: we have not used this feature yet, but on my phone I can see exactly where the Cosmo watch is at any time. You can even set "safe zones" if you wanted to, say, let your child walk home from school, and if they move out of the "safe zone" then you get an alert. I could envision sending them down the street to a friend's house, or letting them walk to a nearby park, or just play in a nearby field; they get some much-needed freedom and independence, and you get the peace of mind of knowing exactly where they are!
I would never want to pressure you to buy something you don't need, but Cosmo does have a referral program, so if you happen to feel like this would be useful for your family you can use my link below for 20% off a Jr Track watch. If you use it, we get a few months of free data, which is a nice perk; if you don't use it, I still thank you heartily and sincerely for reading and for caring about our family.
"Technology is in its proper place when it helps us bond with
the real people we have been given to love... we are meant not just for thin,
virtual connections, but for visceral, real connections to one another in this fleeting,
temporary, and infinitely beautiful and worthwhile life."
~ Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family
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