The Wait Until 8th pledge • Hacker News Board

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#251

Post by wpietri » Thu, Jun 08, 2023, 10:01 PM UTC

parasubvert wrote: post #245

wpietri wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this something you are currently doing? Or more a theory? I know one parent, a software developer, whose kid goes to a school that strongly encouraged this and so they signed up for it. It seems to work fine for them. In contrast, I know other parents who have given their kids phones and it is quite hard to completely monitor their usage of it. Around the house, parents develop a background sense for where their k…

It's something I'm currently doing with my 14 year old. the phone requires approval for app installs, so no social media. I have the phone unlock code and track browser history both at the phone and the router. He can and does use incognito mode, and the router mostly catches the porn URLs if any (thankfully not a lot - more gross out sites which we have chats about). I track Youtube history as he uses my premium acc…

Thanks! This is a very interesting comment. It definitely stands in contrast to the people suggesting here that monitoring technology usage is easy-peasy.

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#252

Post by wpietri » Thu, Jun 08, 2023, 10:03 PM UTC

vxNsr wrote: post #250

wpietri wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You literally did not use a metaphor. You claimed that other people were making comparisons. But a metaphor is just one kind of comparative tool.

You continue to obstinately be overly semantic instead accepting that not everything is perfectly literal.

I understand not everything is perfectly literal. However, your literal point is bad and foolish, and if you were making a different one, it's still not clear what it is. So I'm just going to collapse this discussion believing that you didn't really have a point, and were just running your mouth with some hyperbole you coulnd't in the end justify.

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#253

Post by parasubvert » Thu, Jun 15, 2023, 4:11 PM UTC

vxNsr wrote: post #30

parasubvert wrote: post #3

Yeah, how about no. Parent your kids to balance their screen time, and please keep them off social media as long as possible (or very supervised). But pledges like this are ridiculous, and remind me of how parents in the 80s thought the C64 or NES was going to rot kids brains, just like TV in the 70s.

Phones are incredibly addictive to both adults and kids. They are very damaging to relationships and social development. It’s fascinating that you think the answer is “do better”. This is literally that. Why are you so in favor of giving children something they have no need for and something that causes enormous stress anxiety and harm? Kids who are online have been shown to be much more anxious, more depressed and l…

Because I fundamentally disagree with your statements, that have no basis in fact. The studies on this topic are completely inconsistent and show conflicting information, with no clear correlation of harm.

This is isn't exactly news: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/technology/kids-screen-ti...

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/27/parents-of-successful-kids-d...

ultimately it depends on the child's psychology and the content that they consume. some kids should be parented to be steered away from social media. others have no problems.

Lots of things are addicting. I'm addicted to coffee. So what? Life is about managing your emotions towards moderation. Offline pledges are about as effective as abstinence pledges.

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#254

Post by parasubvert » Thu, Jun 15, 2023, 4:47 PM UTC

debok wrote: post #167

senectus1 wrote: post #52

this site feels like an "abstinence" promise site. sorry but pretending it doesn't exist is not going to teach your children how to deal with it. I fundamentally disagree with the premise.

Your comment feels like you inherently misunderstand both the abstinence pledge, and this pledge. Neither is about ignoring the thing, but about waiting for the appropriate circumstances. Abstinence is about waiting until marriage. This cellphone thing is about waiting until your brain is developed enough.

We understand them, we just think the pledges are ridiculous and not rooted in anything factual.

https://www.wired.com/story/screens-might-be-as-bad-for-ment...

But it's a free country.