What Does Children’s “Obsession” With Technology Tell Us About What They Really Need?

Wise thoughts.

When we look at children spending what appears to be excessive amounts of time watching television and using smartphones, tablets, and other devices, we are often looking through the lenses of our own experiences—memories of reading, playing outside, socializing with friends and family, and seemingly long stretches of time in which we didn’t have anything to do. We may even have a tendency to think that childhood was better without the influx of new technologies.

Yet today’s technology may be meeting the same childhood needs as those of earlier generations. —Fred Rogers Center.