Family Bonding In The Digital World. The Pros And Cons.

What does family bonding time look like in today’s digital world?  If we are next to each other on our devices, is that family bonding time? We are living in a hyper-connected world. Bringing people from across the world together. We have more access to information that ever before and we even have machines who think for us – The introduction of AI.

With all of these wonderful benefits, we must question, is it all really that great?
Do we want to connect with people from around the world when the world has some shady characters (predators, scammers and bullies.) Can we truly trust all the content we see when we do a search?
Our question is – how has this all affected our family environment?
Let’s look at the pros and cons:

The benefits of technology on the family dynamic 

·       Technology enables an instant connection regardless of geographical distances. Keeping family and friends who live far away still in our family lives. Offering visual and auditory touch points.

·        Enjoying digital activities together can provide an opportunity for parents to engage in educational and recreational activities
together. Playing console games and gaming multi player can be an immersive way of spending time together. Video games can improve strategy skills and hand-eye coordination.  Playing age-appropriate video games as a family has awesome benefits such as providing an opportunity for quality engaged parenting and is a great way to bond with the kids.

·        Fosters independence in the family dynamic, Technology can empower children with access to information to explore their interests,
research topics, and develop skills independently. This can foster a sense of autonomy and self-directed learning.

·        Safety element, children can use messaging apps to let parents know when they have arrived safely at their destination.
Families can connect when they are separated. 

·        Impromptu family movie night, that won’t cost an arm and a leg. Streaming services offer an opportunity to select a variety of
services for family entertainment without leaving your front door. 

·        Secure way to collect (and share) family memories, of images and videos. Although these images are no longer displayed
in a book format, you are able to browse a full history of your family’s memories.

The negative effects of technology on family time:  

IT professionals and social media executives confirm that their products were intentionally designed to “consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible.”  Where does that leave our face-to-face connection time. 

·        Additional strain is placed on the family with the topic of ‘Screen Time’. Parents often find themselves in disputes with their children over setting limits on screen time or online activities. Excessive screen time or digital distractions may hinder parent-child bonding and limit quality time spent together. 

·        Technology causes a disruption to face-to-face interactions. Text messages, video calls, and social media have become common forms of communication within families, which may affect the depth and quality of personal conversations. 

·        Technology can facilitate shared activities like streaming movies or playing video games, it can also lead to isolation as family members immerse themselves in their screens. 

·        Access to technology challenge. Parents need to negotiate access between educational and recreational use and protecting children from the potential negative effects of excessive screen time, cyberbullying, or exposure to inappropriate content on the internet. We are not able to monitor this space 24/7. 

·        Technology can lead to social isolation if screen time becomes excessive. This has a significant impact on shaping the social development of children and adolescents. Adolescents may be more inclined to spend time on their devices during family gatherings or meals, which can reduce the depth and quality of interpersonal communication. 

·        The concept of a digital relationship, where individuals connect and interact primarily through screens. Children can form online friendships and relationships with family members living far away, which can have both positive and negative consequences on their social development. 
·        Parents need to educate children about online safety and monitor their digital activities. We need to teach our children that there is good and bad online. The risks of inappropriate content, scammers and cyber bullies are very real. 

·        Technology can impact academic performance. It is a major distraction when children have unlimited access to social media and games.  Negating its effectiveness as a tool for research and learning.

Humans are social creatures, who crave and need in-person contact and face-to-face engagement unfortunately today’s digital world falls short of adequately facilitating. Finding a balance between screen time and quality family bonding is crucial.

Doing things together for the fun of it, will bond children and parents and generate memories that can never be replicated by a screen.