Zone’in Workshops

Over the course of the past 50,000 years, humans have managed to rise to the top of the food chain to dominate all other life forms on planet earth. Until quite recently (in the last 50 years), humans have successfully functioned as “pack” animals, with each member of the group serving a vital purpose and role. Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” reigned true, as evolutionary stressors of disease, climate change, and predation made sure that only the strong survive. Movement, touch and human connection have always been the three critical factors for human species survival. The more physically fit human could run faster, had sharper sensory acuity for hunting and gathering, and had endurance for hard work and harsh climate conditions. Babies, toddlers and young children spent every moment in the arms of a parent, grandparent or sibling, receiving adequate touch to enable a calm and secure adolescent. Meals were spent connecting with family or friends, often in large groups having conversation, playing games, or making music and dancing. Living as a pack not only ensured pack survival, but also offered each member ample opportunity to reach the limits of their own human potential by pushing them (often quite harshly) to succeed. If the pack member didn’t rise to the occasion, and adapt to the stress placed on them, they simply couldn’t survive. Evolution of the human species requires adaptation to stress, and stress serves to promote species adaptation, but only to a degree. If stress becomes too great, the human species will cease to adapt or evolve, and extinction becomes inevitable.

This article intends to profile recent changes to human biology resulting from technology overuse, and proposes that humans are not adapting to these changes fast enough, or sufficient enough, to sustain human existence on this planet. For many children, the boundaries between the virtual world and the real world have started to blur, and the human body, mind and soul are becoming lost in a virtual world, devoid of movement, touch and human connection. What intensity, frequency and duration of evolutionary stress, in the form of technology, can the human species realistically adapt to? As rapidly as technology is advancing, can human species adaptation possibly keep up, and what happens if it can’t? These questions are posed to the reader in this article as food for further thought, and action. Technology is a train that has moved out of the station and is rapidly picking up the pace. Humans are starting to fall off the technology train at an incrementally increasing rate, often without the knowledge or awareness of the closest members of their pack, their families and teachers. Bringing the technology train back to the station will provide adequate time to understand the impact of technology on child health and academic performance. With mounting research showing technology is harming children, it is time to take immediate measures to manage a balance between what children need to grow and succeed, with technology use.

Societies need only to look at the health of their children to determine future success, and 21st century children are far from healthy. 14.3% of Canadian children have a diagnosed mental illness, and many are taking adult psychotropic medication that has never been tested on children. 15% of United States and Canadian children are developmentally delayed, and 15% are obese. Half of our grade eight children do not have the literacy skills necessary to secure a job. Soaring child aggression is creating behavior management problems in classrooms and at home, necessitating the United States to recently classify media violence as a public health risk. Chronic high adrenalin and dopamine states cause further stress, as children’s bodies don’t know that what they are watching and experiencing isn’t “real”, creating possible Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At eight hours per day average use of combined technology (TV, video games, internet, movies, cell phones, iPods), children are not getting what they need to grow and succeed. Addicted to technology, socially isolated, maldeveloped and obese, hypervigalent and aggressive, illiterate and failing in school, depressed and anxious, taking psychotropic medications that have never been tested on children…the sustainability of our children is truly now in question. What can parents and teachers do to reverse this worrisome trend? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children use no more that 1-2 hours per day of combined technology, and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommend children participate in 3-4 hours per day of unstructured play. Studies show that “green space” and exercise improve cognition and reduce ADHD. Could it be so easy as to just tell our children to go play outside?

My training as a pediatric therapist indicates our best “bang for buck” will be found in education and implementation of programs for young children in school-based settings. I’ve developed a concept termed Balanced Technology Management where schools work to manage balancing technology use with critical factors children need to grow and succeed. This concept is described in both the Live’in Resource Guide, and the Ten Steps to Successfully Unplug Children from Technology. These two tools suggest home and school participate in practicing one hour per day, one day per week and one week per month technology free. During these tech-free times, students are invited to explore alternative activities to technology overuse, to build performance skill and confidence. I believe in the power of children, and if children can experience greater health and productivity with balanced technology management in school-based settings, they can then employ these concepts at home with their parents and siblings.

As CEO of Zone’in Programs Inc., I’ve developed additional products, as well as workshops and training programs to address the impact of technology overuse on child health and academic performance, and also have developed a board game called Unplug’in. Trapped in a TV, players travel through the four dimensions of Me, We, Earth and Spirit gaining insight into their own technology use, as well as what makes them a unique and passionate human being. This process allows children to try new and alternative activities other than technology, and hopefully pass these onto their family members at home.

I’m also author of the Creating Sustainable Futures Program for Health, Education and Social governments, the Unplug – Don’t Drug Policy for physicians, and the Linking Corporations to Communities Initiative, an avenue for technology production companies to contribute funds for child health initiatives. Microsoft’s Corporate Citizenship is now interested in sponsoring Zone’in products and workshops. These documents are available for free download on my website, in addition to numerous articles, CBC interviews, supporting research etc to assist with bringing awareness to society regarding how to achieve balanced technology management.

Connection to technology is disconnecting humans from themselves, each other and nature. Balanced technology management initiatives at home, school and workplaces would ensure humans balance what they need to grow and succeed, with technology use. We need to bring the technology train back to the station, until society can figure out how to slow it down enough to allow human adaptation. We are the world.

References

1. Waddell C. Improving the Mental Health of Young Children. Children’s Health Policy Centre, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC, Canada. 2007. Available at: http://www.firstcallbc.org/pdfs/Communities/4-alliance.pdf.
2. Zito, J, Safer D, dosReis S, Gardner J, Boles M, Lynch F (2000) Trends in the Prescribing of Psychotropic Medications to Preschoolers. Journal of the American Medical Association Vol 283 No 8 pp 1025-1030.
3. Zito JM, Safer DJ, dosReis S, Gardner JF, Magder L, Soeken K, Lynch F, Riddle M. Psychotropic practice patterns for youth. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2003; 157(1): 17-25.
4. Zito JM, Safer DJ, dosReis S, Gardner JF, Soeken K, Boles M, Lynch F. Rising prevalence of antidepressants among US youth. Pediatrics. 2002; 109 (5): 721-727.