This is a fascinating and important read. Ironically, I just read a magazine piece (and I wish I could remember which magazine!) that recommended 10 years old as a “good age” to give your child their first device because they’re young enough to still embrace your rules. Sigh. In the article here, this particular sentence struck me: “We also believe that new advances in technology can help promote world peace in 30 years.” Again, sigh. I’d guess that most people start with good intentions, but humans are spectacularly good at quickly finding the worst uses for new modes of communication, so I’m not hopeful. Certainly our new “connected world”, while it’s led to some remarkable new connections and benefits for many people, is also leading to some terrible consequences. Last, a study of the history of education indicates that we love to experiment on children, which is bizarre. “Let’s try a brand new way of learning [insert subject]!” Then, once that cohort is out of school, we think, “Oh, whoops! We raised a generation who can’t [read/do simple math/understand civics..]. Let’s try something else.” The list goes on and on: New math. Look-say. Phonics. Why do we do this? I don’t have the answers, but I share people’s concerns.