The following is a guest post from Betsy Allard and Pam Streeter of SaySo Communication. Visit them at tosayso.com to learn more.

 

John is alone jumping on a trampoline in the backyard while plugged into his hand held device.

At Amy’s house across the street, the family texts on their individual devices over dinner.

The neighborhood is empty.

The attraction towards technology as a first ‘go to’ is palpable and immediate.

Let’s be clear.

Technology IS a huge achievement. It has opened our world to the unimaginable twenty years ago. It’s available to nearly everyone around the globe.

Yet it has increased the speed and compressed the expectation within the work, school and play day. We have become inextricably woven within the 24/7 signal to stay informed and responsive.

Our families are often overwhelmed in this ever increasingly fast paced world. As adults, we have become absorbed automatically…and now, so are our children. Programs to deal with stress and anxiety are on the rise in record numbers.

We have tried to compress and pack a multitude of tasks into the day. Time to listen, time to talk, time to enjoy our families and bond together has, for many, become a fragmented sound byte. ‘Quality time’, ‘playdates’ and timed activities are sandwiched into an overbooked schedule…time that we pair with our hand held devices.

This is a social tsunami for families. We aren’t riding the wave anymore. The crest of the wave is crashing down on us. The impact? A loss of light-hearted, frequent, available family talking time and play. A loss of face to face contact, social skill practice, and bonding. Our children have fragmented conversations, loss of real time interaction, and less time to work out their own play with peers.

We can stem the tide. Let’s re-engage with our children using positive, fun games to build strong, collaborative social relationships. SaySo is developing on-line peer programs with transfer to real life practices including families.

We are reaching out to you. Tell us YOUR story by visiting tosayso.com. Help us create a solution. Be part of a broader social change.