Today marks one week since we allowed Dani access to that bloody iPad.

Addiction…

It’s an addiction. Pure and simple. He can’t seem to function without it. Like the teenagers you see with their mobile hones surgically attached to their arms. OK, I will be the first to admit that it’s fantastic if you have a film loaded and let him watch it in the car if we are travelling for hours. Otherwise we would have to stop every twenty minutes and/or he gets car sickness (same as I did at his age). If he is watching a movie on his beloved iPad (actually his mums) he is fine. It allows me to hit the road and make some distance.

That aside however…

I really hate that iPad. Of course it’s not the fault of a so called ‘inanimate object’. It could just as easily be a Laptop, PC, desktop computer – whatever… But is it really an ‘inanimate object’? I don’t think it is. Certainly the stuff he watches on youtube or he games he plays are anything but inanimate. They are highly interactive and definitely addictive.

There is a documentary out there right now called ‘The Social Dilemma’ which goes into the addictive and deceptive nature of social media. I haven’t watched it yet and don’t really want to. I know the message as I have read a lot about what this film describes.

How did it go?

This is how the week has played out. Every day (after school and even at breakfast time) he almost begs for the iPad. Even for just 20 minutes. Pleeeaaase!!!! But like any alcoholic or drug addict if you give it him for that short period it will be very hard work getting him off it.

My idea is just the good old fashioned one You have to be cruel to be kind. When he is ‘off’ the device he is a nice pleasant little boy. When he is ‘on it’ he is happy and quiet but he will just sit in the corner. The real problem is when you try to take it off him. That half hour slot (or whatever it is) will never be enough. He wants more…and more….

From here on it will be more difficult as he thinks he has done his week’s sentence! How will he cope if we limit his time to say 30 minutes a day? And not even every day (which is my preference). I actually believe a clean break is the only way. We shall see…

Any Ideas?

Does anyone have any good ideas for weening kids off this crap? It would be great to hear form you if you do. Please leave a comment.