Thinking about technology like an invasive plant , we can see three comparisons :
1 . Technology is a recently introduced issue . Like invasive plants brought in during the past couple of centuries , technology is also a recently introduced issue . Media use has risen dramatically since the release of the first iPhone in 2007 . Like ecologists scrambling to keep invasive plants under control , our generation of parents is the first to navigate this highly technological world that our kids are growing up in .
2 . Media came with good intentions . Invasive plants were used to lend exotic beauty to our gardens . They only became a problem when seeds began spreading and taking over surrounding landscapes . Likewise , introducing technology into our daily lives came with good intentions and has beneficial applications . In 2010 , the late Steve Jobs , CEO of Apple , stood on stage for the release of the Apple iPad . He explained the many benefits of searching the internet , interacting with others , and watching videos . Two years after that event , he was asked how his kids enjoy the iPad , to which he responded , “ Actually , we don ’ t allow the iPad in the home . We think it ’ s too dangerous for them in effect .” Jobs knew the benefits of the devices he created but recognized their threats to childhood .
3 . Technology overruns the landscape of childhood . When an invasive plant is left to its own devices , it monopolizes the land . Because it does not have its natural predators from its homeland , it ’ s free to grow and spread . As it does , it crowds out native plants that belong there . Similarly , technology has the upper hand on our kids ’ attention . Given the choice between playing outside or a video game , kids will almost always choose the latter . Without intentionality , technology overruns the landscape of childhood .
TODAY ’ S AVERAGE CHILD SPENDS 205 WEEKS ( NEARLY 22 % OF THEIR CHILDHOOD ) WITH A DIGITAL DEVICE .
RESTORING BALANCE TO THE LANDSCAPE OF CHILDHOOD
I ’ ve witnessed the beauty of restoration in a natural area near where I live . This trail running between the river and ponds was long neglected . Its river ’ s banks were built unnaturally high during mining which caused the water to become stagnant . It could no longer flow between the river and ponds or support the aquatic creatures who called it home . Trash littered the area . Native plants and wildlife left the scene . When I visited , it was ten years after restoration efforts had begun . The banks were lowered to their original height , and water began flowing again . Trash was removed , and insects , birds , and animals began returning . It has taken a decade of dedicated work from volunteers , but the balance is being restored .
The same is true for childhood . It is not too late to remove invasive pastimes and restore our kids ’ natural inclinations toward outdoor play . God works with us and blesses these efforts because this is what He wants for our kids . He created our children with a sense of wonder and curiosity to compel them so that they will discover Him in what He has made .
RENEWANATION . ORG 25