“What are the effects of technology addiction on the everyday lives of our children?”

If teachers spend at least as much time with our children as we do, they may know them as well as we do, and their opinions may be worth as much as our own. We spoke to a primary school teacher, Ece İkizler. Here are her opinions and conclusions about hyperconnectivity – which means spending a lot of time on the internet, emailing, social networking, and using your mobile phone.

Hyperconnectivity has been called the disease of the century, and we constantly point the finger at it. We ask ourselves how our children, who don’t look at the landscape any more, or who avoid human contact, came to be the prisoners of smart devices. Is it normal that the ideas of friendship and games is limited just to school? Before we make accusations, maybe we should think about the underlying reasons. When you ask your child to drop all the digital stuff, go out and get some fresh air, you forget that you yourself are an oxygen-free zone and that you aren’t doing anything about it!

“I’m afraid of getting dirty, I don’t know how to run”. That was the worrying reply of a pupil who I one day asked to run. Just think about the dimensions of this phenomenon, when our children have no idea of the value of running. You know how inextricably that activity used to be linked with childhood.

How did things get to this point? At the risk of disappointing some parents, it has to be said that they’re not entirely blameless. A child is to some extent a reflection of his parents; he develops by a reflex of imitation. You can talk to him as much as you like about your childhood and the beauties of nature, but he’s going to base his development on what he actually observes, and not on what you tell him to do. Ask yourself the right questions. Did you have “smart boxes” when you were two years old? Did your father interrupt a conversation with friends to take a selfie? Was your mother eager to take photos of the dishes she’d cooked before sharing them with the neighbours? Were looks more important than inner beauty? I don’t think so. The common-sense solution is to practice what you preach, and to lead by example.

At one time we used to organise family picnics, because a happy atmosphere is where you get the most pleasure from living life. Mum had fun running around in the fields with my aunt, and my father played football. Where I lived, there was a new story every day to capture my imagination. The communication, the friendship and the sharing were sincere. These days, though, everything happens on a display screen. We prefer taking photos to looking people in the eyes, and we prefer to do our running in a sports hall, not outdoors. We’ve become untrusting and individualistic. And the worst thing is that we’re always complaining about this situation without doing anything about it – what a paradox!

If you’re nostalgic for the past, think about the people who brought you up, and try spending more time with your children than with your favourite gadgets. Children often turn out like their parents, so it’s worth remembering the value and virtues of giving an example. Be a good example, so that this generation (who don’t even know how to run any more) have some good values to inspire them.

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