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Baby boomers were at risk of having their souls tainted by technological advances in music such as electric guitars, Peter Frampton's talk box, and the pulsating beats of disco. Gen X-ers nearly lost their intellect to Atari, MTV, and Betamax. Generations Y and Z, however, are in real trouble.

Technology for personal use and entertainment has proliferated at an astonishing rate and become increasingly portable. The result is that the minds of our youth are captivated. The binary culprits have invaded classrooms, backseats of cars, and even the dinner table. Adults are not blameless either. How many times have heads turned in a restaurant in response to the cackle of someone not enjoying the company of other guests at the table, but talking on their cell phone? And there are multitudes of adults glued to their computers right now, thinking "I will turn off the computer, just after I rate one more Helium article." In an age where EVERYONE is plugged in, how can parents get their children to unplug from virtual life and tune in to real life?

One option to keep kids unplugged is to not buy them technological gadgets in the first place. This may be feasible for some families, but not all. Many families today have iPod's, computers, cell-phones, and gaming systems. Parents are faced with preventing their children from getting lost in the glaze-eyed world of MySpace and MMPOGs (massively multi-player online games), the finger-numbing practice of text-messaging, and the tinnitus-inducing habit of downloading and listening to music through earphones.

The first line of defense is for parents to get unplugged. How can we expect our children to put down the cell-phone if we cannot do so? Second, there needs to be clear limit-setting. For example, there should be no texting during family mealtime, and only one hour of gaming per day. When children violate the rules, there must be consequences in place that were previously communicated, and the consequences must be swiftly enforced. Third, children must be encouraged to engage in other types of activities. They can join sports teams, read books, ride a bicycle, and family activities such as hiking or seeing local sites are excellent options. The possibilities for activities to keep kids unplugged are endless.

As with all aspects of parenting, the more time and effort invested on the part of the parents, the more desirable the outcome will be. It is possible to keep kids unplugged, although no one ever said it would be easy!

Learn more about this author, Nicolette Romero (nom de plume).
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