[rossy]

Are you sure this isn't a lifestyle you're forcing on your kids? I've known a few kids from low-tech families and in my experience, it's rarely something they'd choose for themselves, were they given the choice. Kids use the internet to chat with friends after school and to arrange events. They also tend to bond over videos and TV shows they've all watched, and in general, they don't like to be different from their peers or to miss out on opportunities to socialise or to bond socially over shared experiences.

In my experience, kids from low-tech families also tend to binge on their banned technology when they get the opportunity, like watching TV at a friend's house or spending lunchtime in the school's library/computer lab, maybe because of a lack of learned self-control.

[sephoric]

It is a lifestyle I'm forcing on my kids, and that's intentional. Kids don't always know what's good for them, and confuse wants and needs. It's a parent's job to create a safe and healthy environment where their kids can grow and thrive. We used to live the kind of life where video games and TV were "bonding experiences" and it just created all sorts of problems inside them. With this lifestyle, I see those problems vanishing one by one. And they all see it too and are happier now.

[potta_coffee]

Every lifestyle choice is forced on kids. That's the whole point of parenting. It's why we make our kids eat vegetables, go to the doctor, get to bed at a decent time, etc. Also, TV shows and videos are a shallow interest to bond over. It doesn't need to be that way - my kids have some really great friends and TV and other media are not really a factor there. We've spent a lot of time and effort to cultivate such relationships though.

[tomcam]

We raised our children low tech and never had a problem. I think the key to it was that we didn’t make a big deal about it, especially if they went to friends’ houses. They are both quite adept with technology now although they are very private and dislike social media.