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by tene 1376 days ago
I disagree.

While I agree that I haven't seen specific criticisms of Khan Academy being dangerous, I absolutely have seen both pervasive media messaging as well as real people in my personal life express and stand behind unconditional unqualified statements like "Screens are bad for kids; one way I keep my kids safe is absolutely minimizing all exposure to screens. Screens are bad and harmful for children."

This really is a meaningfully different message from "I'm concerned about social media use specifically. I try to limit the amount of passive content consumption my child is exposed to, and I try to shift the passive content to forms that are less of a superstimulus and more intentional, like novels."

I agree with you that the addictive nature of social media and other infinity pools of content and engagement represent a lot of the real danger of screen time, but I disagree that this article is arguing against a straw man.

If you're lucky enough to never encounter these ideas, congratulations on cultivating an excellent social environment! The rest of the world hasn't all made it there yet.