CAVEAT: Big shout out to Dr. Sameer Hinduja who provided us with an “aha” moment that spawned this posting.
We attended a webinar recently, where Dr. Hinduja was the keynote speaker, and one of his messages – parents who provide youth with age-appropriate agency to deal with challenges they face online, will create an increased level of resiliency in their child to deal with these challenges in a positive way as they mature in the digital world; something that is actually supported in research(1) Dr. Hinduja then used an analogy where he spoke about how his allergy treatments would be akin to developing digital resiliency in youth – let us explain.
Allergy immunotherapy is a medical treatment that involves gradually exposing a person to increasing amounts of an allergen (a substance that triggers an allergic reaction) over time. The goal of allergy immunotherapy is to help the person’s immune system become less sensitive to the allergen, which can reduce or even eliminate their allergic symptoms.
Allergy immunotherapy works by introducing small amounts of the allergen into the body through injections, sublingual tablets, or drops placed under the tongue. The treatment starts with a small dose of the allergen, which is gradually increased over time as the person’s immune system becomes more tolerant to its toxicity. This process can take several months to a few years, depending on the person’s response to the treatment.
This is where our “aha” moment flashed in our brain – why not consider adopting the principles of allergy immunotherapy to the digital world of young people? Instead of implementing a “delay is the way” strategy, where technology such as cell phones or social media are not allowed to be used by youth until they reach grade 8 or higher – a strategy that we would consider an abstinence-based approach to tech, why not allow them to have an incrementally chunked, balanced, age-appropriate access to technology that is combined with parental modeling of tech use (youth will model our behaviour), ongoing parental discussions with your child about what they are doing online, parental participation in your child’s online activities, and parental overwatch of your child’s tech usage? In our opinion, such a strategy would enable young people to have agency in the use of their technology, while also benefiting from their parent’s guidance and supervision at the same time. This “onlife immunotherapy” strategy would empower youth to develop resiliency and teach them how to deal with any toxicity they will likely encounter inside and outside their home – like a friend’s house or at school where their access to tech will likely be present; a skill set that is particularly important in the absence of parental guidance as they grow up both online and offline.
Rather than a “delay is the way” approach with youth and technology, we would suggest that an age-appropriate and balanced “pave the way” approach, based upon the principles discussed in this posting, would be a more desirable alternative strategy for many families in our opinion.
Thank you Dr. Hinduja for the “aha” moment!
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
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