Never before have we had better opportunities to use the power of technology to help us prevent certain unwanted outcomes impact our way of life, building powerful bonds with eachother. Yet, instead of deploying tech for good in this context, we have largely chosen to deploy it for largescale, unsafe experiments with uncertain long time effects on those most important to us: Our kids.
Quelle paradox.
We have left it to Silicon Valley based tech giants to form what constitutes a meaningful human existence:
The ability to build and belong to meaningful, rewarding and physical human relationships. The natural curiosity and capacity to learn and stay focused for longer periods of time. And a basic upbringing in what is right and what is definitely wrong.
What have the tech giants given us and our kids?
Ersatz driven by optimization for eyeballs and advertising dollars rather than what might be good for our kids.
It is a pending disaster. A big gamble with our future.
Parents are fighting a desperate struggle to take back control. Some will for sure succeed but at the cost of strained relationships with their kids. A few won’t care and find the above extremely alarmist. And the vast majority will have to face the fact that they will in all likelihood lose this epic struggle.
Unless they get help.
This is where we get back to square one; the use of the power of technology for preventing unwanted outcomes. In this case in the form of services that allow humans – kids and especially parents – to take back control without going completely contrarian on everything digital.
Yes, it may sound very counterintuitive that the solution to a problem created by tech could be another thing created by tech. But I do think it is a massive opportunity.
A massive digital health opportunity actually. An opportunity within preventive mental healthcare for kids. To help them help themselves to a life in control and freedom rather than being a slave of big tech.
The problem is huge. The willingness to pay for preventive measures that work on all parameters is more than likely the same. If for nothing else to give the embattled parents some sort of sense that there is something they can do; the aspiration that not everything might be lost.
(Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash)