Kristen Bell Talks Kids, Tech & the Armpit Phones of the Future
We’ve lost count of all the reasons we love Kristen Bell, but the fact that she’s basically #ParentingGoals definitely ranks high on the list. And now she’s given us some awesome advice on an issue many parents can relate to: explaining to kids why it’s so important to use technology in moderation.
In an exclusive interview with SheKnows, Bell told us that, like anything else with parenting, it’s important to tackle the technology issue by using "logic and explanation."
"I think little people especially, but adults too, do well when they’re given the reasons why," Bell tells SheKnows. "When they’re included in the logic, in the critical thinking."
She and husband Dax Shepard are also conscious about practicing what they preach when it comes to technology and the importance of not being glued to our phones all day.
More: Kristen Bell Used Quite the Tactic to Stop a Paparazzo From Snapping Her Kids
As an example, Bell says the couple owns up to their daughters, 5-year-old Lincoln and 3-year-old Delta, when they inadvertently set a bad example.
"[If] we’re watching a cartoon with them in the morning and [Dax] is on the phone, he will put it down and after the cartoon ends (which he wasn’t watching because he was engaging with his phone) and will say, ‘You know what? I’m regretful that I just looked at my phone the whole time and that I wasn’t paying attention to you guys,’" Bell tells SheKnows.
Bell and Shepard also explain to their kids that technology (in this case, phones) can be addictive because of all the "tricks" and fun things they offer. (And explain what "addictive" means, because Lincoln and Delta are still a little young to grasp that vocabulary.)
Of course, it’s 2018, and we all rely on technology for myriad reasons, so the couple addresses that with their kids as well. "[W]e say, ‘These phones serve a purpose for communication and also for work, but there are tricks inside this phone and I want to know those tricks so I can choose not to fall for them,’" Bell says.
As Bell points out, technology is only going to advance in the coming years, so it’s crucial to address this issue early on. "These kids are going to have the phone sewn into their armpit by the time we’re 50 — truly, it’s going to be attached to their body somehow," she says. "Like, physically. So, it’s better to let them know where the tricks and the pitfalls lie."
Per usual, Bell is on point with her advice, and we really hope she continues to bestow her wisdom upon us. Technology is a tricky issue to address with kids — so the sooner we start, the better.
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