“By the age of 7, a child born in 2012 will have spent the equivalent of one full year in front of a screen.”
(Dr. Aric Sigman)

Here in the northern hemisphere, we’re entering the dog days of summer. That means, whenever it’s too hot or too rainy, bored kids will gravitate even more toward screens to fill their time. And their brains.

While this can feel like a godsend to overstressed parents, giving them an easy solution to their kids’ whining, the research data are showing that this godsend may cause some hellish problems.

All this week, The Daily Pause is going to focus on the power of screens over our lives. Yes, we’ll talk about what it’s doing to our kids, and what we can do about it. We’re also, however, going to address our own growing screen addictions and the ways engineers are actually programming our minds (yes, it’s true).

For today, just consider this: What would happen if you outlawed screens in your home tomorrow, for just one day? Who would suffer the most? Whine the most?

What app or service would you miss the most?

Peace begins with pause,