Fast-paced media, rapid light bursts and sound pops have affected the sleep patterns of my retired husband. Having never been on social media,1 year into retirement, he discovered Instagram Reels.
It’s almost as if your article is describing him -his brain reacting as a baby’s brain.
We have been married 45 years and I can vouch that once his head hits the pillow he is basically asleep until 5 AM.
His brain while awake is constantly driving him to do and complete tasks every waking minute. He is a completely driven individual. Instagram reels became his newfound distraction. It re-patterned his brain and now he only sleeps three hours in a row at the maximum, awakens, lies awake for an hour, sleeps two hours, is awake for another hour or sleeps a bit and then just gets up. After one year of retirement, he returned to a new job that keeps him busy during the day, but his preoccupation with the new fascinating life of social media catches his attention at night and he continues to struggle in the poor circle of sleep.
I told him two years ago what was happening with his brain and how he was being fed dopamine by the reels; each click was a stimulant to his brain, and it was keeping him fed with this new stimulation that wished to be fed all night long and that’s why his brain was never sleeping- it won’t turn off.
My whole family thinks I’m kind of a witch doctor and kind of crazy, but they do believe me most of the time. Lol -anyway I think this is what’s happening with him. He’s tried to cut Reels out, but thinks those reels are fun and educational.
you nailed it julie "witch doc". Only the thing is, it is happening to nearly everyone in our culture, tho in most of us older ones at a diminished rate. Except for those who actually don't use a computer (or smartphone) at all. The whole game (tech business model) requires it. and it is insane. And, not to forget, most of us support their nefarious schemes with our investments. (not me).
Yantra… you are so correct, it is happening to nearly everyone in our culture. In some ways, I was lucky, I taught French at a men’s medium Security prison full time and wasn’t allowed to go on social media. That was for for five years and so now I just don’t d Social Media ; probably not a good idea anyway. I really don’t even do Substack. I just subscribe to a couple people.
Totally agree adults are affected just like children, pre computers/ mobile phones iPad's etc., It was T.V. movies / porn & football/sports, booze & drugs, most adult football fans I know are so unaware of what is happening in the world of politics, locally and Geo-politically but they can tell you years of history of there favorite team how many goals were scored, who they played and who scored them, This was more important to them rather than focusing their attention on the criminal political class/cabal who imposed lockdowns and mandatory jabberwokey's on the masses, just think of the power they have (and still do) that could have overthrown governments .
we are all being distracted one way or another, even on substack.
Fluck sake! Right I'm off, what a dopa-v been on here for two ours reading and haven't even done my mornings Diana Dors (chores) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Dors (chores)
Thanks for sharing. I hope your husband finds something that works for him to break the habit. I don't have most forms of social media, but do use X and Substack for news, and sometimes get drawn in to the X "shorts" that automatically come on after I watch a news clip. I've found 20 minutes of quiet prayer first thing in the morning (along with some other rituals I've gradually put in place to help me be more mindful and closer to God) has been giving me the grace to resist mindless consumption of X. I feel so bad for young people who don't know life without constant distraction. I hope we adults can set an example for them.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I think your prayer first thing in the morning is a good thing. In 2005 I found Facebook and it was really fun at first. I found all my college friends that I hadn’t heard from since the 70s. We banter back-and-forth and commented and even had a little reunion because of Facebook. About five years later is when Facebook changed and became a slam book. When I was in seventh grade, somebody had the idea to make these slam books. It was a 4 1/2” x 3” half inch thick book with empty pages, no lines. You would get other people to sign your slam book and they would put comments. The comments got a little mean, so the principal saw what it was doing to kids and he gathered up all the slam books and threw them in the garbage. The whole school, we couldn’t have them anymore. That was the best thing that ever happened to us and then came Facebook. It’s just another slam book.
I was at a party held by a relative in Tennessee. There were probably 100 or more children and young teenagers there. It went on most of the day. By mid-afternoon it struck me that there had been no kids involved in - acting out, fighting, no yelling, screaming or temper tantrums, no nothing. In fact, some of the kids were helping out with the work. There were no cell phones or other electronic devices there either. It was a joyful, calm, peaceful, beautiful event. The area does have Amish, but there were people who are Christian, do a lot of home schooling and have babies via mid-wives, and eat homegrown, healthy food. I actually was shocked at my realization, because I'd never encountered kids behaving like this before........
When I moved to Australia 25 years ago - it was like going back in time. People would bring their horses home for the weekend, and ride around the neighbourhood. Children PLAYED outside - like I hadn't seen since the 70's. It was like going back in time. (also my doctor was like "Father Knows Best," and my pharmacist knew me by face & name, but those days are gone, now, too)
The devices are universal levellers, however - I still see children playing in the park (because my lovely neighbour built old fashioned ropes-and-planks swings hanging from the trees - and Council hasn't caught them yet!) but less. And see my karate note (likely below) about how children are in karate class.
Now, too, I see isolated children. On the spectrum, they stay at home and bounce a basketball. Alone. I really feel for them. We have 2 basketball bouncers in the neighbourhood. I feel like asking them if they'd like someone to bounce the basketball with! (but that's intrusive). I never see them, they are behind a privacy fence, bouncing their ball....
I’m a new father of two toddles and whenever we go out to eat, I’m amazed by the amount of iPa kids at the table. Both of my kids eat dinner the same way I did: you sat there and ate. There’s no phone or iPad to hold your conversation while you eat, you simply eat.
That’s just a small example of what’s touched on here. I’ll be sharing this article with grandparents so they know the dangers of YouTube.
That content creator you linked to ShowToolsAI was so unnerving! My Jaw was on the floor watching him lay all that out. As I type this, my wife’s friend is over here with her six year old and I’ll give you one guess as to what he’s doing by himself in the corner. I’m gonna go play Uno with him to get him off the tablet. As an educator I can confirm that there is a stark difference between kids who use screens as a tool to enhance their education and those who are hopelessly tethered to it like heroin. This is the most important blog piece circling the internet right now. If we lose the battle for the next generation’s minds, we will have lost the battle for the sanity of humankind. Keep up the important work! And most importantly, watch your six! Blessings, T
For me it was the digging up of the mother's corpse. I can't believe I had to write that in reference to a supposed children's video. This whole AI thing can suck it...
"As an educator I can confirm that there is a stark difference between kids who use screens as a tool to enhance their education and those who are hopelessly tethered to it like heroin."
This is one of the major reasons I'm anti-AI, people say "but it's a great tool!" Possibly IF you use it ONLY as a tool for good purposes. The bulk of modern culture can't even use the internet as a tool for good purposes and it's full of addictive crap, I can't imagine adding AI to it all is going to make it more useful and less damaging to minds.
the problem is nearly everyone who starts out using "screens as a tool to enhance their education" becomes at least somewhat "tethered to it like heroin". that is the point of this technology.
I've been noticing the change in behavior of society in general for years. I see the effects the screens have with the changes in mood and behavior with my husband and kids, as well as friends and family. I'm glad there are studies backing up what we've been experiencing and seeing with our own eyes. I would love to see this knowledge becoming more mainstream so more parents will wake up and break the addiction cycle.
Any chance you could do a segment on video game addiction?
I notice communication is being reduced to a sound bite reply, in written and spoken communication. There is no depth, no elaboration, no side road thoughts, all is reduced to a dry comment. People’s humanity is drying up to a five letter word, five word reply.
Yes. And if you try to go past that quick sound bite level, the brains of the people you are communicating with just shut down. You can watch their face just go slack as their mind ceases to process data. It's amazing.
Yes. I wonder about this - I think some of it is because people are communicating by typing on a Stupid Phone, which limits their ability for in-depth reply.
Thinking about this further - it does seem that something like 90% of people are drones or NPCs, just following the "latest thing," in order to belong.
People have been thrown down to survival level, where it's "ME FIRST" - which makes communication (next level on Maslow & in Chakras) impossible.
My 38 year old Son has a depleted nervous system and is currently taking some sort of dopamine supplementation to stop him feeling depressed and dead inside, he has no desire to live and says whats the point in it all... He is addicted to dopamine spikes and is constantly crashing. I remembered whilst reading this superb article, that he has taken Ayahuasca (probably not spelt correctly) a good few times in his life and no doubt other psychedelics. He has problems in relationships and is incredibly impatient. I remember once catching him (accidentally) watching porn on his computor when he was a young teenager. He had left his bedroom door ajar, I thought he was doing homework and went in...He became addicted to gaming as well and he and his first live in girlfriend continued to play games as their source of home entertainment for 8 years solid...This article describes him and the reasons for all his struggles and dysfunction.. Its tragic and I feel somewhat responsible, I tried to steer both my boys away from the game boys when this hand held tablet stuff emerged, I didnt allow any phones at the table and still dont, it just means those addicted scoff their food ultra fast, to get back to it, ability to hold pleasant two way conversation was annihilated a long time ago. I loathe it and didn't get a mobile phone until I was 48. Only use a lap top for boring admin stuff...Barely watch any TV because its all the same, violence and misery mostly. The films have got so Dark, just like our chemical trailed skies.
" What is there to discuss when you're murdering children? " -Arundhati Roy.
She was talking about what's been going on in Gaza, but this could be used as a blanket
statement regarding - Vaccinations, toxins in baby formulas, the information presented in this
article, the addictive foods, the toxins in water ( fluoride ), and the list goes on.
With 1 in 31 kids now developing autism and this ratio keeps dropping as vaccinations approach 72 for children under 2 who are in the system, how can a society function when this many parents are strapped with caring for these people who will need intensive care all their lives. It's an emotional, financial, physical load that will destroy many families......
So, what is there to discuss ? Fact: the Amish don't vaccinate. Period. The Amish don't have autistic children. There's your control group...... What is there to discuss ? We have the facts that vaccines harm, maim and destroy lives. We have the whistleblowers. What possible reason or reasons are there not to continue vaccinating anybody with any vaccine ? Yea, we can try to tiptoe through the tulips consisting of immorally run organizations, powerful corporations, corrupt government. We can continue to try to deal with this IMMORALLY run system which uses fear as it's tool to subdue our efforts to become moral. How's that working as we speed towards the cliff of self-destruction?
What is there to discuss ?????????? The time for discussion is over.
It is a misconception that Amish do not vaccinate. I know people that have lived in and also near Amish communities and interacted with them. Some do vaccinate and some of their children have Autism. Before I met my now deceased wife she used to go into Amish and Mennonite communities and sell them religious books, books that would lead them and their children to Jesus. She had good success in these communities but she saw children with Autism and was told by their mothers that it was after being vaccinated. Taking vaccines in Amish and Mennonite communities is not as prevalent in their groups as in society, but it does take place.
I was surprised to hear that when I heard it around 25-30 yrs ago. If I am not mistaken some of the Amish took the measles vaccine this past year during the outbreak down in Texas. It was sad those two children died down there from hospital and Dr. malpractice during that time period.
Whenever a “strange” illness or condition just appears “out of nowhere” in an otherwise healthy, active, young (under 20) person, my mind immediately goes to “probably a vaccine injury”
As a parent of several small kids a theme that keeps coming to mind is that modern parenting seems to demand a degree of curation that it didn't back in the 90s. When I was a toddler in the early 90s my mom could put on PBS and I'd see Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, and the entertainment was pretty much harmless. But today, on top of everything else, we have to micro-manage this stuff in an effort to filter out the bad. What's worked pretty well for us is not letting our kids handle A Device, instead we cast stuff to the TV from our phones. This is obviously way more work, but gives us total control over what they get to see. (In our case, a YouTube Premium subscription was a good call, filtering out all the toxic advertisements - plus it includes their Music app, which let us drop the ridiculously over-priced Spotify for music streaming.)
Like you hinted in the article, I've mostly gravitated toward showing my kids quality content from my own childhood. I especially like the classic seasons of Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends from the 80s and 90s - it's very slow paced, but well-written and intelligent, not bonking kids over the head with The Moral. Maybe more importantly it's beautiful to look at, with no CGI and a level of artistry and care that reflects how the people who made it actually gave a crap about what they were doing. Another one I like is the Curious George cartoon, I think this was from the early 2000s and thus from way after my own childhood but it's also slow-paced and very well animated, eschewing the cost-cutting techniques of most kid's shows of the era. It also has a nice jazzy piano-based soundtrack.
I like your idea of limiting exposure to cast (parent moderated) content.
2020 was the year I stopped watching TV completely. I realised we in England were being lied to & manipulated by every channel - not just the BBC - regarding something they all called 'The Pandemic' . As I looked for alternative opinions & credentialled expertise to explore my concerns, I found YouTube to be guilty of the most outrageous censorship. YT stuck insistently to a narrative that was universal & clearly wrong! I don't watch YT now either, preferring platforms such as Rumble that don't appear to be as controlled - although I know I could have been tricked into that.
I have found that my grandchildren respond remarkably well to DVDs - not just the content (obviously old) but the processes/rituals involved in watching. They also get the experience of a beginning, a middle & an end. Here's the 'but' . . .
How do you reconcile your approach with YT's behaviour as an extreme propaganda unit? Have they not found some way of producing the same result but using techniques different from those described in the article?
Believe me, I get it, I basically stopped watching (new) TV for the same reasons. Of course YT and all the other Big Tech platforms have issues, but at least in this particular context, I'm able to curate the experience. I don't really read the news or pay much attention to "what's going on," so I've somehow managed to avoid getting personally hit with much propaganda in my own personal use of YT, where the almighty algorithm almost entirely presents me with content related to my hobbies and so on.
I learned about the BBC as propaganda circa 2000. I was dating a Brit from the Midlands. I listened to his opinion about politics and world news, and thought - ah, what a beautiful moderate, somewhat liberal guy!
THEN I went to see him, and as I watched the Beeb, I realised - he was NPC'ing, spitting up things that the Beeb had told him to believe....
It was a shocking realisation - because I'd heard it from the mouth of the man - and then realised, it was wholly from the Beeb.
THEN, COVID and = well, the propaganda turned evil that year, hey?
YT (and FB) have been forced to reduce the level of censorship considerably since Elon bought Twitter. However, money still rules; all platforms will give you more of what you look for.
Sure although, in my curmudgeonly view, even a small amount of censorship is similar to being a little bit pregnant. How does that work?
I've got a feeling the twitter bossette is a fully fledged senior member of the WEF. Finally, when I was young (over half a century ago), Musk was something purportedly used in fragrances I couldn't afford to attract potential mates - even when the underlying odour was repulsive. Plus ca change & all that.
Time for me to go for a whisky & a smoke while I try to figure that lot out. Might need several rounds - even Holmes would see it as a two pipe problem.
In my lifetime I can pinpoint the advent of quick-cut television production. Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, 1968. The advent of music video broadcasting, starting with specialty channel Much Music in Canada and quickly followed by MTV in America was another dopamine-hit turning point that swept our culture.
More than quick-cuts, today we are confronted with white-flash transitions. In TV shows and commercials alike it is common for several frames of white screen to be inserted between cuts. I hate that! It makes TV unbearable to watch, like a strobe light zapping your brain every few seconds.
Fortunately I watch almost no TV anymore, which I bet is true of many readers here. Quoting Grandpa from The Princess Bride, "When I was your age, television was called books."
I stopped watching television in 2020. When I happen to see one I am amazed at the fragmentation and constant barrage of images. It’s like a strobe light flickering constantly. Attention is overwhelmed and content is so fast that one can’t even assimilate what is happening. Viewed from a distance of 25 years, it is appalling! This was bothering me in the late 80's already.
If they keep fencing in the digital (I'm in Australia, where there are digital bans now) - I will be picking up more books and saying goodbye to all you lovely digital people.
BUT - my local library is NOT an archive, it only keeps "what's hot." Frustrating, if you want something from say - the 80's or, heaven forbid, the 60's - that's not "classic."
I sure hope so. That at least some do, even if only at the level of Nancy Drew or Anne of Green Gables. Today, reading books for two or more hours at a time would be classified a "life hack" for setting yourself apart from your peers.
A Midwestern Doctor made a sharply insightful observation when she wrote of the seemingly parental necessity of deploying screens, of answering brain damage with a countering form a brain damage.
"3. I suspect something similar is happening with screens—their dopamine-releasing nature is being used to counteract behavioral disturbances in vaccine-injured children. Many parents lacking bandwidth to handle misbehaving children are forced to provide addictive technology, transforming children into lifelong users."
Thankfully, I never watched tv much as a kid, I was a reader and a create things kid. Last TV involved with my life in any manner was in the mid 80's, and the relationship ended quite a bit because of that, and there has been no TV since then.
The cuts and white transitions make me crazy, I watch VERY VERY LITTLE video (Under 10 mins a day generally, I have one news thing I watch daily, it's 3-4 minutes, that's usually all I see in a day) and anything that does that, I'm just going to shut off. I don't know how people stand it.
Additionally - pick a talk show - there will be some sort of ribbon or movement in the background to hold your eye and pull you back in. Look for these ribbons, to know that they want to entrain you.
That's an interesting observation. I'll look for that detail when I am, oh, in the doctor's waiting room and cannot escape the talk show playing on the TV. Then again, under the influence of this Substack among others I have mostly sworn off visiting doctors.
Here is another entrainment technique to look out for, which I got from Aaron and Melissa Dykes of Truthstream Media. The opening animation sequence of 6 o'clock/11 o'clock news broadcasts are almost identical across stations. They consist of a busy clock-like rotating swirl of 10, 9, 8, ... 3, 2, 1, Go! countdown. And snap, your attention has been captured as the anchorman begins speaking. The design is modeled off of the classic swirling black and white hypnotic spiral pattern. Thoroughly tested by the CIA I have little doubt.
On an upside note, and returning to talk shows for a moment to contrast the laugh-track heavy garbage of today against how good the format can be when done well, the popular youtube music educator Rick Beato recommended searching for "Oscar Peterson on the Dick Cavett Show (1979)". I am not a jazz fan but can recognize stellar talent when I hear it. More to the point the interview was captivating, especially the discussion at the piano bench. The pitter-patter was rapid with each showing quick wit. But the camera work was steady and lengthy, lending an intense focus to the discussion. ... I could spot no waving ribbons.
The hijacking of our children, grandchildren, all children is horrifying; and yet so few parents do anything to rectify the situation. Parenting is hard, parenting takes courage, parenting means knowing you are not in a friendship with your child(ren). I am sharing this article with teachers I know and other parents. Thank you for such a succinct article on the stealing of our children’s minds. We have to stop being and creating consumers of the future and start having a good solid home life.
One of the reasons it is so hard to parent correctly is because modern society is set up that both parents need to work to make a living. It is hard to be a good parent when you only have access to your children a few hrs a day.
Who "set up modern society"? The same people who are continuing to steal our children. It grinds my gears a little every time I hear someone make this argument. Nobody is forcing us into this lifestyle. We all make our own choices.
You are right, no one is forcing anyone to live that lifestyle. I do not live that lifestyle and have not for decades, but sadly most people are really just sheeple and go along with the government and society they create.
The parents have been raised this way and consider that normal behavior. The child is in this parental mind set since birth. How can this be rectified, when alternatives are not recognized or even considered.
Thank you for sharing this important piece. The advent of the electronic toddler-sitter morphed into online gaming addiction, and an explosion of adults who have disabling social anxiety. They have copped out of reality and large numbers of adults now exist on a monthly SSI check. Holed up now in a bedroom or basement in their parents or grandparents homes. They come out of their lairs only to grab junk food from the kitchen and return to their paused online games. They refuse to sit in the kitchen during meal time.
Recently a 73 yr old friend told me this - During a recent trip when he stopped for RR break and gas fill up just off the interstate, his late wife's grand daughter and great grandson were traveling with him. The 14 yr old grandson went inside and returned to the car with a full bladder. The boy sheepishly said he could not find the RR, even though there was a large ceiling mounted RR sign.
I did not ask that Q although I expect the answer is yes. If he had two functioning brain cells he would have asked where is the RR please. Instead his social anxiety told him to leave without taking a pee🙄
Why would an infant/toddler/ child need any TV shows at all? I raised my kids without TV channels (as teens they did watch Seinfeld DVDs and some movies) so I see no difficulty in living/eating at restaurants/ riding in cars without screens. Just another example of the fact that most people struggle mightily to think for themselves.
I don’t buy that. That doesn’t explain most of it, eg restaurants and travel, and since I had no family around at all, I know from experience that there is zero need for screens. I believe it’s pure laziness and inability to make individual choices. Most follow the herd, always have, always will.
21st Century ‘screens’ are more addictive and damaging than many narcotics. Parents beware. Not just what your children see or the time they spend on a screen, but how often and long they see you on one.
PLUS: sitting is the new smoking. I'm fighting this one with my spouse who is turning into a Gumbie Cat - sits and sits and sits and sits (and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!)
The more that any human being, but especially children, can be out in nature the better this world would be. Being in nature is very soothing to the nerves.
Humanity is under attack from every angle and means. Certainly, the quest to capture children’s minds via profitable modes is one of the basest attacks.
Fast-paced media, rapid light bursts and sound pops have affected the sleep patterns of my retired husband. Having never been on social media,1 year into retirement, he discovered Instagram Reels.
It’s almost as if your article is describing him -his brain reacting as a baby’s brain.
We have been married 45 years and I can vouch that once his head hits the pillow he is basically asleep until 5 AM.
His brain while awake is constantly driving him to do and complete tasks every waking minute. He is a completely driven individual. Instagram reels became his newfound distraction. It re-patterned his brain and now he only sleeps three hours in a row at the maximum, awakens, lies awake for an hour, sleeps two hours, is awake for another hour or sleeps a bit and then just gets up. After one year of retirement, he returned to a new job that keeps him busy during the day, but his preoccupation with the new fascinating life of social media catches his attention at night and he continues to struggle in the poor circle of sleep.
I told him two years ago what was happening with his brain and how he was being fed dopamine by the reels; each click was a stimulant to his brain, and it was keeping him fed with this new stimulation that wished to be fed all night long and that’s why his brain was never sleeping- it won’t turn off.
My whole family thinks I’m kind of a witch doctor and kind of crazy, but they do believe me most of the time. Lol -anyway I think this is what’s happening with him. He’s tried to cut Reels out, but thinks those reels are fun and educational.
Thank you for sharing; pinned your comment.
you nailed it julie "witch doc". Only the thing is, it is happening to nearly everyone in our culture, tho in most of us older ones at a diminished rate. Except for those who actually don't use a computer (or smartphone) at all. The whole game (tech business model) requires it. and it is insane. And, not to forget, most of us support their nefarious schemes with our investments. (not me).
Yantra… you are so correct, it is happening to nearly everyone in our culture. In some ways, I was lucky, I taught French at a men’s medium Security prison full time and wasn’t allowed to go on social media. That was for for five years and so now I just don’t d Social Media ; probably not a good idea anyway. I really don’t even do Substack. I just subscribe to a couple people.
But we do still subscribe. Respect & X 2 All
The blue light depletes melatonin. Thus interfering with his sleep.
Totally agree adults are affected just like children, pre computers/ mobile phones iPad's etc., It was T.V. movies / porn & football/sports, booze & drugs, most adult football fans I know are so unaware of what is happening in the world of politics, locally and Geo-politically but they can tell you years of history of there favorite team how many goals were scored, who they played and who scored them, This was more important to them rather than focusing their attention on the criminal political class/cabal who imposed lockdowns and mandatory jabberwokey's on the masses, just think of the power they have (and still do) that could have overthrown governments .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8puOHj87FU
Also If they joined with the farmers & the masses what a peoples army that would be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlSzjNKVyGo
we are all being distracted one way or another, even on substack.
Fluck sake! Right I'm off, what a dopa-v been on here for two ours reading and haven't even done my mornings Diana Dors (chores) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Dors (chores)
Lol ;-). Respect & X 2 All
I feel so validated right now - I've been telling my husband the exact same thing!!
Thanks for sharing. I hope your husband finds something that works for him to break the habit. I don't have most forms of social media, but do use X and Substack for news, and sometimes get drawn in to the X "shorts" that automatically come on after I watch a news clip. I've found 20 minutes of quiet prayer first thing in the morning (along with some other rituals I've gradually put in place to help me be more mindful and closer to God) has been giving me the grace to resist mindless consumption of X. I feel so bad for young people who don't know life without constant distraction. I hope we adults can set an example for them.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I think your prayer first thing in the morning is a good thing. In 2005 I found Facebook and it was really fun at first. I found all my college friends that I hadn’t heard from since the 70s. We banter back-and-forth and commented and even had a little reunion because of Facebook. About five years later is when Facebook changed and became a slam book. When I was in seventh grade, somebody had the idea to make these slam books. It was a 4 1/2” x 3” half inch thick book with empty pages, no lines. You would get other people to sign your slam book and they would put comments. The comments got a little mean, so the principal saw what it was doing to kids and he gathered up all the slam books and threw them in the garbage. The whole school, we couldn’t have them anymore. That was the best thing that ever happened to us and then came Facebook. It’s just another slam book.
Thank you for this article! Let's commit to developing true happiness in 2026. Imagine the effect on families and communities!
I was at a party held by a relative in Tennessee. There were probably 100 or more children and young teenagers there. It went on most of the day. By mid-afternoon it struck me that there had been no kids involved in - acting out, fighting, no yelling, screaming or temper tantrums, no nothing. In fact, some of the kids were helping out with the work. There were no cell phones or other electronic devices there either. It was a joyful, calm, peaceful, beautiful event. The area does have Amish, but there were people who are Christian, do a lot of home schooling and have babies via mid-wives, and eat homegrown, healthy food. I actually was shocked at my realization, because I'd never encountered kids behaving like this before........
wow. like going back in time.
When I moved to Australia 25 years ago - it was like going back in time. People would bring their horses home for the weekend, and ride around the neighbourhood. Children PLAYED outside - like I hadn't seen since the 70's. It was like going back in time. (also my doctor was like "Father Knows Best," and my pharmacist knew me by face & name, but those days are gone, now, too)
The devices are universal levellers, however - I still see children playing in the park (because my lovely neighbour built old fashioned ropes-and-planks swings hanging from the trees - and Council hasn't caught them yet!) but less. And see my karate note (likely below) about how children are in karate class.
Now, too, I see isolated children. On the spectrum, they stay at home and bounce a basketball. Alone. I really feel for them. We have 2 basketball bouncers in the neighbourhood. I feel like asking them if they'd like someone to bounce the basketball with! (but that's intrusive). I never see them, they are behind a privacy fence, bouncing their ball....
I suppose so. It's in the Lawrenceville area.
I’m a new father of two toddles and whenever we go out to eat, I’m amazed by the amount of iPa kids at the table. Both of my kids eat dinner the same way I did: you sat there and ate. There’s no phone or iPad to hold your conversation while you eat, you simply eat.
That’s just a small example of what’s touched on here. I’ll be sharing this article with grandparents so they know the dangers of YouTube.
For adults, the cell phone has the same example, so we need to ensure we’re aware of its affect on us as well: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/from-analog-to-digital-to-cellular
Scrolling at the table is just so rude. Whether it's a tablet or phone, it's the end of the world.
That content creator you linked to ShowToolsAI was so unnerving! My Jaw was on the floor watching him lay all that out. As I type this, my wife’s friend is over here with her six year old and I’ll give you one guess as to what he’s doing by himself in the corner. I’m gonna go play Uno with him to get him off the tablet. As an educator I can confirm that there is a stark difference between kids who use screens as a tool to enhance their education and those who are hopelessly tethered to it like heroin. This is the most important blog piece circling the internet right now. If we lose the battle for the next generation’s minds, we will have lost the battle for the sanity of humankind. Keep up the important work! And most importantly, watch your six! Blessings, T
Those ants...
For me it was the digging up of the mother's corpse. I can't believe I had to write that in reference to a supposed children's video. This whole AI thing can suck it...
Yes! Those ants were the most disturbing to me!
This is such an enlightening article! Thank you so much for your post on this subject!
"As an educator I can confirm that there is a stark difference between kids who use screens as a tool to enhance their education and those who are hopelessly tethered to it like heroin."
This is one of the major reasons I'm anti-AI, people say "but it's a great tool!" Possibly IF you use it ONLY as a tool for good purposes. The bulk of modern culture can't even use the internet as a tool for good purposes and it's full of addictive crap, I can't imagine adding AI to it all is going to make it more useful and less damaging to minds.
The antichrist is going to be an AI.
the problem is nearly everyone who starts out using "screens as a tool to enhance their education" becomes at least somewhat "tethered to it like heroin". that is the point of this technology.
yantra - AGREED!
I've been noticing the change in behavior of society in general for years. I see the effects the screens have with the changes in mood and behavior with my husband and kids, as well as friends and family. I'm glad there are studies backing up what we've been experiencing and seeing with our own eyes. I would love to see this knowledge becoming more mainstream so more parents will wake up and break the addiction cycle.
Any chance you could do a segment on video game addiction?
I notice communication is being reduced to a sound bite reply, in written and spoken communication. There is no depth, no elaboration, no side road thoughts, all is reduced to a dry comment. People’s humanity is drying up to a five letter word, five word reply.
Yes. And if you try to go past that quick sound bite level, the brains of the people you are communicating with just shut down. You can watch their face just go slack as their mind ceases to process data. It's amazing.
Kinda makes on feel like you’re an under appreciated over-thinker or a Debbie Downer.
Yes. I wonder about this - I think some of it is because people are communicating by typing on a Stupid Phone, which limits their ability for in-depth reply.
It's only going to get worse.
Thinking about this further - it does seem that something like 90% of people are drones or NPCs, just following the "latest thing," in order to belong.
People have been thrown down to survival level, where it's "ME FIRST" - which makes communication (next level on Maslow & in Chakras) impossible.
Video game addiction is the same thing, hey? Dopamine.
It doesn't matter what the addiction is - gambling, video games, sex & fetish, drugs or alcohol - it's Dopamine.
And while Gabor Mate says the root of addiction is trauma, which of us has no trauma? This world has traumatized all of us.
My 38 year old Son has a depleted nervous system and is currently taking some sort of dopamine supplementation to stop him feeling depressed and dead inside, he has no desire to live and says whats the point in it all... He is addicted to dopamine spikes and is constantly crashing. I remembered whilst reading this superb article, that he has taken Ayahuasca (probably not spelt correctly) a good few times in his life and no doubt other psychedelics. He has problems in relationships and is incredibly impatient. I remember once catching him (accidentally) watching porn on his computor when he was a young teenager. He had left his bedroom door ajar, I thought he was doing homework and went in...He became addicted to gaming as well and he and his first live in girlfriend continued to play games as their source of home entertainment for 8 years solid...This article describes him and the reasons for all his struggles and dysfunction.. Its tragic and I feel somewhat responsible, I tried to steer both my boys away from the game boys when this hand held tablet stuff emerged, I didnt allow any phones at the table and still dont, it just means those addicted scoff their food ultra fast, to get back to it, ability to hold pleasant two way conversation was annihilated a long time ago. I loathe it and didn't get a mobile phone until I was 48. Only use a lap top for boring admin stuff...Barely watch any TV because its all the same, violence and misery mostly. The films have got so Dark, just like our chemical trailed skies.
" What is there to discuss when you're murdering children? " -Arundhati Roy.
She was talking about what's been going on in Gaza, but this could be used as a blanket
statement regarding - Vaccinations, toxins in baby formulas, the information presented in this
article, the addictive foods, the toxins in water ( fluoride ), and the list goes on.
With 1 in 31 kids now developing autism and this ratio keeps dropping as vaccinations approach 72 for children under 2 who are in the system, how can a society function when this many parents are strapped with caring for these people who will need intensive care all their lives. It's an emotional, financial, physical load that will destroy many families......
So, what is there to discuss ? Fact: the Amish don't vaccinate. Period. The Amish don't have autistic children. There's your control group...... What is there to discuss ? We have the facts that vaccines harm, maim and destroy lives. We have the whistleblowers. What possible reason or reasons are there not to continue vaccinating anybody with any vaccine ? Yea, we can try to tiptoe through the tulips consisting of immorally run organizations, powerful corporations, corrupt government. We can continue to try to deal with this IMMORALLY run system which uses fear as it's tool to subdue our efforts to become moral. How's that working as we speed towards the cliff of self-destruction?
What is there to discuss ?????????? The time for discussion is over.
It is a misconception that Amish do not vaccinate. I know people that have lived in and also near Amish communities and interacted with them. Some do vaccinate and some of their children have Autism. Before I met my now deceased wife she used to go into Amish and Mennonite communities and sell them religious books, books that would lead them and their children to Jesus. She had good success in these communities but she saw children with Autism and was told by their mothers that it was after being vaccinated. Taking vaccines in Amish and Mennonite communities is not as prevalent in their groups as in society, but it does take place.
Saw this exact scenario over Christmas. Heartbreaking.
Surprised to hear that, so thanks.
I was surprised to hear that when I heard it around 25-30 yrs ago. If I am not mistaken some of the Amish took the measles vaccine this past year during the outbreak down in Texas. It was sad those two children died down there from hospital and Dr. malpractice during that time period.
Sixth Sense: I see dead people.
JC: I see iatrogenesis.
EVERYWHERE.
I see the walking dead, I refer to them in my mind as Jab Walkers
Jabberwocky?
Jabber-walky? (while they still can)
I see vaccine injury everywhere
Whenever a “strange” illness or condition just appears “out of nowhere” in an otherwise healthy, active, young (under 20) person, my mind immediately goes to “probably a vaccine injury”
It is everywhere. Best thing is to stay out of the hands of the medical profession, except for a very few who want to and can help a person.
Yea, that was pretty disgusting.
As a parent of several small kids a theme that keeps coming to mind is that modern parenting seems to demand a degree of curation that it didn't back in the 90s. When I was a toddler in the early 90s my mom could put on PBS and I'd see Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, and the entertainment was pretty much harmless. But today, on top of everything else, we have to micro-manage this stuff in an effort to filter out the bad. What's worked pretty well for us is not letting our kids handle A Device, instead we cast stuff to the TV from our phones. This is obviously way more work, but gives us total control over what they get to see. (In our case, a YouTube Premium subscription was a good call, filtering out all the toxic advertisements - plus it includes their Music app, which let us drop the ridiculously over-priced Spotify for music streaming.)
Like you hinted in the article, I've mostly gravitated toward showing my kids quality content from my own childhood. I especially like the classic seasons of Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends from the 80s and 90s - it's very slow paced, but well-written and intelligent, not bonking kids over the head with The Moral. Maybe more importantly it's beautiful to look at, with no CGI and a level of artistry and care that reflects how the people who made it actually gave a crap about what they were doing. Another one I like is the Curious George cartoon, I think this was from the early 2000s and thus from way after my own childhood but it's also slow-paced and very well animated, eschewing the cost-cutting techniques of most kid's shows of the era. It also has a nice jazzy piano-based soundtrack.
I like your idea of limiting exposure to cast (parent moderated) content.
2020 was the year I stopped watching TV completely. I realised we in England were being lied to & manipulated by every channel - not just the BBC - regarding something they all called 'The Pandemic' . As I looked for alternative opinions & credentialled expertise to explore my concerns, I found YouTube to be guilty of the most outrageous censorship. YT stuck insistently to a narrative that was universal & clearly wrong! I don't watch YT now either, preferring platforms such as Rumble that don't appear to be as controlled - although I know I could have been tricked into that.
I have found that my grandchildren respond remarkably well to DVDs - not just the content (obviously old) but the processes/rituals involved in watching. They also get the experience of a beginning, a middle & an end. Here's the 'but' . . .
How do you reconcile your approach with YT's behaviour as an extreme propaganda unit? Have they not found some way of producing the same result but using techniques different from those described in the article?
Believe me, I get it, I basically stopped watching (new) TV for the same reasons. Of course YT and all the other Big Tech platforms have issues, but at least in this particular context, I'm able to curate the experience. I don't really read the news or pay much attention to "what's going on," so I've somehow managed to avoid getting personally hit with much propaganda in my own personal use of YT, where the almighty algorithm almost entirely presents me with content related to my hobbies and so on.
I learned about the BBC as propaganda circa 2000. I was dating a Brit from the Midlands. I listened to his opinion about politics and world news, and thought - ah, what a beautiful moderate, somewhat liberal guy!
THEN I went to see him, and as I watched the Beeb, I realised - he was NPC'ing, spitting up things that the Beeb had told him to believe....
It was a shocking realisation - because I'd heard it from the mouth of the man - and then realised, it was wholly from the Beeb.
THEN, COVID and = well, the propaganda turned evil that year, hey?
YT (and FB) have been forced to reduce the level of censorship considerably since Elon bought Twitter. However, money still rules; all platforms will give you more of what you look for.
Sure although, in my curmudgeonly view, even a small amount of censorship is similar to being a little bit pregnant. How does that work?
I've got a feeling the twitter bossette is a fully fledged senior member of the WEF. Finally, when I was young (over half a century ago), Musk was something purportedly used in fragrances I couldn't afford to attract potential mates - even when the underlying odour was repulsive. Plus ca change & all that.
Time for me to go for a whisky & a smoke while I try to figure that lot out. Might need several rounds - even Holmes would see it as a two pipe problem.
In my lifetime I can pinpoint the advent of quick-cut television production. Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, 1968. The advent of music video broadcasting, starting with specialty channel Much Music in Canada and quickly followed by MTV in America was another dopamine-hit turning point that swept our culture.
More than quick-cuts, today we are confronted with white-flash transitions. In TV shows and commercials alike it is common for several frames of white screen to be inserted between cuts. I hate that! It makes TV unbearable to watch, like a strobe light zapping your brain every few seconds.
Fortunately I watch almost no TV anymore, which I bet is true of many readers here. Quoting Grandpa from The Princess Bride, "When I was your age, television was called books."
I stopped watching television in 2020. When I happen to see one I am amazed at the fragmentation and constant barrage of images. It’s like a strobe light flickering constantly. Attention is overwhelmed and content is so fast that one can’t even assimilate what is happening. Viewed from a distance of 25 years, it is appalling! This was bothering me in the late 80's already.
I love that line! “Television was called books”. Do young people read books anymore?
If they keep fencing in the digital (I'm in Australia, where there are digital bans now) - I will be picking up more books and saying goodbye to all you lovely digital people.
BUT - my local library is NOT an archive, it only keeps "what's hot." Frustrating, if you want something from say - the 80's or, heaven forbid, the 60's - that's not "classic."
I sure hope so. That at least some do, even if only at the level of Nancy Drew or Anne of Green Gables. Today, reading books for two or more hours at a time would be classified a "life hack" for setting yourself apart from your peers.
A Midwestern Doctor made a sharply insightful observation when she wrote of the seemingly parental necessity of deploying screens, of answering brain damage with a countering form a brain damage.
"3. I suspect something similar is happening with screens—their dopamine-releasing nature is being used to counteract behavioral disturbances in vaccine-injured children. Many parents lacking bandwidth to handle misbehaving children are forced to provide addictive technology, transforming children into lifelong users."
Thankfully, I never watched tv much as a kid, I was a reader and a create things kid. Last TV involved with my life in any manner was in the mid 80's, and the relationship ended quite a bit because of that, and there has been no TV since then.
The cuts and white transitions make me crazy, I watch VERY VERY LITTLE video (Under 10 mins a day generally, I have one news thing I watch daily, it's 3-4 minutes, that's usually all I see in a day) and anything that does that, I'm just going to shut off. I don't know how people stand it.
Additionally - pick a talk show - there will be some sort of ribbon or movement in the background to hold your eye and pull you back in. Look for these ribbons, to know that they want to entrain you.
That's an interesting observation. I'll look for that detail when I am, oh, in the doctor's waiting room and cannot escape the talk show playing on the TV. Then again, under the influence of this Substack among others I have mostly sworn off visiting doctors.
Here is another entrainment technique to look out for, which I got from Aaron and Melissa Dykes of Truthstream Media. The opening animation sequence of 6 o'clock/11 o'clock news broadcasts are almost identical across stations. They consist of a busy clock-like rotating swirl of 10, 9, 8, ... 3, 2, 1, Go! countdown. And snap, your attention has been captured as the anchorman begins speaking. The design is modeled off of the classic swirling black and white hypnotic spiral pattern. Thoroughly tested by the CIA I have little doubt.
On an upside note, and returning to talk shows for a moment to contrast the laugh-track heavy garbage of today against how good the format can be when done well, the popular youtube music educator Rick Beato recommended searching for "Oscar Peterson on the Dick Cavett Show (1979)". I am not a jazz fan but can recognize stellar talent when I hear it. More to the point the interview was captivating, especially the discussion at the piano bench. The pitter-patter was rapid with each showing quick wit. But the camera work was steady and lengthy, lending an intense focus to the discussion. ... I could spot no waving ribbons.
Yes. Good point about Laugh-In. It's probably true that's where it started!
The hijacking of our children, grandchildren, all children is horrifying; and yet so few parents do anything to rectify the situation. Parenting is hard, parenting takes courage, parenting means knowing you are not in a friendship with your child(ren). I am sharing this article with teachers I know and other parents. Thank you for such a succinct article on the stealing of our children’s minds. We have to stop being and creating consumers of the future and start having a good solid home life.
One of the reasons it is so hard to parent correctly is because modern society is set up that both parents need to work to make a living. It is hard to be a good parent when you only have access to your children a few hrs a day.
Who "set up modern society"? The same people who are continuing to steal our children. It grinds my gears a little every time I hear someone make this argument. Nobody is forcing us into this lifestyle. We all make our own choices.
You are right, no one is forcing anyone to live that lifestyle. I do not live that lifestyle and have not for decades, but sadly most people are really just sheeple and go along with the government and society they create.
The parents have been raised this way and consider that normal behavior. The child is in this parental mind set since birth. How can this be rectified, when alternatives are not recognized or even considered.
Thank you for sharing this important piece. The advent of the electronic toddler-sitter morphed into online gaming addiction, and an explosion of adults who have disabling social anxiety. They have copped out of reality and large numbers of adults now exist on a monthly SSI check. Holed up now in a bedroom or basement in their parents or grandparents homes. They come out of their lairs only to grab junk food from the kitchen and return to their paused online games. They refuse to sit in the kitchen during meal time.
Recently a 73 yr old friend told me this - During a recent trip when he stopped for RR break and gas fill up just off the interstate, his late wife's grand daughter and great grandson were traveling with him. The 14 yr old grandson went inside and returned to the car with a full bladder. The boy sheepishly said he could not find the RR, even though there was a large ceiling mounted RR sign.
😳 I'm guessing the grandson was on his phone during his quest?
I did not ask that Q although I expect the answer is yes. If he had two functioning brain cells he would have asked where is the RR please. Instead his social anxiety told him to leave without taking a pee🙄
Why would an infant/toddler/ child need any TV shows at all? I raised my kids without TV channels (as teens they did watch Seinfeld DVDs and some movies) so I see no difficulty in living/eating at restaurants/ riding in cars without screens. Just another example of the fact that most people struggle mightily to think for themselves.
Because they don't have time or a social family network that has time.
I don’t buy that. That doesn’t explain most of it, eg restaurants and travel, and since I had no family around at all, I know from experience that there is zero need for screens. I believe it’s pure laziness and inability to make individual choices. Most follow the herd, always have, always will.
21st Century ‘screens’ are more addictive and damaging than many narcotics. Parents beware. Not just what your children see or the time they spend on a screen, but how often and long they see you on one.
PLUS: sitting is the new smoking. I'm fighting this one with my spouse who is turning into a Gumbie Cat - sits and sits and sits and sits (and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!)
yes.
As the seedling is watered and fed, so shall the tree grow.
Look about--do you see healthy, vibrant forests, or lonely singular trees, gnarled and deformed?
It is up to you--no one else.
Trees too dense choke each other out.
My husband planted 300 trees on our 1/3 acre suburban lot. It's beautiful - but - the trees battle each other for space and light.
The more that any human being, but especially children, can be out in nature the better this world would be. Being in nature is very soothing to the nerves.
Humanity is under attack from every angle and means. Certainly, the quest to capture children’s minds via profitable modes is one of the basest attacks.