Why Don't We Just Turn Our Children Into Robots?

2/22/2006 8:57:37 PM - Techdirt

While some people have already replaced real dogs with robotic dogs (even if Sony is getting out of the robotic dog business), it seems like some parents are looking to turn their children into robots too, who can easily be controlled at the touch of a button. We've already seen too many stories where parents are upset about new technologies because their kids don't always do what they want -- but it seems like some new solutions may be going a bit too far in the other direction. We already told you about the school lunch checkout machines that parents could program to make sure their kids don't buy any unhealthy food. However, one company is going well beyond that. It's got a new device that lets a parent define how much time his or her kids can spend watching TV, playing video games or using a computer. This really isn't all that different than telephone timers that some of my friends had when growing up. It always seemed too rigid, as rather than teaching my friends who had them how to properly manage their time, it just was a huge nuisance for everyone. Instead of setting hard limits, why not work on teaching kids how to judge for themselves what's appropriate and how to better manage their own time?

Link: Techdirt

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