Episode 030: Raising Indistractable Kids, with Nir Eyal -

Technology is one of my biggest concerns as a parent, partly because of the garbage that is so easily accessible online, and partly because it can be a huge distraction. It makes me crazy to watch my kids waste their time on their devices instead of doing other, more important things.

The reality is, however, that technology is not going away and, therefore, the potential for distraction at its hands is here to stay. It is our job, as parents, to learn how to manage our attention and teach our kids to do the same.

To be honest, I am still working on that, but Nir Eyal has spent the last several years studying and writing a book on this topic. I recently read his new book called, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life (which is FANTASTIC!) and then had the opportunity to interview him about raising indistractable kids. This interview is packed full of so much useful information that you might even want to listen to it twice. But first, a little background on Nir:

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. The M.I.T. Technology Review dubbed Nir, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.”

Nir founded two tech companies since 2003 and has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He is the author of the bestselling book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.

In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today.

I guess you could say that Nir knows what he is talking about, and that definitely comes across in the interview.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

What the research says about kids, screen time, and mental health (it might not be what you think)
The difference between tech addiction and overuse
Why technology itself is not a problem and need not be avoided or demonized
The three psychological needs all humans have that when unfulfilled, drive kids to overuse their devices
How we as parents and society at large are unknowingly depriving our kids of psychological nutrients, and how we can remedy the deficit
How parents can determine whether their kids are ready for a smartphone
Why it is vital for kids to learn to minimize distraction without heavy involvement from parents, and how to teach that.
How to utilize schedules and pacts to stay focused
And SO MUCH more!