Matt Britton Discusses Parenting In Age Of AI Live on NY PIX 11 Morning Show

All right, Toddlers and technology and the struggle over how much is too much.

So this morning we are joined by the author of Generation AI, Matt Britton, to share his expertise in this area. So good morning to you Matt.

Thanks so much for having me.

Listen, I have two kids, they're now 10 and 12, but I'm not quite toddlers anymore. Not quite toddlers anymore. But I just remember very, very early on you're sitting in a restaurant and and you can't get them to settle down and you throw them a device. So when is it? How early? It's too early to give your child a device. And is there actually a time that's good?

Well, first of all, I'm not a doctor. This is just my personal opinion. This is your personal opinion. You know, I think that, I think it's okay for parents to want to have a night out and to be able to talk. And if the kids are there and they have an iPad there to keep them busy so they can have some sanity, that's fine. I think in doses anything's okay. I think when it comes to kids zoning out for watching Coco Melon for four to five hours at a time, I think then you literally start to see it kind of impact kids behavior and I know from having kids who are a little bit older now, but I remember when they were younger the more they watch screens and then when you took it away from them there was a noticeable difference in their behavior. Yeah.

What does research say about when to introduce kids to the screens?

Yeah, well generally there's a general thesis that anything under two is really just like a no fly zone so to speak because kids brains are still really developing and I think now a lot of the graphics and animations are so intense that it really grips kids at younger ages far more than it did in the past.

And does it become addictive behavior for kids?

Absolutely. I mean listen, we're all kind of addicted to screens. You know, you see people that are at dinner tables together and they can't get off their screens. It doesn't just begin when you're an adult. Kids get addicted at very early ages. Then we see teens as they go to social media and so on.

Now you had mentioned earlier that you know, it's okay in, in small doses but what kind of material is this specific type of programs on a phone that are okay or even good for kids?

Yeah. So my new book, Generation AI is about AI and AI is really going to change humanity. I specifically the book is about Gen Alpha who's currently age 0 to 15, which is going to be known as the AI generation, the first generation of consumers that will know no other world, but a world with AI. The implications of that is people are going to be interacting with technology differently. For the first time ever, people can interact with technology like you interact with other humans, in that it creates opportunities. You know, you can have applications of AI with young kids to have them create coloring books, create songs, have choose your own adventure storybooks. That is a great interactive, you know, very, you know, creative way to leverage technology versus the linear vegging out, watching screens. So I think not all technology is bad. And parents can get quite creative about deploying in the household and frankly, they're going to have to because it's going to be everywhere. And if parents don't take control of how their kids are using AI at a young age, then AI and its power is going to kind of take on a life of its own.

Yeah, that sounds so much better than those unboxing videos. Oh my gosh, it drives me.

You know, like when you have the babies and they're still very small, is it okay to have the screens running in the background or is it overload for them because they are so small?

You know, again, a lot of doctors say anything under age 2 is kind of dangerous. The reality is if it's in the background, it's fine. If you're on a, you know, a plane ride and your, your toddler screaming and everyone around you is kind of looking at you, judging you, you got to do what you got to do, right? So I think it's really not about those specific moments where you're in a bind. It's about coming up with a formula that's consistent over time. Meaning you're not going to put the TV on every time your kid eats dinner. You're not going to throw the TV on every single time that you need to take a phone call. And it's about having kids have the wherewithal to be independent and learn how to creatively play on their own, because that skill set is going to become increasingly important in an AI driven world. To be a creativity focused, to be a critical thinker, to be a problem solver. Those are the skill sets we really want to impart on kids very young, because those skill sets are going to become more important than ever before.

You keep talking about, I get scary as to, when is AI going to take over the world? That's what it feels like. It's scary, you know, and it's taking over parenting tools, things like that. So where does it become a point where it's kind of crossing the ethics line?

Right. So, you know, it's a great question. And we are still in the early days of AI's evolution, so it really remains to be seen, you know, the real negative impacts of AI. We haven't had that horror story, so to speak, yet. But I think the reality is AI is going to provide both benefits and negatives to society. But we're not going backwards. It's kind of here to stay. So it's up to us as parents, as leaders, as professionals to figure out how to deploy it for a better world and a better future for ourselves. And I think every single day, we're going to have decisions to make that are going to become increasingly difficult and increasingly unprecedented given AIs increasing power.

Yeah, Matt, is there any data showing the differences between a kid who grew up with screens and wanted to grow up more analog?

Yeah, I mean, for sure. We are obviously seeing a massive increase in the diagnosis of adhd, for example, and we're seeing that with millennials, who are the digital natives, the first generation to grow up with the Internet in the household. I don't think it's a coincidence, you know, Gen X wasn't diagnosed with ADHD nearly as much, because Gen X, like myself, we did not grow up with the Internet in the household. So we didn't have screens on us at all times. Sure, we had a tv, but we couldn't take it with us. So I think there's a strong correlation there. Obviously, you know, the hyperactivity and the stimulation that comes with constant screens does impact developing brains, and we've seen a lot of evidence to support that.

Yeah, I think, bottom line, we just got to monitor for sure. All right, thanks so much for coming. Appreciate your.

Thanks for having me.

All right, Matt's book, Generation AI, is available wherever books are sold. All right. A million kids still relying on.