Could we actually be the financiers and the brokers between our own kids and the Silicon Valley iSlave masters who’ve marketed their wares to our children’s carnal appetites, habits and addictions? Have we mortgaged our kids’ childhood for a convenient digital babysitter that molests our kids with amusements that destroy brain matter, personal relationships, emotional health, and spiritual well-being? And, like the slavery debate that divided the church—and our whole country—back in the 1860s, some Christians, today, are finding that other Christians seem to be perfectly OK with it all. Examining the risk against the reward of naively following today’s digital status quo.

Tom Kersting is an expert in the field of mental health, families, parenting in the digital age, and over-device use, as he provides advice to millions of people through regular television appearances, radio and print media, books and private sessions. He is a straight shooter, and passionate about helping families whether in crisis or just in disaccord.

Tom holds advanced degrees including a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Thomas Aquinas College, a Master’s degree in Counseling & Human Development and a second Master’s in Administration & Supervision, both from Montclair State University. Tom also holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Hypnotherapy (alternative/non-traditional) from Kona University. Tom is also a former semi-professional baseball player, an avid golfer and dedicated to fitness.

Brain Pathways, Digital Withdrawl, and a Need to Disconnect

Tom Kersting’s book, Disconnected, stemmed from an observation he made in his private practice about ten years ago. “What I write about in my book, Disconnected, began when I found a tremendous amount of teenagers being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, many years ago, and I knew that something was wrong. I did some research and found that screen time was changing brain neuro pathways and creating a lack of focus and inattentiveness. I released the book because what I am seeing from a family perspective is discord.”

One term used to describe today’s social media hold on American youth (and adults) is iSlavery. Essentially, technology is a media for control. This has been witnessed time and again in our culture, as tech gurus, investors, and early adopters have come forward about the ill intentions of technical giants. There is a Waldorf school out in Silicon Valley. This is a school that uses a pencil and paper and virtually no technology. 70% of the students are children of big tech companies.

But what is actually happening to the brains of children who have access to screens at a young age? If you’ve ever seen the photo of a brain you’ve seen what looks like a tree branch. Those are neuro pathways. Each of those pathways is critical to human function. You need one to communicate, one to focus, one to cope, so on and so forth. Now when the brain is involved in something highly stimulating for 3 hrs or more per day, the brain will grow new pathways to adapt to that environment. The average child is spending an average of 9 hrs a day on digital technology, and their brains are adapting. The ripple effect is increased anxiety, etc.

There is also a new sense of divisiveness within our country today, largely in part to the expansion and growth of technology and social media. When did something like politics suddenly become the mainstay in everyone’s life? Because of social media and the deluge of information, people are being so easily led and are allowing media to create beliefs for them.

We want to equip parents to deal with the issues that we are talking about today. But how do you start limiting screen time and smartphone access? What if they can access it on the device of others? In all of my lectures, no parent has ever raised their hand in one of my lectures to say they think that giving a child access to all the information they ever wanted was a good idea.