Why Our Kids Know More About Technology Than Us

Why Our Kids Know More About Technology Than Us
(And What We Can Do About It!)

Today's kids are intuitively able to use every device, app, game and social network handed to them. Just give a tablet or a smart phone to a toddler and watch what happens.

But as life speeds up, and we’re busy than ever being ‘good parents’, the technological gap between parents and kids seems to grow exponentially.

We expect the government and the education system to do something about it, but author Yvette Adams, says kids desperately need their parents to understand the technology they are using right now, and to embrace the technology themselves, and has written a book titled ‘No Kidding – Why Our Kids Know More About Technology Than Us (and What We Can Do About It!)’ which she will launch in New Zealand in March 2015.

“There is no point in fighting technology or ignoring it. It’s not going away, and the sooner you embrace it, the better off you and your family will be,” she says.

Adams, who was born and bred in New Zealand, but who is now based in Australia says the book is aimed at influencers of children, namely parents, principals, teachers, career advisors, Government leaders, carers and anyone else who realise that technology is changing the world, and fast, and who are prepared to step up and do something about it.

“I want them to understand how it can actually help, and not hinder your family life through many practical applications – from technology to save time, technology to save money, technology to stay fit and health through to technology to be a creative family.”

Over 500 websites and apps are showcased throughout the book and industry leaders such as David Bartlett (named as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in Technology in Australia); Andy Lark (who sits on the board of, No.8 Ventures – New Zealand’s premier technology venture capital firm) and Vanessa Garrard of E3 Style (the largest licensed youth electronics supplier in Australia & New Zealand) have contributed.

“Even if you’re not convinced that technology is your thing, I’m hoping that you care as much about your child and their future as I do, and that you’ll give this technology thing your best shot for their sake. You see, for the first time in history, our children know more than us about something: technology!

Just stop and think about that for a moment. It’s a crazy phenomenon. Since the dawn of time, cavemen and cavewomen have taught their children everything they needed to know to survive. Firstly, to hunt and gather and later to farm. Then, to cook, clean, sew, build and study, and, of course, to love and share. But then technology came along and turned every aspect of our lives on its head. Our kids just pick up devices and naturally know what to do with them! Love it or hate it, life is not the same as it once was. And it will keep on changing. So it’s time to get up to speed with technology and what it means to be a parent in the digital age,” she says.

Adams says the challenge before parents and influencers of children today is immense. Information overload. Rapid change. Safety and privacy concerns.

“The fact that we are preparing them for jobs that don’t exist yet. Not to mention the giant digital footprints they are creating.”

But Adams says the book is most definitely not another negative tirade about the evils of social media or cyber safety issues, which though she does touch on, are only a minor aspect of the book. Instead, through it she hopes to introduce readers to the many positive benefits of technology.

“The short of it is, the kids need us to step up. You see, at the moment, we expect the education system and the government to do something about it, but the curriculum can’t keep up with the speed at which the world is changing. So kids desperately need their parents to understand the technology they are using right now and how the future is changing because of it. In the book I also explain the massive skills shortages going on right now in the ICT industry and how you can get your kids into coding and ICT for a guaranteed career.”

Adams, who is a mother herself of a 8 year old and 11 year old says she never thought in a thousand years she’d work with computers – she never studied computers or even touched a type writer at school, and never went to University.

Yet using technology to her advantage, she has started 5 businesses, 2 of which she has since sold, and she now actively champions the ICT industry and the use of technology in daily life and business, and gets a real kick out of helping people fall in love with technology too.

Yvette has been the recipient of numerous other business awards and is a sought after public speaker (including recently MC’ing EduTech, Australasia’s largest education and technology event with over 4000 delegates in 2014), and is a regular media commentator on topics related to trends, technology and social media.

A series of book launch events will be held around New Zealand and bookings are essential. See: www.nokidding.com.au/events. Interested people can also follow the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/nokiddingcommunity.

ENDS

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