How Can Parents Communicate With Their Children about Mobile Use?

One of my students told me a story about a 43-year-old father of five who realized he could no longer reach his children through ordinary conversation because they were glued to their phones. What did he do? He made a YouTube channel to talk to them. He shares where he works, where he travels, and what he experiences because he understood that if you want to speak with your children today, you must be where they are: on their screen.

He is absolutely right.

Children today do not see the world the way we do. You take them into nature, they stare at their screens. You put them on a plane or a ship, they are unimpressed. But show them those same things on the screen: a ship, a plane, and a forest, and suddenly it becomes interesting. Their perception has undergone an entire shift, where the screen is reality.

This is the world they live in, and there is no turning back. They are not detached from the world, but they experience it differently. Even their connection to their parents has changed. While many parents today think of their children as being disconnected from them, they are not. When they see mom or dad on a screen, they understand them better than face to face. In real life, the interaction is vague and unclear. On the screen, it becomes familiar. That is how they communicate with each other. It is their language.

Therefore, we need to adapt. The sooner we accept that, the sooner we will reconnect with them. If we appear to them as faces on a phone, like everything else they are used to seeing, they can hear us better. We can teach, guide, and love them through the screen. If we do not, they will simply not understand us. We will be speaking a language they no longer use.

Some say they have been deprived of childhood. But what does that mean? They have not lost anything, but live a different kind of childhood, one shaped by new tools and possibilities. Do we want to go back to the courtyards? That is our nostalgia, not theirs. Their nostalgia is for the newest phone.

Where will this lead? To a fascinating realization: the world as we know it does not truly exist. It is all perceived within us. Therefore, if everything is already inside of us, such as sights, sounds, and emotions, we then do not need to physically go anywhere. We can explore the entire universe through a screen. There is no need to travel or to build grand structures. Everything is accessible, instant, and immersive.

That is no step backward. It is progress. This virtual shift prepares us to understand that the world we think is outside us is actually existing solely in our perception. We are beginning to internalize that.

Eventually, smartphones will be replaced with more advanced tools, such as augmented reality, and even direct sensory inputs. We will feel ourselves traveling, flying, swimming, and living amazing lives all while sitting in one place. The experiences will be even more vivid than the current one.

Is that bad? Not at all. I see it as a natural evolution. Even now, we live in an illusion. What we move toward is a more conscious illusion that we can shape and control. Indeed, one day, we will live in a state where the physical body needs just the bare minimum, and our inner fulfillment will come from this higher and deeper reality.

We will increasingly arrange robots to provide for our life’s essentials, such as food, shelter, and medicine. The rest will be inside the screen, inside our minds, and inside our connected sensations. History, geography, novels, oceans, and friends will all be there.

I welcome such a life. I have no fear for my grandchildren, but I rejoice for them. They are building a world far better, more integrated, and more aware than the one we gave them. That, to me, is beautiful.

Based on KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on November 1, 2024. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

How Can I Be a Good Friend to My Child?

When you try to “buy” your child with sneakers, tablets, or toys, you miss out the real purchase. You “buy” a child by showing them that you are their friend, that you are on their level. To do so, you must remake yourself, change yourself, often in ways you never imagined. Friendship with a child means you understand them, you are ready to help and support them. Most importantly, that you truly understand them.

Do not overload them with developmental courses, clubs, or constant extracurricular activities. Let them live their childhood organically. This means letting them do what they want, albeit within reasonable limits. Of course, their desires and opinions will largely come from their friends, so they are not entirely their own. But still, they should be encouraged.

I myself grew up surrounded by composers and music. It gave me nothing particularly special, although yes, perhaps I developed an ear for music. Still, even with that, I trust that a child should have freedom of choice.

When it comes to promises, keep your word. Say it once, then do it. Do not avoid promising just to protect yourself from failing; if you want to raise a child properly, you must both promise and fulfill.

Let the child make mistakes, but do not praise the mistake itself. Instead, identify it, fix it, and do so without blame. It is not an accusation, but guidance.

As for “overloving” a child. Indeed, love can get in the way. Excessive love, shown in the wrong place or in the wrong measure, can harm as much as it helps. Everything in education must be measured, balanced, and aligned with the child’s optimal growth.