iParent: Parenting in the Digital Age

A parent's take on a new book released by Penguin India (2024)

Goldilocks holds the secret to ‘Embracing Parenting in the Digital Age’ – not too hot (read not too much of technology), nor too cold (read not too less either), but juuussst right (read moderation / informed usage). With this Neha J Hiranandani concludes her book iParent which deep dives into the challenges of parenting the iGen (The generation of children born into a world driven by technology – phones and computers with internet access and a whole lot of unfiltered information). A generation of children in cities/metros with online access, (maybe) leading secret online lives and unknowingly exposing themselves to possibly traumatic experiences online (bullying, abuse, sexual abuse) thereby deeply impacting their mental health. 

So how do relatively tech-challenged parents, parent their naturally tech savvy kids? The secret to it is an old parenting hack: Moderation and equipping children to make informed decisions (or in this case, informed usage). In short, educate your children to use technology (to their advantage), and not get used by technology. If that leaves you with more questions than answers, then you could pick up a copy of iParent OR use technology intelligently for some more answers / resources online.  

By Vanita Singh Fernandes (Mother of a curious 8-year-old dreamer)