Screens, Science & Sanity

Friends,

Watching my 18-month-old cousin pick up my iPhone, turn on the camera, and start recording.

Just like that.

She had no idea what she was doing—couldn't tell you the first thing about digital storage or how cameras work. But there she was, tiny fingers confidently navigating a device that my parents still sometimes struggle with.

It hit me then: this isn't just kids being kids. I’m watching something unfold. These little ones will never know a world without AI. For them, llms and neural networks aren't going to be some amazing breakthrough or fancy tool—it'll be as basic as electricity is to us.

Just... there.

Part of the furniture.

And that's kind of mind-blowing when you think about it. Because it forces us to ask some really big questions about how we raise kids in this new world.

The old playbook—you know, the one my parents used—it was written for a different game entirely.

When AI can write essays better than most humans, solve complex math problems in seconds, and create art that sells for thousands... what exactly should we be teaching our kids?

Here's what I'm starting to think: maybe we're asking the wrong question entirely.

Maybe it's not about what we teach them, but how we let them learn.

Let me share something fascinating I've been seeing more and more among parents.

They're taking this surprisingly simple approach: give kids tons of freedom, but with just enough structure to keep things on track. The whole framework boils down to three basic rules:

1. Do an hour of math or programming each day

2. Read for two hours

3. After that? Go wild. Explore. Figure out what lights you up.

It's based on this idea from Sarah Fitz-Claridge and physicist David Deutsch about "taking children seriously, or TCS”

Instead of trying to prepare kids for some specific future (which, let's be honest, none of us can predict anymore), it's about helping them become adaptable, creative thinkers who can roll with whatever comes their way.

Now, I know what you're thinking—probably the same thing most parents think when they hear this: "But what about screen time? Won't they just play Minecraft all day?"

Here's the thing: when you actually watch how this plays out in families that try it, something fascinating happens.

Kids, when given the freedom to manage their own screen time, turn out to be pretty sophisticated users. I've seen it myself:

• They'll go through phases—yeah, sometimes they'll binge-watch YouTube for a week straight

• But then something clicks, and suddenly they're not just watching—they're creating

• The learning becomes organic—they're diving into complex topics not because anyone's making them, but because they genuinely want to know more

Speaking of YouTube—here's something that'll blow your mind: instead of banning it, why not just turn the captions on.

That's it.

Suddenly, watching videos becomes a reading exercise. Sneaky, right? But it works.

(works for anyone wanting to learn a new language as well)

Let me level with you, this weekend, after spending hours playing with my cousins, reading books, running around in fields and building forts doing all the "good" caregiver things, I turned on the TV.

Just a regular kids' moive—not even one of those fancy educational programs. And immediately felt terrible about it.

You know that feeling? That voice in your head saying you should've put on a nature documentary or something about space exploration instead? Yeah, that one.

But here's what I'm realising: maybe this guilt says more about me than the children I am looking after.

I know I’ve created this whole hierarchy in my head—educational content good, entertainment bad.

But is it really that simple?

I learned problem-solving from video games, picked up empathy from cartoons, and expanded my vocabulary through song lyrics.

None of that would've counted as "educational content" back in the day.

The truth is, watching these kids navigate their digital world with such natural grace has taught me something important: they don't see technology as this separate thing that needs to be managed or controlled.

It's just part of their world, like air or water. Maybe that's the perspective I need to adopt when I interact with children.

After all, the best thing we can do for our kids probably isn't trying to protect them from technology or even teaching them to master it.

It's giving them the freedom to figure out their own relationship with it, and help them do that.

Best

v

What I got up to last week

Three wild days of AI exploration just blew my mind. What started as a simple tutorial turned into a tech revelation: coding is now about conversation, not complexity. I went from code-phobic to building an AI-powered RSS reader by literally talking to my computer.

Met up with Alex Banks, who cuts through the AI hype like a laser. We dove into everything from solving freelance receipt nightmares to the wild potential of tech in elder care. The 80-year-old reader from Wales who's deep into his AI newsletter? Pure magic.

Bottom line: We're in a quiet revolution where technology understands us, not just serves us. Anyone can build now – no coding required, just curiosity and the right conversational tools.

Tech is getting beautifully human.