Tech insider coalition and advocacy group launch new campaign to protect kids from too much tech

The Center for Humane Technology has decided to join forces with Common Sense in order to introduce a new campaign called Truth About Tech. The purpose of this joint effort between the two groups is to basically encourage more awareness about how today’s technology and digital media can affect kids everywhere. Common Sense, a child advocacy group, is also pledging $7 million in funding for the campaign, and will fully leverage its existing partnerships with media entities such as DirecTV and Comcast in spreading the campaign’s message.

As pointed out by Tristan Harris, the co-founder and executive director of the Center for Humane Technology, via a press release, tech companies around the world have played a major role in continuing to fuel the attention economy, and the sad thing is that they do not discriminate between adults and kids in capturing (and retaining) their attention.

Much has already been written about tech and mobile addiction (especially recently with Apple), and some argue that tech companies can help immensely by actually trying to design gadgets or products that are less intrusive and less addictive. These same device makers can also help a lot by lending a hand in educating people everywhere in how they can properly utilize or consume media in their homes. 

Kids are particularly vulnerable simply because they are still trying to figure out how the world works, and the world we are living in now happens to be overloaded with tech and digital media. The Truth About Tech is far from being the only campaign to aim to protect kids. As a matter of fact, more than a week ago, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has sent a letter to Facebook, urging the world’s most widely used social media platform to discontinue its Messenger Kids mobile app.

While it is true that we have accomplished a lot, learned loads of stuff, and connected with others through the wonders of mobile technology, the information superhighway, and social media, too much usage and exposure to these things can take its toll on our brains and bodies. Among kids, it can affect their attention span, comprehension skills, retention, and even productivity.

The Center for Humane Technology also has another mission -- to get more tech insiders to join its cause. The coalition has been around this three years ago, and is run by some of the most notable names in the world of tech, including Harris who worked at Google, and Justin Rosenstein and Roger McNamee who both worked at Facebook before.