Ep. 46: Parent as CTO
Sun Feb 01 2026
I am a passionate technologist as well as a parent. Our kids are growing up in a world ubiquitous with technology. Some of it good, some of it distracting, and some that is outright parasitic. Trying to control the technologies our kids get exposed to is a daunting task. I’m sharing some of my successes with a few failures along the way. You won’t be perfect, but you are not powerless.
Principles for Parenting and Tech
· Modeling – Use tech how you want your kids to use it. Practice what you preach.
· Friction – Make it harder to do things that you don’t want you kids to do.
· Limits – You set them and enforce them. Kids will test them
· Precedents – Once you make a choice, it is easier to stay consistent with that choice
· Single purpose tech over multi-purpose tech
· Pay over “free”
· Know your kids and what is right for your situation
More
I am a passionate technologist as well as a parent. Our kids are growing up in a world ubiquitous with technology. Some of it good, some of it distracting, and some that is outright parasitic. Trying to control the technologies our kids get exposed to is a daunting task. I’m sharing some of my successes with a few failures along the way. You won’t be perfect, but you are not powerless. Principles for Parenting and Tech · Modeling – Use tech how you want your kids to use it. Practice what you preach. · Friction – Make it harder to do things that you don’t want you kids to do. · Limits – You set them and enforce them. Kids will test them · Precedents – Once you make a choice, it is easier to stay consistent with that choice · Single purpose tech over multi-purpose tech · Pay over “free” · Know your kids and what is right for your situation