The kids aren't all right

John Denver told us years ago to blow up our TVs, move to the country and eat a lot of peaches.

Don't know the song? Ask your kids to download it. Even though they think John Denver is some kind of omelet, they'll have your music for you in about 18 seconds, burned on a CD or dumped into your favorite listening device.

Your kids are pros with this stuff, but are they overdoing it? If so, what are you going to do about it?

In an excellent series on cyberbullying this week on cnn.com, a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation was referenced. According to the foundation report, children between the ages of 8 and 18 spend an average of 7.5 hours each day using their electronic devices.

"And because they spend so much of that time 'media multitasking' (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content into those 7.5 hours," the study says.

Just last weekend, The Press reported that area school district efforts to eliminate students'texting during class time have failed. Yes, progress has been made, but it's widely seen as a problem with no real solution.

We admit that we're stunned by the way this generation has not just embraced cell phone texting and Twitter and Facebook as primary routes for social interaction, but by the way that's changed the way these individuals think and behave in actual social settings with real human beings. We also admit that we're old and tend to see the shortcomings more clearly than the advantages. But as with so many aspects of life, too much time with electronics cannot be healthy.

So here's the good news. If your kids or grandkids fit the bill of spending more time with their electronic entertainment than they do in the classroom, do something about it.

Talk to them. Understand what they're doing and why before outright condemning or threatening. Take a look in the mirror before you order them to. Did you set up a meeting with your 15-year-old by sending him a text message? Did you answer your cell phone or have the laptop open or keep glancing at the big-screen TV while you were talking to your child? If so, your hypocrisy alarm should be going off. If it isn't with you, you can bet it is with your child or grandchild.

Awareness is the first step, and good face-to-face communication can lead to healthier practices throughout the family. Facebook is fun and can be downright entertaining, but it can't compare to the family going out for ice cream or to a pumpkin patch or having dinner together.