By Mark Naito
We have New Year’s diets, fitness, fasting and other resolutions, but what about our tech and faith? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “resolution” as the act or process of resolving.
But what can possibly be a “tech resolution”?
Not sure about you but whatever it is, it must be sustainable. Something that you not only see results right away but can keep it going without going crazy.
Something to ponder in 2026 is a statement from Bill Gates’ book, “The Road Ahead,” written back in 1995. He wrote: “Frankly, I’m not too concerned about the world whiling away its hours on the information highway. At worst, I expect, it will be like playing video games or gambling… A more serious concern than individual overindulgence is the vulnerability that could result from society’s heavy reliance on the highway.”
My New Year’s challenge to you and your family is to take inventory of how much screen time you to have per day and week. Don’t justify the “why” but consider how much you truly use screens throughout the week: smartphone, tablet, desktop computer (at home or work), TV, in stores or restaurants, etc.
From this you can ask yourself, “Why am I compelled to do this?”
If you’ve been reading our past articles, you have seen a theme. When you are with someone in person or wanting to catch up with someone, do it in person and without screen distractions. Especially your time with the Lord. Get a good old physical Bible and paper journal with pen. This is one fundamental that we encourage at Navigating Tech Family – being relational and in person. Why? Because God created us to be this way.
See Acts 2:41-42 – “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
We were meant to have fellowship and to be with each other for further nourishment of our soul. The Holy Spirit works when we’re person-to-person, and your fellowship will be much richer as you do more things with others.
Something to think about with screens is sometimes they have hints of isolation. Webster’s Dictionary defines isolation, in part, as “detachment from others, often involuntarily.” And from my many times in public settings, people may be right next to each other but are isolated with whatever they are consuming on their smartphones or TV. Try observing people the next time you’re at a restaurant, movie, coffee shop, etc. You will be surprised to see that people appear to be having a good time, but if they are looking at any screen, they are consumed by that medium.
Ahh, but this is such a downer!
Seems like it, but take a couple of weeks break from tech and see how truly refreshed you are. For some help you can check out Navigating Tech Families Reset Tech Kit which will help guide you through this process with tools and resources.
To help you with this, know your family ultimately does not care about most of the things you strive for every day. As a former healthcare professional in hospice and a memory care administrator, I can assure you that no person at end-of-life ever once said anything other than that they wanted to connect with certain people or make amends with others. Nothing about one last golf game, promotion, trip, etc. And your kids will not be mad at you for not getting them those “xyz” electronics but will care more about the time you spent with them without devices. Maybe you won’t hear that right away, but at some point, that will come up in their conversations.
Mark Naito is passionate about helping people by seeking ‘root cause’, providing result-oriented solutions and good outcomes. His passion has always been to empower others to be educated to make their own informed decisions on what makes sense for themselves or their family. He started Navigating Tech Family toward that goal. He is a family man with a beautiful wife and kids and loves doing life with his family in the outdoors. He may be reached at mark@navtechfam.com.
