instead of giving their children the time of day, playing board games and taking them out to the park, or arcades, they put them online,
I know you’re not addressing me specifically, but I would like to state that I mentioned above that board-games (parents and kids) were an important “ritual” in our home.
While I’m all for kids spending quality time with their parents, there also has to be some “down time” for parents as well. If I take a nap on Shabbos afternoon and allow my kids to go out or read or play by themselves, I don’t consider that neglect. Likewise, if I allow my kid some time to play a game on-line, I don’t consider that neglect either. On the contrary, it’s allowing the kid to learn to entertain themselves for a while — something that they should be able to do after a certain point.
Are there parents who are irresponsible and use the internet (and, in the previous generation, the TV) as a babysitter? Certainly. But don’t paste everyone who allows their kids to go online for fun with the same brush.
The Wolf