Many Kids Have Cellphones; These Silicon Valley Parents Ban Them

CUPERTINO, CA -- A Silicon Valley family is making headlines after it announced that it's limiting the use of gadgets in their household. In fact, the children don't even have cellphones, which may be a shocker for some families.

Parents Minni Shahi and Vijay Koduri have deep roots in Silicon Valley, according to Business Insider. Shahi works at Apple, while Koduri , a former Google employee, is working on his latest startup.

"The Koduris' life is that of the quintessential Silicon Valley family, except for one thing. The technology developed by Koduri and Shahi's employers is all but banned at the family's home," the Business Insider reported. "There are no video game systems inside the Koduri household, and neither child has their own cell phone yet. Saurav and Roshni can play games on their parents' phones, but only for 10 minutes per week."

Why are these parents, behind the innovation we see today, banning their children from technology?

"The approach stems from parents seeing firsthand, either through their job, or simply by living in the Bay Area — a region home to the most valuable tech companies on Earth — how much time and effort goes into making digital technology irresistible," Business Insider said.

Business Insider quoted a Silicon Valley Community Foundation survey that found "many parents now have serious concerns about tech's impact on kids' psychological and social development."

The limits vary among Silicon Valley parents. Amy Pressman of San Mateo said she limits cellphone use and gaming, the news site reported.

"This world didn't exist when I was growing up, and the restrictions my parents put on TV use don't make sense in the world of technology when the computer is both your entertainment and your homework and your encyclopedia," Pressman told Business Insider.

Growing Wireless, a research group developed by CTIA, found 56 percent of children between the ages of 8 and 12 have a cellphone. Seventy percent of children under the age of 12 have used a tablet device.

Seventy percent of households with children have a tablet, Growing Wireless said.

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