Constantly stimulating our senses

Do you agree that children today (and perhaps, adults too) are often over-stimulated in their senses? Children shuttle among electronic gadgets, tv-watching, computer screens, fun-filled activities, one after another often without breaks seeking after constant stimulation of the senses to excite. One of the most frequent complains of children and teens today is, "so boring!" - which I interpret to mean, "why nothing else to stimulate me?" I am not sure if this hunger for constant stimulation is good for them. In some sense, we can all be addicted to such stimulations so much so that we suffer from 'withdrawal symptoms' (such as sudden dip of interest levels, ie boredom) which then leads to crave for more such stimulations, thus feeding into the vicious cycle.

I guess the greater problem is that it robs a child of the other more important disposition of "quiet contemplation" -something I find somewhat a lost art today. Personally, I find that quiet moments to read, reflect, and pray are very important times for me. It helps me calm down, examine whether I have been doing/thinking aright, challenge my time allocations against my priorities, take in other points of view, and resolve to change course where necessary.

Sadly, these 'unexciting' dispositions are not in vogue today. It does not help that some
educators inadvertently encourage a lifestyle of over-stimulation by accepting that "children learn differently these days. Don't expect them to sit down and do one thing at a time. It is fine if they blast the music, open multiple chat windows on computer, do SMSes with friends, surf the internet, and study at the same time. This is the new norm of multi-tasking". I am not sure about that. All the disciplined people I know are the ones with high levels of concentration that allows them to go deep into their areas of specialization. Having thorough knowledge of something requires sustained, focussed, and often intense and undistracted attention into details. It is hard for me to imagine a person who habitually 'multi-task' will build the right habits of concentrating for long spans of time.

and so I am somewhat wary about starting my children off on a lifestyle of over-stimulation.
just a week ago, my eldest son asked for a 3G phone with a plan that allows him to go online. I was caught in a dilemma: I know that having such a phone in his hands is equivalent to having a 24-hr temptation for over-stimulation. This is especially worrying, knowing that he will sit for his A level at the end of next year. On the other hand, at some point in time as he grows up, the discipline must not be externally-imposed but rather from within, and he
needs to learn to deal with it gradually over the years ahead. He has so far been a rather contemplative person. I was really afraid that the smartphone will change his lifestyle altogether and take this precious part of his life away from him. I shared to him freely all my dilemmas, worries, and fears for him but left him to make his decision. I felt I had to let go ...

He decided to go ahead and he is holding the phone now. As expected, he is spending a lot of
time with it. I pray it will not consume him. I am not sure if I made the right decision ...