Wait. The pioneers who made incredibly popular products (Steve Jobs above) wouldn't let their own kids use them? What does that tell us?
Maybe these CEO's are people we should watch... and do what their kids do. They know the problems with their products. So if they don't want their kids using them, maybe we should avoid them too.
Popular Science did some digging into these pioneers and what they found was gascinating. Here's an example: Lunchables.
Bob Drane created the kids snack/food Lunchables. He did let his kids eat the sugar and salt laden lunches. But his grandkids aren't allowed to eat them. Drane's kids know what's in them, and they won't let their kids touch 'em.
How about soft drinks?
Food author Michael Moss interviewed the creator of Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, Howard Moskowitz. They were at lunch. When Moss offered him a drink of his own creation, Moskowitz said no, “I’m not a soda drinker. It’s not good for your teeth.”
When he finally gave in and took a sip, he called it "overwhelming" and "terrible".
Here's a no brainer. Cigarettes.
Reynolds American (maker of brands like Camel, L&M, Pall Mall, and more) stopped allowing it's employees from smoking cigarettes at work in 2014. And it's former CEO stopped smoking 15 yrs ago, acknowledging it's dangerous. David Crow, CEO of an Austrailian tobacco company, won't let his kids smoke. He told a Syndey newspaper: "It's bad for you. It says it on the pack. I've got a 13-year-old, an 11-year-old and a seven-year-old and if they smoke I tell them absolutely, categorically, 'Do not smoke'."
And back to tech.
Steve Jobs had drastic restrictions on his kids use of screens. He never let his kids touch an iPad.
Bill Gates told The Mirror, an English paper, "We don't have cellphones at the table when we are having a meal. [W]e didn't give our kids [cell phones] until they were 14 and they complained other kids got them earlier."
So what are the takeaways? Obviously moderation is key. But if the people who made these products know the dangers and wanted to protect their kids and grandkids from them... maybe we should be like those kids.