Does technology improve or diminish from childhood?

When I was a kid I remember spending most of my time outside running, and  riding bikes. While outside we used our imagination and found many ways to entertain ourselves. The biggest thing was we were outside moving around and getting exercise. I never remember being bored while playing outside unless I was stuck inside because of weather like rain or snow

In contrast If I sent my kids outside they think that I am punishing them. They would rather be inside staring at their phone’s watching YouTube, or other electronic devices. Some days my son will move from the PlayStation to the computer to the couch and play on his phone. He is never very far from some type of technology. The only exercise he gets is moving from one place to another. The kids kind of remind me of the people in the movie Wall-E, they get little to know exercise and I do not believe that is good for their health.
I have been thinking about inducing an 8-hour period where there are not electronics each weekend. I am not anti-electronics, I believe that they are great tools and make life easier. It is nice to search Google and find answers to questions being able to check accounts on the fly. I just wonder if there is a good balance between tech and no tech. The biggest thing is that I want my kids to have full lives, not just watch them waste away on the couch playing video games or playing on their phones.
Growing up we used our imaginations, we would go outside and invent games, or run around, jump on trampolines. Nowadays it seems our kids are lacking in imagination. I told my kids to go outside and figure something to do with no phones, they grumbled and acted pissed off. I went outside to check on them they were all sitting on the porch and on the patio doing nothing, just waiting to be able to come back inside.

The pros of electronics

1. Entertaining
2. Information
3. Making life easier
4. Access to others friends/family
5. Sharing information and pictures with relative’s that live far away.
6. Online Gaming
7. Online shopping

The cons of electronics

1. Clouds the mind
2. Promotes laziness
3. Feeds into people's need for instant gratification
4. Kids have no interaction with each other or other members of the family
5. Online Shopping

I have watched families while out to dinner with my own. You will see every member of The family looking down at their phones while they wait for the staff to bring food or drinks to the table. There is no interaction between the family. This concerns me because i read a study that said if you spend dinner every night as a family interacting then you children are less likely to be in trouble with the law. We have a rule at our house no phones at the table, and the kids have to tell us something they learned every night before they are allowed to leave the table.

When I dive my kids places they don’t look up from their phone to see where they are going. The problem is that when they start driving the may not know how to get to places in town, or anywhere else. You see so many people getting into accidents looking at their phone or texting while driving due to people's obsession with knowing what is going on.