The advent of technology has brought many goodies on how humans interact, communicate and the different forms of entertainment. The use of technology has overtaken the world and children are not spared. There is a big difference between children of the current millennia and the previous one (Jackson et al, 2012). Technology has changed how children play and the games they play. In the past, most games were outdoor based, and the children were creative to the extent of developing their games. The days of children riding their bikes into the thickets, molding of items using clay and playing soccer into the night is slowly diminishing. Currently, children are relying on technology for their games. Introduction of gadgets like Nintendo, iPad, smartphone and laptop computers has dramatically changed the behaviors of children. The essay aims to analyze and explain the impact technology has on the development of children currently.
Technology in the 21st century is changing the way family interact, and that is trickling down to the children (Lee, 2013). Technology is slowly replacing playtime. Children need outdoor play, which is essential in their bodies motor development. Child psychologist suggests that children learn body coordination by engaging in physical activities like playing soccer, playing chase, and cycling. Many children get diagnosed with coordination disorders a condition which can be prevented by engaging in physical play (Rose et al., 2014).
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Secondly, the overreliance on technology as a means of play has limited creativity among children. Very few children can be counted to possess artistic skills, which are regarded as an essential skill considered when achieving literacy; hence most children are unlikely to attain the different milestones of child development. Children are struggling to do learn basic concepts at school and home as a result of overreliance on planned activities like games (Şahin, 2012). The games and internet use diverts the attention of the children making it difficult for the teachers to impact education. Students would today claim of holding the whole world in their hand which is true owing to the different devices available. The general ability to think and create is substantially limited as one would only search the internet to get answers they need.
Technology is exposing children to violent content in the form of film or games. Movies involving war and destruction, organized crime and villain themes are the bestselling so are the games. Such content increases the level of psychological, physical and behavioral disorder. Children tend to engage in physical fights with fellows at school or home. Children imitate what they see and experience in most cases; therefore, more exposure to violent content will mean that they will feel okay to solve issues by getting into fights (Strasburger et al, 2012). The violent imagery from the films tends to alter the perspective of the developing child as such do not provide a proper direction and guidelines on how to interact with the real world.
The excessive and uncontrollable use of technological tools has an impact on the health of the children. Children suffering from obesity and diabetes are on the rise to a level it has been declared as a national epidemic (Leung, 2104). In the United State, it is reported that close to 2/3 of the children have television sets in their room with internet connectivity and electronic gaming devices like console or Pes. When not at school, children would spend half of the day playing on the computer. The body of children requires physical activities so that growth and development can be achieved.
The auditory and visual sensory system of a developing child exposed to too much internet is always overloaded. The imbalance brings several problems in the neurological development. The anatomy and pathways of the brain becomes impaired. The children exposed to violent content seems to be always in a state of stress and adrenalin rush since the body cannot interpret that whatever they watch are not real. These children continually develop state of unease with increased heart rate and breathing. Psychologists are yet to determine the long-term effects of the chronic stress seen to be emerging in children, but there are suggestions they may be related to weak immune system and other disorders (Rowan, 2013).
Young internet users always feel some loneliness, and in most cases, depression comes. Using more of the internet means less time is spent on socializing with the families and friends. Hours spent on the internet stimulates and alters the way a child views the world; they tend to find the physical world boring (Rosen et al, 2014). Once the boredom kicks in the child may constantly isolate themselves from others, such isolation would later result in the child joining the different Psychonaut subcultures that are always recruiting members through the internet.
The children exposed to too much internet are in most cases experiencing difficulties in separating facts from fiction. Majority of the contents on the internet has no peer review and filters; therefore, any person is at the will of publishing anything they desire. The informal type of communication mostly familiar with individuals on the chat rooms is slowly infiltrating into the classroom. Students answer their essays and exam papers, and you will come across a few students using the language from the internet. Students today would turn to the internet for any answer thus reducing the reading culture. Furthermore, individuals would do minimal research to ascertain that the content on the web is accurate (Parrish et al, 2013).
Children are today vulnerably exposed to cyber-related crimes. Pedophiles who pose to be good Samaritans have lured children and ending up molesting and abusing the children. Crooked elements can get in touch with the children and in the process feeding them with unnecessary content to the extent of getting them radicalized into organized crime and terror groups. Cyberbullying is also a significant concern as it impacts significantly on the emotional development of a child. Victims of cyberbullying are demoralized since they at sometimes shamed because of their physical attributes (Hamm et al. 2015). The bullying across the internet has given rise to several suicide attempts among children.
The attention of the developing children is much affected by the use of the internet (Rowan, 2013). The children are unlikely to be consistent with the focus in one particular thing. The purpose of technology seems to condition a child’s brain on how to digest information very different from reading. While reading from a book, one gets submerged quietly with visual restriction in a slow-paced setting where there is minimal destruction on the other hand, on the internet several distractions surround an individual
The internet is also making the children hesitant when required to make a face-to-face communication. It is surprising that today individuals may have millions of friends on the web but countable in real life. It would be easier to say hello to the person on the internet than an individual sitting next to a metro or bus. The current generation is shy of making a face-to-face conversation; hence the friendship in the real world is slowly fading. In social gatherings, it would be familiar to see people seated side-by-side all glued to the screen of the tablets or mobile phones.
Conclusion
Teachers, parents, and therapists have a considerable role in helping the young citizens from destruction courtesy of internet use. The effects of technology are very evident on how the physical, behavioral health and psychological characteristics of today’s children tend to be different from those of the previous decades. Ability to learn and creativity is slowly fading, and children are growing unable to sustain their family or personal relationships.
References
Hamm, M. P., Newton, A. S., Chisholm, A., Shulhan, J., Milne, A., Sundar, P., ... & Hartling, L. (2015). Prevalence and effect of cyberbullying on children and young people: A scoping review of social media studies. JAMA pediatrics , 169 (8), 770-777.
Jackson, L. A., Witt, E. A., Games, A. I., Fitzgerald, H. E., Von Eye, A., & Zhao, Y. (2012). Information technology use and creativity: Findings from the Children and Technology Project. Computers in human behavior , 28 (2), 370-376.
Lee, S. J. (2013). Parental restrictive mediation of children’s internet use: Effective for what and for whom?. New Media & Society , 15 (4), 466-481.
Leung, L. (2014). Predicting Internet risks: a longitudinal panel study of gratifications-sought, Internet addiction symptoms, and social media use among children and adolescents. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine: An Open Access Journal , 2 (1), 424-439.
Parrish, A. M., Okely, A. D., Stanley, R. M., & Ridgers, N. D. (2013). The effect of school recess interventions on physical activity. Sports medicine , 43 (4), 287-299.
Rosen, L. D., Lim, A. F., Felt, J., Carrier, L. M., Cheever, N. A., Lara-Ruiz, J. M., ... & Rokkum, J. (2014). Media and technology use predicts ill-being among children, preteens and teenagers independent of the negative health impacts of exercise and eating habits. Computers in human behavior , 35 , 364-375.
Rowan, C. (2013, May 29). The impact of technology on the developing child. The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2014 , from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris rowan/technology-children-negative-impact_b_3343245.html
Şahin, M. (2012). The relationship between the cyberbullying/cybervictmization and loneliness among adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review , 34 (4), 834-837.
Strasburger, V. C., Jordan, A. B., & Donnerstein, E. (2012). Children, Adolescents, and the Media:: Health Effects. Pediatric Clinics , 59 (3), 533-587
Annotated Bibliography
Rowan, C. (2013, May 29). The impact of technology on the developing child. The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2014 , from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negative-impact_b_3343245.html
Chris Rowan highlights the impact technology has on the developing child. Rowan who is a biologist, pediatric occupational therapist, a speaker, and a renowned speaker presents his argument in the most organized manner. The starts by reminiscing the good days on how children played highlighting some of the games that were common in the past two decades. Rowan presents his argument by doing a comparison with the recent times where a majority of children have turned to indoor games mainly those that involve technology devices like phones, computers, and television
The article is informative and can be a good reference text when researching primarily on the effects technology has on the developing child. The statistics used in the section are great but still need review as they reflect data from 2010. A recent study needs to be conducted to understand further how children in the United States consume contents from the internet. The many rhetorical questions in the article can be useful for class discussion.
Clinton, C., & Steyer., J. (1970, January 1). Is the internet hurting children?. CNN. Retrieved February 22, 2014 , from http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/opinion/clinton-steyer-internet-kids/
Chelsea Clinton and James Steyer’s article to the CNN seems to be opening a Pandora’s box when it comes to internet use and how it negatively affects the children. They begin by acknowledging how the internet revolution has changed the way people interact and communicate. However, they also point that a majority of people are ignoring the effect of social media and general internet usage has on children particularly. The two authors summarize on the emotional and social impacts of social media. They believe that excessive use of social media has a long-lasting effect on the development of a child.
The article provides excellent insight into the topic. The statistics used in the section are useful and can be used to do further research on the subject and particularly on cognitive development. The recommendation of national dialogue to tackle the issue is appropriate and need to be looked into by the relevant stakeholders
