Only a few years ago, children were playing outside all day, playing sports, building forts and riding bikes. Children use to create their own form of play, that didn’t require costly equipment or adult supervision. Today, children are spending an increasing amount of their time using technology, sometimes without realizing the effects. While some argue that technology can greatly benefit to a child’s learning and education, others argue that overuse of electronic media can cause an unbalance in a child’s daily life, and can be harmful to those who don’t have access to digital devices and the internet.
It is hotly contested whether children should be encouraged to use technology, as it can expose them to inappropriate and harmful content. However, technology can be a great benefit to a child’s life, as new technology “opens up new worlds to them” says Nancy Jennings in her article called ‘Children and Computer Technology’. (Jennings, 2013) This is important to notice, as children who are using technology have a wider range of resources for school projects and research, as well as new platforms that are exposing them to new learning methods and education systems. Technology can also encourage children to capture, create and share memories, increase instant communication and enhance learning abilities. According to an article ‘10 Benefits of Exposing Young Children to Modern Technology’, (DigiParenthood, 2013) “Technology presents opportunities to present different activities children may eventually engage in.” An example that they mentioned was children get the idea of what sports such as gymnastics look like, or even race car driving. All in all, this suggests that technology can also lead and engage children to their biggest interests and passions for their future. Relating to sports, I personally find that technology can really spread the news about sports competitions such as swim meets, soccer tournaments, marathons etc. I also know useful apps for both swimming and gymnastics created for parents, coaches and athletes to get access to updated scores, times and points for competitions all around the world. Overall, technology can have great benefits to a child’s but also a parent's daily life.
A reason technology can be harmful to children is that they can lead to an unbalance in their daily life, sleep and screen time. Some parents take an active role in their kid’s lives and set limits on technology. According to an article titled ‘Balancing Screen Time’, poor sleeping patterns are related to the overuse of electronic media, and concluded that technology “raise a public health concern regarding lifestyle and functioning in young individuals”. (Ikeepsafeorg, 2016) This means that children who are using electronic devices regularly may not be balancing their important tasks with their screen time. I personally find that I feel more enriched and satisfied when I get enough sleep, while still accomplishing other important tasks. An article on Huffington Post titled ‘The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child’ stated that “The truth is, no matter how engaging and educational certain technologies may be, if a child is sitting in front of a screen they are generally not being physically active or learning social skills.” (Cris, 2013) This brings up my point of technology balance, as many children are spending time on screens rather than balancing their daily lives with being physically active and learning new social skills. This also shows that being engaged in sports and other hands on activities can teach more skills to children than when they are sitting on their laptop. However, some argue that children should be independently choosing the appropriate platforms to be learning and entertaining themselves for their own benefits, rather than their parents. From personal experience, this can be very difficult because you can become very attached to what you are doing on the screen, and it can become a habit. With parent supervision, children will know the restrictions better, and it is more likely that they will listen to them. In an article named ‘The Truth About Kids and Tech’ by Heather Jones, it refers to Common Sense Media saying that “tweens from 8 to 12 years of age spend an average of four-and-a-half hours each day watching TV or using a digital device. (Jones, 2015) For teens 13 to 18, the average is six-and-a-half hours.” This is showing that as kids are becoming older, they are spending more time on digital devices. Making sure that you are not spending too much time on digital devices is important, therefore making parent supervision necessary.
Another reason technology can be harmful to a child is that most digital devices are expensive. Children who are living in lower income and lower educational household families are less likely to have access to the internet. Others may feel that this can benefit to the children, as they are not exposed to harmful content and are not distracted by what is on their screens nevertheless, I contend that children who can’t afford digital devices may feel left behind. I think this because these children won’t have access to the internet for homework, school projects and for their own entertainment. A recently published article by Terrance F. Ross stated that “Currently, 99 percent of America's K-12 public schools and libraries are somehow connected to the web.” (Ross, 2015) This is relevant as the small number of children or schools that don’t have access to the internet are not using the same resources as the majority of other children, which may be making them feel like they are not part of this new technology world. In the same article, they also mention that “In today's schools, having a dial-up connection is far from sufficient when measuring adaptation to modern times.” The part that seems relevant is the mention of modern times. As society will eventually grow, technology will grow with it, and it is therefore important to know and possibly have access to the internet and other digital devices.
As technology will grow and surround us, it is important to know the benefits but also the negatives of electronic devices. Technology can improve and build upon our education systems, giving access to more tools and resources than ever before. However, it is clear that overuse of electronic devices can have serious negative effects. In order to prevent these effects, parents need to make sure their children are improving their self control and limiting their use of technology in their daily lives, and also making sure they get enough exercise and sleep.
Resources:
Ross, Terrance F. "When Students Can't Go Online." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 13 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
"10 Benefits of Exposing Young Children to Modern Technology." DigiParenthood. N.p., 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Cohen, Katherine. "Kids Spend Too Much Time with Technology." Newsworks.org. N.p., 16 June 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
"Balancing Screen Time." Ikeepsafeorg RSS. N.p., 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
Jones, Heather, and Belinda Luscombe. "News." The Truth About Kids and Tech. N.p., 4 Nov. 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.
Rowan, Cris. "The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 May 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
Wartella, Ellen, and Nancy Jennings. "Children and Computer Technology - The Future of Children -." Princeton University. Trustees of Princeton University © 2014, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.
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