effects on children by Technology

Technology is an essential aspect of people’s lives all over the world. Technology is essential in all sectors of the economy, including manufacturing, transportation, communication, security, marketing, and education (Bittman et al., 2011). Yet, technology has both beneficial and bad effects on the development of children, which is the focus of this discussion. Children have become ardent consumers of technology as people’s reliance on it has grown. When compared to the days when children spent most of their time playing games, constructing forts, riding bicycles, and so on, the modern world has changed dramatically. The tremendous change in technology has affected lifestyles of people hence children no longer spend most of their time playing games, building forts, riding bicycles, etc., the current world has significantly changed. The tremendous change in technology has affected lifestyles of people hence children no longer spend most of their time doing physical activities. Children of the past created their own games which developed them into different personalities.

Today, the case has substantially changed. Children spend most of their time on I pads, computers, TVs, smart phones, and other technology devices. Technology has replaced children lifestyles as they depend on it for the majority of their plays which ultimately limit their creativity, imaginations, and physical development. Indeed, there is no clarity as to whether children should be exposed to technology devices or not. It is because scholarly arguments for and against exposing children to technology contain equal weights putting people in a dilemmatic situation concerning the apt measure to undertake (Radich, 2013). The most important advantage is that technology prepares children for the real and current world. Over 65% of the jobs in the world are executed using technology and parents are encouraged to introduce children to it as earlier as possible to take advantage of the emerging opportunities (Bittman et al., 2011). On the negative side, the argument is that using technology leads to socially stunted and health related problems. Then from these two major reasons, the question remains, what is the right insight? The most appropriate answer will be unveiled from the forthcoming discussions.

Pros of Exposing Children to Technology

Several studies have backed up allowing children to use technology as earlier as possible (Plowman et al., 2011). Some have suggested various benefits that will probably bolster children development and enable them appropriately fit the society after growing (Plowman et al., 2011). It is believed that technology enriches and accelerates basic skills in children. Children with access to technology are more engrossed in learning and understanding which results in quick mastery of new concepts. In the early stage, children brains are developing, and exposure to technology increases their capability to grasp, reason, and handle problems.

Because electronic materials are more stimulating and interactive, children who are exposed to technology are in a better position of understanding things quickly (Radich, 2013). Additionally, technology prepares children for the workforce or future errands. Today, comprehending on how to apply technology in various dynamics of life has become imperative to suit the society. Certainly, technology is becoming a necessity in the workforce. Most well-paying jobs require individuals to possess technology skills. Thus those who miss such attributes will be forced to work for low paying jobs. Some of the top ten demanded technology skills include cloud computing, network administration, web development and database management requires strong interests within individuals (Radich, 2013). Hence, it is suggested that technology should be introduced to children as earlier as elementary schools. Giving children up to date technologies will enable them to become more skilled, keep up with the ever changing technology, and further provide them with the knowledge they need to advance in the various places of work. Different nations across the world use technology to spur economic growth and development. Equally, enterprises use technology to create competitive advantages. Therefore, technology is requisite in all dimensions of life. The modern world accords more hopes on children and their introduction to technology should not resemble the previous generations since they are expected to stay at the frontier in the fast paced world.

Children can apply technology to supplement traditional activities and education. Technology should not be perceived as a replacement of the traditional system. Instead, children ought to be exposed to both to become dynamic. Moreover, the technology world is here to stay. Thus children should be accustomed to it because of the vast benefits. For instance, they can learn, communicate, share experiences, inform, and play games. These benefits are good for child development and constitute their everyday life. Hence, exposing the children to technology can help to develop appropriate skills and keep them abreast with technological transitions as they get older.

Furthermore, technology plays a crucial role in widening children social circles (Radich, 2013). This, however, contradicts the negative notion that text stunting and social networking hinders children development. The sheer truth is that social media in lives of children helps them to develop and sustain emotional stands with others. Social media through Facebook is a way children practice essential technology skills. Navigating through different media sites equips them with relevant skills which ultimately enhances their courage to individually handle many issues. Also, the use of technology improves the visual reasoning of children. Children who grow up watching high definition videos show an increase in their visual thinking skills. Such children portray the ability to give more attention to detail, and proper hand and eye coordination (Plowman et al., 2011). Therefore, this discussion evidently states that technology is vital in enhancing children learning and development and above all, it appropriately prepares them for future technology wizards (Bittman et al., 2011).

Cons of Exposing Children to Technology

Besides knowing many benefits of presenting technology to children such as bringing new perspectives, increasing their interaction, and enhancing brain development, there are various challenges associated with it. In many cases, problems are realized from the overuse of technology, thus implying that parents should regulate the level children access and use of technology enabled gadgets. For instance, video game addiction among the children has become a major challenge in China which has forced the government to establish rehabilitation centers to help them overcome the habit. Similarly, there is screen addition in the U.S by average teenagers who spend more than eleven hours per day engaged with different technology enabled items (Deloatch, 2015). The same trend is observed across the world. We are thus left with the unanswered question, should children be denied access to technology enabled devices in this digital era?

Firstly, technology changes the way children think especially the reckoning aspects. This is a sharp contrast to the earlier proposal that technology enhances brain development. Addiction to technology by children negatively affects the wiring of the brain. If children spend more time on video games, it only increases multiple stimuli but decreases child memory because of the distraction. For example, children that use search engines are useful in finding new information but bad in remembering things. The imagination, reading and thinking deeply of such children about the material is reduced. Secondly, technology compromises children security. It can put the safety and privacy of children at risks. Children may unwittingly share confidential information on the social media which can ultimately put them in danger. For instance, sex and other criminal offender’s use social networking sites to get information about victims (Deloatch, 2015). Children can also be bullied through the social media and further get inspired to participate in nude sexting.

Thirdly, children in the old days developed physically because of many plays and activities they participated in, activities that are currently replaced by technology. Today, children spend most of their time on technology hence risk developing health issues. It is observed that obesity is increasing among children not only because of the type of foods, but because they exercise less and spend more time on technology such as computers, mobile devices, and television (Roman, 2015). Cases of obesity among children are common in the U.S and Canada. It is argued that the continued use of technology limit development of the motor, sensory, and attachment systems. Consequently, children that overuse technology may develop health problems such as learning problems, autism, development delays, coordination disorder, sleep disorders, depression and anxiety which are currently increasing at an alarming rate. Therefore, for proper child development, it is essential to expose them to nature, human connection, touch and movement (Roman, 2015). This will help children to develop bilateral coordination, normal posture development, self-regulation, and optimal arousal state.

Health fitness overpowers occupational and social desires. Therefore parents should control the time children spend on technology. With good health, one is assured of attaining most aspirations through remaining focused and determined. Once children health is deteriorated, then further learning of technology skills becomes a challenge as most of the time will be used to seek medication. Individuals should thus monitor the use of technology among children, teach responsible usage, and offer alternatives to technology (Plowman et al., 2011). This will enhance the proper development of children, efficient use of technology which will probably enable young ones to utilize opportunities brought by technology.

References

Bittman, M., Rutherford, L., Brown, J., & Unsworth, L. (2011). Digital natives? New and old

media and children’s outcomes. Australian Journal of Education, 55(2), 161-175.

Deloatch, P. (2015). The Four Negative Sides of Technology. Accessed on July 24, 2017, from

http://www.edudemic.com/the-4-negative-side-effects-of-technology/

Plowman, L., Stevenson, O., McPake, J., Stephen, C., & Adey, C. (2011). Parents, pre-schoolers

And learning with technology at home: Some implications for policy. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27(4), 361-371.

Radich, J. (2013). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs

serving children from birth through age 8. Every Child, 19(4), 18-19.

Roman, S. (2015). Technology’s harmful effects on children. Accessed on July 24, 2017, from

http://publicsource.org/technologys-harmful-effects-on-children/