Gigabytes and Grades: Some Effects of Technology on Childhood Development and Learning

The organization Alliance For childhood (2012) is concerned with the rise of and overuse of screen technology especially on very young children. According to the Alliance For childhood (2012), technology is interfering with “young children’s active and hands-on creative play, time with nature, and their face-to-face interactions with caring adults and other children” (p. 5). The Alliance For childhood (2012) believe that because technology is moving at a rapid rate educators do not have enough time to fully understand the ramification it has on education, developmental, ethical, and social aspect of their design and use. Additionally, the Alliance For childhood (2012) are concerned with the decline of creative play that technology has on

This technology revolution sparked a debate on children’s use of technology. Children are constantly using iPads, iPhones, tablets, and other computerized devices. By over exposing children to technology, they are being robbed of the mental stimulation that comes from doing real, non computerized, activities. It has gotten to the point where one can see a two-year-old navigate an iPhone with ease but struggle to speak. Sixty-nine percent of children aged two to five can use a computer mouse, but only eleven percent can tie their own shoelaces (Generation Tech More Kids Can Play Computer Games than Ride a Bike). Also, children are at an all time low in the creativity department

Included below is a summary about the article titled “How Young is Too Young for Technology,” by Josie Gurney-Read, and published by Telegraph. This article talks about the positive and negative impacts when exposing young children to technology. First, Read opens up the article explaining that by the time children start school, 70% are already confident in using a laptop, tablet or smart phone. Read also notes, that 17% of children under the age of three have their own device. The article then discusses that the American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under the age of two should be discouraged from using technology and that preschool kids shouldn’t be using devices for more than two hours per day (Read). Professor Manfred Spitzer

the past few decades of American Society, technology has become a major factor in everyday life. As years go by, one will see many young children with phones, computers, or any form of technological device. This demand for technology has left children with an undesirable wanting for these devices. Because of technology, kids will forget the necessary foundations of life. Technology has resulted in a weakened foundation that children decades ago used to have. This includes the bases of necessary social skills and behaviors that children should have. The first image is from a Today.com news report. The second image is from a Huffington Post article. The growing technology field has severely impacted how children are able to adjust to minor adversities

It is explained that past studies were conducted in a time when only video games and TV where the norm and that the advent of smartphones and tablets requires further research. The researchers thus conduct a self-reported survey on 2,620 children from ages 8 to 16 asking their use time regarding common devices including iPads and laptops. The finding was that children ages 8-16 are for the most part exceeding the limit time but the use of the devices and type of use differed depending on the sex, age and even grade of the child. The study also goes into great detail on the fact that schools are more and more embracing technology. This source may be somewhat useful for my paper. My research is supposed to be focused on very young children, 8 – 16 years old is not exactly a toddler. However, the article serves as a reminder that technology use is already very prevalent in older children and becoming a part of standard education. I can use this information to tie it with all my other findings about importance of adopting

Many parents nowadays don’t even second guess handing their kid an tablet or phone to occupy them while they are running errands or eating. This is likely because the most convenient way to get a kid’s undivided attention for a prolonged period of time- no matter how young or old they are- is to put a screen in front of them. It has been said by the older generations that we are too consumed with technology, but in a world that is fast becoming technology dependent, the question ‘how early is too early to introduce technology to kids?’ arises. Some say that it is never too early- to start right off the bat and incorporate it in their everyday lives. Others disagree and say that technology should not be used until after the age of two due to

The technological world has both gains and losses for young children. On one hand, it is an exciting avenue for learning and for developing skills. These skills are essential for their future life and work while on the other hand, it causes poor mental and physical health. In addition, their own creativity is lost as they rely more on the internet. Children who are heavy users of electronic games do less homework, read and exercise less, and do less to help around the home.

We use technology every day, but have you ever stopped to think about just how much technology or internet is being used? Have you ever stopped to think about when we first picked up a tablet or first started watching television? Technology has positive aspects such as having the ability to communicate with people in a different country. However by being introduced to technology at a young age is very harmful to children. Too much access to technology causes many problems in young children as well as in teenagers. Too much technology and internet affect a child’s mental health, how the child interacts with others, and can lead to physical health problems.

At the rate our society’s utilization of technology is advancing, it’s no surprise that children growing up with it will quickly become adept to it. Children can easily navigate their way through technologies such as smartphones, tablets, iPads, etc, because that’s what they are growing up with now. Sure, around the year I was born, computers were a thing. In fact, they actually started to become more widespread in homes and schools back in the 1970s. On one of our home videos, you can hear my mom asking my grandpa where my older sister (2 years old at the time) is at, to which he responds “Oh, Jayci is on the internet again.” Probably referring to a computer game such as Pajama Sam, Spy Fox, or Freddi Fish that was won in a cereal box. Fast forward 17 years, and you see toddlers swiping, unlocking, and locating different features on touch screen devices with ease. When I babysit for my backdoor neighbors, the kids fight over who’s going to use the tablet; for me at their age, it was always the Gamecube controller my sister and I fought over.The point is that with each generation, technology is becoming more and more advanced. Just as toddlers today are exposed to more technology than kids growing up in the 90s, children 10 years from now will grow up in an even further technologically advanced society. But how much technology is too much? Technology is a very versatile tool, but as a society we are headed in

In today’s society we are overwhelmed with technology. Technology is changing everyday, and will forever be a staple in our lives. The effect that technology has on our children has brought on some concerns and some praises. Children these days have no choice but to some how be influenced by the ever growing technology in our societies. Our common concern has been that although digital technology has boosted children’s talent for multitasking, their ability to process information deeply may be deteriorating (Carpenter, 2010). Many people have a wide range of opinions on if technology is having a positive influence on our children or a negative, there is a vast amount of evidence to support both of these arguments. Technology can refer to

Technology has so quickly taken over our lives without questioning the affects, especially in Early Years as children begin to learn about the social world, away from the home environment. As the modern world develops an ever increasing reliance on technology, the affects on children and their learning are unknown. Technology has made our lives easier and enabled us to do things generations before us would have never even dreamt of, despite this, questions as to whether technology could have adverse affects on young children's learning need to be asked. Many people would suggest that allowing children to spend

It is common to hear parents, somewhat jokingly, say their toddlers know more about navigating their smartphones than they do themselves. They are proud that their babies are tech savvy, as they should be. Many parents believe that since their children will be using technologies when they start school, they would be behind from the start if they do not have some technological skills ahead of time. Some of these parents probably lack confidence in their own technological abilities and want to make sure that their children are better prepared. Even low-income parents want to be sure that their children have opportunities to learn, so they let them spend a lot of time at public libraries or with friends or relatives who have computers at home (Plowman and McPake, 2013).

The current generation of children is completely different than the preceding ones. They are living in the digital age. “Technology has blended in with daily activity to become a way of life and children today take for granted all of which is automated. It is hard for kids nowadays to imagine a world that existed without all of the gadgets, electronics and seamless operations that computer technology provides.” (3) “Children in the United States devote some 40 hours a week to television, video games and the Internet.” (12) Many psychologists and researchers are concerned about the impact that technology has on children. Children, tomorrow’s future parents and leaders, are being consumed by the negative effects that technology had on their

Today’s technology has greatly impacted the young children’s everyday lives. Phones, tablets, and computers are all a form of technology that impact the way kids are influenced. Some children get phones or computers at young ages and it can cause kids to depend on it to entertain them. Eventually they will allow the technology to take over and have it become the form of communication between friend and family instead of face to face. As parents continue to buy their children new technology they don’t monitor the amount of time their children spend on the Internet. Technology is becoming more advanced overtime which causes children to become more attached and unable to function without it near by.

What someone spends a lot of time practicing in childhood, whether it would be academics or simply watching television, tends to dictate what they will be well-suited to perform when matured. It’s easy to conclude that diversity in activities is important to development. The time children have to spend on computers (any kind, including smart phones) must be limited to a reasonable degree, and parents must unfortunately do the same for themselves in order to set a clear example (this may be hard to do since friends may expect instant communication through texting). Three aspects of computation that should be regulated with children are, social media, smart phones, and entertainment.