Essay on How Technology has Impacted Parenting

Although adults who didn’t have cell phones and computers when they were growing up think that all of this “screen time” is bad for children it really is not, “screen time” is actually good for kids, phones and computers help the human population communicate faster and more efficiently, the average social media user has more close ties, and the opportunities outweigh the so called “distractions”.

According to a 2010 Kaiser Foundation study, which involved elementary children, concluded that on average 75 percent of parents allowed their children to have bedroom TV’s, North American households keep their TV’s on for 50 percent of the day, and use 7.5 hours of technology entertainment per day (Rowan). Technology is becoming a problem throughout the United States, especially in elementary aged kids. Parents are introducing technology as early as infants so that they understand certain information at an early age. When parents introduce technology at such an early age they are giving their children the advantage to be addicted to the wonders of it. Young children are at a high risk of brain damage with the advancement of technology. The more adults introduce technology to younger children the higher the chances of problems it causes. Technology has a negative effect on younger children and should have limitations on the age in which it is being introduced.

Most children today have access to devices such as television, smartphones, computers, and tablets. These devices can be used in a variety of ways, with both positive and negative outcomes. For example, preschool aged children may use a device to learn letters, numbers, or colors. School aged children may use a computer to conduct research, or watch an educational show. A child may also sit in front of the television for many hours, reducing physical activity, and become obese. I believe it is important for the parent or caregiver of the child to monitor the amount of screen time, as well as the content to optimize the benefits these devices can offer.

Technology has been part of our daily live more frequently than before. Screen time has been more popularly used on kids and adolescents. On a daily bases many kids seem to spend more time inside on their tablets, instead of having to spend time with other kids. This is a problem that is becoming more popular over the years,on whether kids need to spend that much time on technology or not. Parents either seem to have strict technology usage, or they either don’t. There has always been a huge controversy with experts, who either think that screen time is beneficial or could cause problems later on in life. There are many views towards this topic, from hurting kids brains, to helping them during school, and socially.

“While most teenagers (60 percent) spend on average 20 hours per week in front of television and computer screens, a third spend closer to 40 hours per week, and about 7 percent are exposed to more than 50 hours of 'screen-time' per week”(Many Teens Spend). Many parents agree that they would rather not have their children view indecencies on the Internet and television, and the government should control the obscenities on the Internet. Others believe that it is the parent’s responsibility to control and censor what their children are watching on the Internet and television.

Teens’ screen time should be limited, not by a strict rule enforced by their parents, but by being taught guidelines as to how long and when are the appropriate times to use the devices. In his article, Don’t Limit Your Teen’s Screen Time, Chris Bergman argues that if technology is unrestricted, social events and time without supervision aren’t “an opportunity for… kids to binge on tech because they couldn't otherwise” (1). What Bergman is saying is the more you can not have something, the more you will want it, so by not enforcing strict rules about technology, parents allow their children to take social opportunities as a time to interact with others, rather than a time to sneak in more screen time. Although keeping a lenient rule over one’s

Today children are exposed to a different world than the one their parents grew up in. Consumerism plays a significant influence in children’s lives, including technology. This has led to over usage of technology as a reason for increased health issues in children, and basic building blocks of healthy development being ignored. Children are no longer interested in creative play, which is vital to problem-solving, learning, imagining and thinking. Instead, children can often be found sitting in front of a television, for up to seven hours a day, with their back hunched over and in an almost zombie like state of mind.

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

Children from two years old to the age of ten years old can be effected in a negative way. Sometimes parents give their children a tablet or their cell phone to entertain them while they try and get something important done. Sometimes they are out in public and their child is being too loud so they pull out the phone and let them watch T.V. on it so they can become quiet. The American Academy of Pediatrics explains, “Screens are distractions, not tools to soothe children. Television is not a “babysitter,” so parents should enforce rules about media use” (Roman). From the start of a child 's life parents should be careful about letting kids have the ability to watch too much tv or spend too much time staring at any type of technology. Parents tend to use their technology to keep

It is easy to get lost in the sea of information that is ever present today. Giving tips on what is safe and acceptable on the internet is very important to a growing child when they are using more technology at younger ages than ever before. In a followup interview with Dr. Owens, he says that “media today takes many forms and not all of them are reliable or even safe for all eyes. Even some adults could benefit from media literacy training and the idea of this course being taught at a young age means that those children will grow up to have more skills and knowledge than the generation at came before” (Owens). Media literacy training is not a new idea. When radio and television were the dominant forms of media, there were courses to help the average person understand the ins and outs of these forms of media. Today, there needs to be an appropriately developed course for digital media because it is equally if not more complex as the generations of media that came before it. The best way to advance media in the United States is to begin media literacy training at a young age. By the time these children have grown and are ready to enter the adult world, they will be qualified to work in our increasingly digital world with

The second reason why modern technology contributes to negative health problems is that children independently use technology, which impact on their social development and relationship. As the age of the kids, the majority of them still cannot control or understand how to limit themselves from their wants. Some children spend so much time playing computer and video games all alone that they are losing their ability to socialize with others, families and friends. Children can averagely spend six hours each day watching television or

Instead of using a videogame system or tablet to keep them entertained, they were exercising not only their bodies, but also their imaginations. Cris Rowan, author for The Huffington Post, stated in her article “The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child” that “A 2010 Kaiser Foundation study showed that elementary aged children use on average 7.5 hours per day of entertainment technology, 75 percent of these children have TV’s in their bedrooms, and 50 percent of North American homes have the TV on all day.” Today’s generation of kids are glued to these devices and heavily rely on them to keep them entertained. Unfortunately, parents have not helped this issue become any better: instead, they are quick to hand their toddler a phone or tablet in order to keep them “occupied” and out of their ways. It’s no surprise either that children are this way considering the recent boom in technological developments and further societal integrations. But is the introduction of technology of any kind at a young age as beneficial as it is put out to be? Today’s generation of kids, referred to as “glow kids”, is suffering from the overuse of technology in their daily lives. Children's emotional, social, and physical developments are being majorly hindered due to the increased integration of technology within their daily lives that is distributed by parents and

Technology and these devices are addictive. To tell parents and children that they should not limit themselves or their children on the amount of time they spend looking at screens is foolish, and sometimes it dooms

Technology in the world today is becoming more advanced than ever. Parenting is being made easier and harder for some families because of the new technology. Some families do not have the money for the new additions to the technological world and other families have everything they have ever imagined. Amitai Etzioni is a professor at George Washington University. He has written nineteen books including the article “High-Tech Parenting.” It appeared in The American Enterprise in January of 1998.

There is no doubt that when it comes to American youth television is one of the biggest influences by far. Many parents would love to say that their child does not watch that much TV but in reality they are spending a lot of time watching television or using media in some way. “The study by the Kaiser Family foundation shows that children ages 2-8 spend an average of 5 ½ hours a day “consuming media” kids 8 and older spend even more time in front of the tube nearly 6 ¾ hours a day” (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005 ). Astonishingly, more time is being spent with media then doing homework, studying or even spending time with family. A child’s retention of what