Managing Your Child’s Media Use in Three Easy Steps
It’s never been easy to be a parent. Today, it’s becoming increasingly more complex as the field of digital technology rapidly expands, leaving parents in a tailspin. A Google search of “kids and technology use” returns over five million results, all of which offer their own two cents about the ideal way to raise children in the digital world. How could anyone possibly navigate his or her way through that? What is one supposed to make of constantly changing information regarding healthy media habits? I’m here to offer three simple steps parents can take to solve the problem of how to use media with your young children. Be educated. Be smart. And don’t be afraid.
The first step--becoming
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They state that, “Experiences in infancy establish habits of seeking, noticing, and incorporating new and more complex experiences, as well as schemas for categorizing and thinking about experiences” (Hart & Risley, 2003). The paper goes on to explain that children who were exposed to more language and diverse vocabulary themselves expressed more utterances, and utterances that varied in vocabulary use. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that interacting with children is a positive way to stimulate them cognitively. But this begs the question how should parents interact with the children?
When it comes to interacting with children using media, the definition of positive interactions becomes more ambiguous. This is where the idea of co-viewing comes into play. Co-viewing is just as it seems--watching something with another person or several people. For young children and their parents, co-viewing facilitates the cultivation of shared experiences, ensures comprehension support from parents, and allows parents to monitor the content their children consume. The notion of co-viewing extends far beyond simply sitting next to a child on a couch and passively watching Sesame Beginnings, for example. Co-viewing implies parental engagement with the child and the program. Pointing and saying things like, “look at the piano! We
Research in New Zealand states that ‘Almost one in five of the 2-year-olds in the study were also regularly active on home computers, tablets and other mobile devices’ (Russell Blackstock, 2014). Benefits from using media and technology from a young age, suggest an increase in vocabulary, numeracy and social skills, through television programs that show cooperative behaviour. (Raising Children Networks, 2014) state that, it’s particularly ‘helpful if you get involved with your child and her use of media – for example, you can visit quality websites together, encourage use of educational software, and view TV shows offering extra learning opportunities.’ This leads to engagement with the content e.g. repeating and acknowledgement of words, numbers and objects, decision making skills. Even from a young age babies can develop knowledge for culture, problem solving skills and an early grasp of technology use, which will largely shape the generation they live in.
Screen use can be an essential learning tool for our children. Things such as computers and tablets have many things to offer. One argument people may make, is that there is bad content that children may be exposed to online. The screen use; however, is not the problem. It is the content. More media
Elise Hu wrote an informative article to all parents raising children, giving insight on consumption and content their toddlers should be viewing. Hu starts off with commenting about her own children and how well they are able to adapt to technology. Hu argues that there is a tension in modern parenting with technology because it is something new that we never had to deal with before. Hu states that parents want their children to adapt to technology, but not to become addicted to it; which is a challenge when there has not been enough time to form the studies necessary for the best guidelines to reveal themselves.
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.
Today, every person lives in an era where technology rapidly develops. For this reason, in 2013, the culture writer for the online magazine, Time, Eliana Dockterman wrote the article “The Digital Parent Trap”. In this op-ed piece, Dockterman argues that there are more benefits than drawbacks in children using technology at an early age. Therefore, this article tries to inform its audience about how technology has advantages and disadvantages by using different people’s point of views. Although, Dockterman’s article may interest its audience, her argument is enfeebled because of her unsupported claims, credibility, and citations, being unable to support the tones used in two parents’ narratives and the crude humor by Jim Taylor.
Rhetorical Analysis Eliana Dockterman’s “The Digital Parent Trap” discusses the manner in which children in our modern era are often too criticized for spending their free time in front of a screen. Moreover, Dockterman brings forth evidence suggesting that the increased engagement and online interaction brought by screen exposure could actually be more beneficial than detrimental. She poses this argument to any parent or school who are concerned for their children’s health due to persisting ideas, arguing through the use of specific studies, establishing her knowledgeable credibility, and appealing to parental doubts. Dockterman begins the article by acknowledging the widespread use of technology by children today, going on to admitting the downsides that this influx of digital interaction has had on the generation.
My research project was inspired by my love of children and the many times I have observed children using technology. From this experience I noticed many young children are extremely familiar with technology and the use of technology can have both positive and negative effects on them. As I have researched into this topic, I have learnt there are many beneficial and harmful implications of technological use for children. A finding I have come across on multiple occasions is children should not be using or be in contact with any technology whilst they are under the age of 2. A positive implication includes using technology for educational reasons as opposed to entertainment purposes. Using technology for entertainment or for long periods of time can negatively affect the child psychologically. A key point from my research has lead me to understand technology can have a huge impact on a child’s mental, physical and emotional health. (154 words)
The purpose of the research article from the scholarly journal Childhood Education (2014) is to discuss the arguments currently surrounding the topic of media, technology, and screen time (MeTS) and its use with young children, and create an international dialogue on what steps should be taken in the future on how to responsibly use MeTS in a way that is productive and developmentally appropriate. The authors first discuss what global issues currently stand referring to MeTS, citing statistics of television, video game, and computer exposure among young children (children younger than 6). It is described that in the United States alone, “83% of children under 6 years old use…two hours with a television and DVD player, 1 hour with video
Raising a family can be a lot pressure, especially in a Facebook-obsessed, Pinterest-Perfect, snapchat-happy world. Quality family time has changed from family games nights to kids texting, mom is on Pinterest, and dad is on snap chat; everyday home life of the family quickly transforming. Parents and children have a growing stream of technological resources at their fingertips, offering more opportunities for engagement, entertainment and education. With so many tech distractions available, it is more important than ever for parents and children to put down their phone, games, and tables and create sustainable relationships with each other. Families embracing the digital age can be problematic and is forever changing the family dynamic. It is a losing battle for parent to
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
Technology is flourishing with each passing day which raises my concern about the toddlers in my family becoming isolated with the excessive exposer to media devices. For example, my family recently had a gathering where all the toddlers were running around playing with one another. That’s
The study solidified the theory that social interaction is key to a toddler developing his language. This study proved that children with mothers who talk and text frequently, or disengage from their children, are less likely to learn the new words. This disengagement distracts the toddler and thus interrupts the important cognitive processes occurring in the brain to map the new words. This study was effective because of the intention and concern in its design. The researchers did an amazing job explaining the material and taking great pains to control as many
With the advancement in technology it has become common for infants, toddlers, and young children to be exposed to electronics such as televisions, computers, and videogames for hours at a time. Environmental factors affect children in significant ways. The effects the media and screen time children are revealed to influence their physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Television and media can both hinder and encouraging their growth. It is important for guardians, caregivers, teachers, whomever has a child they look after or care for, to make accommodations to construct the best possible environment for children to flourish in. At such a young age, these young humans are like sponges, they absorb much of what surrounds them. Because of this, the importance of trying to make it possible that they are mainly witnessing things helpful to the development of the child and thereby, benefiting them later in life.
Unlike previous generations who were “introduced” to the internet, television and social media, the present generation is “born” in it. By this statement, it is implied that children today are much closer to technology and media than adults are, and so, are more likely to be affected by it. Perhaps, the highest impact on the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of children and adolescents is by media due to its ready availability through Smart phones, tablet PCs and other portable devices. This paper attempts to evaluate some of the influences of media on various aspects of child and adolescent development.
Interactions between young children foster preschoolers’ language development and communication skills. Peer play and sociodramatic play also prevent and reduces behavioral and social problems.