Technology And Regression Of Childhood

Most children and parents are so-called “addicted” to their smartphones, tablets, and computers. Our world is constantly changing, by using less paper and more screens. Is this really such a bad thing? Children can learn from the internet and actually become smarter because of it. The internet has the ability to benefit all ages, but especially children. The world is transforming into a digital place, which allows children to grow and learn, find answers in seconds, and keep up with current events around the world.

Technology’s impact in the 21’st century is very evident as it continues to advance rapidly and we have become accustomed to it; causing considerable changes to the overall family structure. It is believed that the use of technology can alter the wiring of the brain (Taylor 2012). When children are exposed to technology, it may condition the brain to pay attention to multiple stimuli; as a result become more distracted and cause decreased memory. Technology also hinders a child’s ability to empathise. They are less likely to pick up on non verbal cues, emotions, and awareness of expressions. Therefore, children with less physical contact tend to have trouble developing social skills. Needless to say, there are also various benefits of the use of technology if integrated appropriately into the early childhood curriculum design. However, the benefits usually tend to get easily overlooked by the negatives. This paper will examine the effects of technology on young children and how it supports their development in all domains including physical, cognitive, and social. I will discuss the results of my research from different articles and explore how the findings could be applied to the work of an early childhood educator respectively.

The article that I had chosen that I thought was interesting was “Technology and Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8”. It was about the use of technology with children under eight and the use of it, as the article states that technology is “digital and analog materials”. That technology can be useful for children for multiple ways such as for, special needs children and English learners. Also about the use of technology for children under two as well as over two, and how technology is used as well. There is also how the educators of early childhood professionals needs to teach ways of uses and anything that they could use.

Cell phones and the computers are similar to each other in many different ways. One of the most common similarities is the internet aspect. With everyone connected to the internet, the adverse effects can spread throughout like a virus. “A Nielsen study released in 2010 indicated that texting was the primary reason for purchasing mobile phones and that text communication had become a "’centerpiece of mobile teen behavior.’" The modern smartphone of the 2010s is a powerful computing device, and the rapid and ongoing development of new applications provides users with a growing number of ways to use mobile phones for recreation, productivity, and social communication” (Issitt 2016). In the following Issitt states, “however, as smartphones have become more common, concerns about the detrimental effects of smartphone use have also increased.” (Issitt 2016). Issitt expresses the large growth of people with smartphones has its positives and negatives. The positives being the ability to communicate, but the negative being the effects on relationships with one another. An example of the negative side of things is the lack of interaction with people. People are more likely to call or text instead of interacting with one another. The lack of interaction can ruin relationships, or make people feel unwanted. In the article “Eurasian Journal of Educational Research,” the writer states that the internet, “can transform into an addictive instrument in excessive usage situations.” (Gunduz 2017). The statement explains the issue of the unnecessary use of the internet as a growing addictive process that is taking over more and more

My cousin's wife Irina Olaru has a positive attitude about the internet use of their children, a girl of four years, and a boy of two and half years. Irina graduated Bethel University, in Minnesota, four years ago. She said to me that their children use a laptop and cellphones every day. Asking her how much time daily their children spend in front of a laptop or cell phone, she said more than two hours every day, which confirms above statistical data. Asking her what attitude they have, as parents about the computer use of their children at such young age, she explained that the internet gives many opportunities of learning and developing for their children. They do not want to ban computer use because they need a time when their children

Technology has brought us nothing more than negativity toward people. The first effect is health. technology affects individuals' exercises; so children become lazier and are most likely not motivated to work out. Along these lines, numerous health issues like obesity are brought about by the effects of technology. The second impact is communication. Ironically children don't have the chance to socialize with each other in person. They’re wasting their time using electronics instead of exploring the world and developing human nature. In addition, individuals lean toward using communication devices than collaborating in person.

With a flip of a switch or press of a button, Parents can have their child entertained for hours on end. Televisions and Tablets are the twenty-first century babysitters. The average child spends an astounding 7.5 hours per day on some form of technology (Rowan 2), when the recommend allotted amount of time should be no more than two hours (Kaneshiro 1). Technology is rapidly evolving, making limitless possibilities available for entertainment. This virtual “babysitter” enables the parents to devote all their time and effort into their work or engross in technology with limited amounts of distraction from the children. Although, the parents are able to have free time, excessive amounts of screen time is proven to be detrimental to their child’s health and overall well-being. The technology that is drastically making life easier is a big blessing, but at the same time is a big curse.

Technological advancements have flourished greatly over the last few years and have continued to become a large part of the societal norm, today. With increasing reliance on devices such as smartphones, laptops and televisions, access to information is not just easy but also prompt. However, there exists a downside to the excessive screen time exposure that children are allowed, especially internet exposure. Evidence of the pervasive nature of internet access can be inferred when statistics show that “60% of children between the age of 8 and 17 years” (Subrahmanyam et al., 2001) have some form of access to the Internet. Approximately, 14% of these children also meet the criteria for excessive Internet Users. With the rising degree of internet

Technology has become something that people today cannot seem to survive without. Our society relies on technology to do everything for us. Technology has its advantages and can be very helpful to people in their everyday life, but it also has its fair share of disadvantages. Due to the advance in technology, people in our society today are being faced with potentially harmful problems such as developmental issues in children as they age, people are beginning to lack social skills, and children’s everyday behavior is worsening.

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

The negative effects of the overuse of technology on children can seem overwhelming, considering how widespread it is used today and its future role in American society. What can be done to try to compress these possible effects on children? The answer may not be found too far from the surface, but it is a simple and effective solution; technology should be used in moderation with developing children. Parents and guardians play a huge part in this, like explained from before with the factor of parenting styles. They are the caretakers of the children, and they spend the most time with them allowing them to monitor their children’s activities. Parents and guardians can regulate how much time their children spend using technology at home. Parents do not have to be overly strict about these limits, but to just keep in mind how often their children use technology. William Bowden explains this as how parents should monitor the use of technology for their children when they are young, and when they are older, the children will be more responsible and can use it by themselves. The accessibility of electronics ties into this. Parents should also be aware of the appropriate age that their children

According to Bronfenbrenner child development occurs through multiple interactive activities between the child, the people in the surrounding, objects and other symbols within the environment. For the development process to work efficiently, these interactions should occur periodically and in a sequential manner. The primary setting for a child’s development is his/her family, where they spend the most time, and their emotions are influenced. The current technology is affecting children’s development in a negative way because both the children and family members spend much time on screen and the internet hindering regular interactions which may improve their development. Also, according to Richard Lou’s phrase “nature deficit disorder,” children

Looking back about a hundred years, on the United States, this country was very different then what it is today. So many technology advancements have taken place, how people dress has changed dramatically, and the way children have been raised has been very different compared to way back then. Though it is unfair to compare child behavior now, to how it was several years ago but there has been very distinct change on how a child behaves. Priorities are changed now; we are impolite towards our religious teachings, social norms as well as traditions (Khalid). This generation of children have been raised very differently compared to “how it use to be,” technology advancements has not had the greatest effect on many children's behavior, neither

First of all, there has been a drastic rise of technology use in children over the past decade. Screens are easily accessible, easily addicting, and television companies know how to catch a child’s eye, and have them staring at their show for hours. Children have access to technology all the time, making it easy to become hooked on screen time. Today, “68% of U.S. adults have a smartphone” (Anderson). Many adults are around children. More often than not, when children get bored, adults simply hand the phone over. Consequently, technology use is on the rise. “In 2013, almost fifty-seven percent of children, ages three to seventeen used the Internet at home, nearly six times as many as in 1997, which was eleven percent” (“Home Computer Access and Internet Use”). Children have easy access to screens.

Over the years, technology has increased in usage within many ways and has caused successful changes in a person’s lively routine. However, technology has evolved since the very beginning which concern has grown over the negative effects of its excessive use. Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” addresses the tendency of technology to create a sort of mental laziness where people look for instant answers rather than thinking for themselves. Daphne Bavelier, C. Shawn Green, and Matthew W.G. Dye have written in “Children, Wired: For Better and for Worse” on the transient and persistent effects of technology on children, particularly in terms of media exposure of television, movies, and video games. Additionally, Matt Richtel, writer for The New York Times, states in “Attached to Technology and Paying a Price” that the tendency of the brain to respond to immediate stimuli has a negative impact on the average user, ranging from disinterest to daily tasks to the risky behavior of texting and driving. Ultimately, these three articles agree that regardless of potential conveniences of heavy technology use, the tradeoff is something to be strongly considered.