Should Children have Restrictions on Technology? With all of the technological advances and improvements that we see each and every year, it is no wonder that technology has become as popular as it is. From phones and computers to game consuls that can follow your movement, it is becoming more and more popular with each new generation. But between the big fancy OLED screens or the fancy gadgets that give us little personal assistants, what good is it actually doing for us? Or even for our children? If we take a step back and look at the world from a different perspective what would we see? 20 years ago we would see people interacting with each other. Neighborhood kids playing soccer in the street, old friends meeting up once a week for …show more content…
Too much of something is never good. Some would say that children should have restrictions on technology to give them their best chance at having great social skills, good brain development and their chance at just being a kid in the real world. When a child stares at a tablet, computer or even a TV it slows down their development. In 2013, The Millennium Cohort Study, a long-term study group in Britain, did a study on 19,000 children born in 2000 and 2001 (http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/page.aspx?sitesectionid=851) and found that those who watched three hours or more of movies, television and video games per day are more likely to conduct problems, emotional symptoms and related problems by the time they were 7. This is when we start to realize that there are three main problems with allowing kids to have access to excessive amounts of technology. Children start to lack personal interaction with others, the lack of imagination, and last but not least is the lack of time for soothing busy brains. Developing personal interaction with others, such as communication and social skills, at a young age is key. As a child, it is easy to get away with not having to socialize or communicate because your parents will do it for you. As an adult though, everywhere you go you will likely communicate with someone. Most jobs need communication skills and some social skills. When I talk about communication and social skills I’m not just talking about being Mrs. Social, friendly to
Even though some people believe technology makes children slower, lazier and antisocial, modern technology can affect our children in a positive way because it is good for the developing brain of a child it keeps our kids aware of social change and the media, and it makes learning easier.
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.
In order to balance both there has to be comparative with the parents. Technology isn’t good nor bad. It can only benefit the child if the parents put a limit to their time in the screen. Parents need to set up a schedule in where the kids will follow the time the kids will be using the tablet/ phone. As well have time to play with other kids, and just interact with there own family member. In the article, Screen time: A guide for parents states, “ keeping computers out of the bedroom, and keep them in a common area in your house. This will make sure that the child isn’t using their computers/ tablets during the time they have to rest. Kids need to have a good rest, and not having technology in their rooms because it could cause irregular sleep. Just having the parent take action in how much kids need to spend time in the screens can be a good start. Luscombe argues, “ Take away the idea that all screens are bad, but the face-to -face time for young people is an important part of the socialization process”. Parents seem to not understand that children need to develop good social skills, and that can only be done by interacting with others, and get a sense on others points of views. Parents need to stop giving the kids technology to keep them quiet for a while, because at the end it's hurting the child
“Screen-time Is Making Kids Moody, Crazy and Lazy” is an article about how electronics affect a person’s behavior, more specifically, a child’s behavior. Dunckley states, “…interactive screen-time is more likely to cause sleep, mood, and cognitive issues, because it’s more likely to cause hyper arousal and compulsive use.” She lists six reasons how electronics alter our moods.
Although children spend about seven hours a day on tech devices, parents should not limit how much time children spend on tech devices. Children should not be limited because some children only comminicate through these devices, some children use teir devices for educational reason, and some children only know how to enternain themselves through their devices. If a child is limited on their devices, they will rush and mess up and there is no clue how nuts that child will go.
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
This previous research, such as that of Dr. Arc Sigman as well as Jerome and Dorothy Singer, is conclusive that parents and educators must be careful with children and their time spent in front of screens. Dr. Sigman studies the issue from a biological standpoint, discussing the mental and physical effects of technology on children (Sigman, 2012).
"It's Time to Let Go of Screen Fears". I can't help but be oppositional to this side of the argument. When it comes to the health of our society, we need to listen to people that can be trusted. That is why we can't ignore the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics when they say the reccomended screen time for children is 1-2 hours. The growing number of different devices has been linked to a lower test scores and a decrease in kids' creativity that hasn't been seen in fifty years. Technology is one of the industries in this day in age that is always growing so we need to put a limit on how much screen time we're getting before it is too late.
The device itself it not the problem, but rather what is done on the device and the desire to use it for the purposes of fulfilling an overwhelming need to entertain oneself. A young person may feel like they must play that game on that device or they will go crazy with boredom. Or, it could be that they are close to breaking a high record, and surely the next round will bring them the sweet taste of accomplishment. However, this desire can easily be more than just wanting to play or use a device for fun, and the underlying reason is that the person is an addict to technology. Countries such as China and Japan recognize and have treatment available for young screen addicts, and though the United States hasn't officially labeled screen addiction as a legitimate problem, it is currently being examined as a possible diagnosis (Freed). This fact alone is evidence that screen addiction should be taken seriously. Furthermore, research reveals that activities such as video gaming produces similar effects on the brain like that of substance addiction (Freed). Though this holds true for gaming alone, it shows the urgency to take action on preventing screen addiction in young children. Fortunately, there is a way to prevent and cure dependence on screens and the negative effects that come with
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
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
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
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.
This view is supported by Webster-Stratton who described television as “rendering children passive” and referred to research indicating that excessive exposure to television and computers “place children at risk for harmful effects on their physical, social and psychological development”. As a way of mitigating this, she suggests watching television or computer games with the child in order to address any issues that might arise or to identify inappropriate content (2006, p234-236).