Technology Affecting Children

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.

Research shows that the majority of screen time has a negative effect on children of all ages. Children ranging from ages two to 11, on average, spend anywhere from 25 to 35 hours a week in front of the television, or other forms of screen time.  At such young

Next I'd like to talk about the physical activity going on during screen time. The issue is that there is no physical movement required. This is bad because if you're spending seven hours a day in front of a screen you're not recieving any exercise. Too much screen time has been linked to childhood obesity, and childhood diabetes. This is because there is no exercise involved with playing on a tablet or sitting in front of a couch. The child eats throughout the day and never burns off any calories resulting in obesity.

Many studies and observations have been made on how technology can negatively affect a child’s physical health, mental health, emotional well-being, values, educational development and relationships. The results of these studies found technology exposure can be linked to childhood obesity, behavioral problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, coordination disorder, unintelligible speech, developmental delays, learning difficulties, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, poor physical activity and poor school performance.

Twelve percent of all children in America are consider to be overweight or obese (Kushi, ETAL 1). Many factors contribute to obese children, but one major similarity in obese children is the excessive amounts screen time. Watching television and playing video games encourage many unhealthy habit that contribute to weight gain. The act of watching television teaches the unhealthy habit of long periods without physical activity, increased snacking behavior, and interferes with normal sleeping patterns (Strasburger 1)

It is believed that if toddlers are exposed to technology, it can affect their development. Many people think that technology itself would

Technology is not the reason for childhood being ruined. Modern technology is said to be ruining children’s lives by many professionals. Many professionals have done studies to figure out the truth, only to find out that it is not the technology. Although modern technology may be harmful to children, modern technology is also helping children develop faster, because it enhances social interaction skills, cognitive development and improves concentration.

One thing that screen time can cause is harmful things to your body.One thing is that when you spend a hour of screen time your eyes become very dry. Another thing is that studies say that screen time can change the function of the brain.Also your kids might become very violent because of some of their harming games that have guns and people killing people.

Many studies explain the negative impact that extended "screen time" has on children, such as the light from screens distrupting sleep, little mental energy, and depression from viewing before bed. The fact that children spend an average of 7.5 hours of their day staring at a screen, at school, at home, just sitting is not healthy. Many people will argue that most of what they are watching, doing while on their devices is "educational" is not true, I see children every day and they are not doing anything even remotely good for their brains; they sit around playing video games, scrolling social media, watching tv shows and movies that have no teaching points.

Too much screen-time can lead to children becoming lazy and lethargic, preferring to stay inside and tune out reality rather than do something more productive. This would have the immediate consequence of obesity, but this would also train kids to ignore the real world.

Technology and "screen time" is a factor in today's world. Adults, teens, and children are all using computers, video games, television, and phones. While the argument of "screen time" causing children to be inactive and obese is made, others tend to think that it is a matter of what is on the screen and not the time spent in front of one that affects everyone.

The 21st Century has brought in a wave of technological advancement. The rapid growth of digital technology has caused unexpected changes to the developmental growth of children. It has become a vital part of everyday use for adults and children. However, the consequences of prolonged screen time negatively affect children's behavior, social, and the well-being of a child.

Children nowadays are always on there phones, tablets, and other electronics. Parents nowadays get their children's all sorts electronics, but did you ever thought of the effects that these electronics have on children's and pre-teens? The results may vary on the different children and types of technology, some children might have far more screen time than a certain other, they might have a brighter screen or it may vary on the children themselves they might have a condition that may worsen with the use of technology.

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).

Herbert Hoover once said “children are our most valuable natural resource.” This is becoming less true as the changes of today’s society become less natural and more vulnerable as children become more reliant on technology. We do not live in a country where children develop their own forms of play, but instead they turn to a multitude of different devices to find entertainment.