Technology And Technology : Improper Use Of Technology

"The Kaiser Family Foundation last year found that school-age kids spend an average of 7 1/2 hours a day in front of a television, a smartphone, or another digital device"(Rosen).

Television is contributing to the current epidemic of obesity worldwide and large amounts of children are becoming obese and tend to face problems caused by obesity, leading to a global health burden. (WHO, 2010). Children’s eyes are open to 4400-7600 ads per year for junk food and fast food on television. Seven in ten parents with children aged four to 16 have been pestered by their children for junk food after it had been advertised on TV. (British Heart Foundation, 2015). The 9pm watershed is not having an affect today because children are staying up far later and being exposed to unhealthy food choices. Children are more likely to consume unhealthy foods such as more snacks and soft drinks and less fruit and vegetables. Studies have shown that television viewing can distract children’s awareness of

Also, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in a study in 2004, 16 percent of children that are between the ages of six and nineteen years of age are overweight or obese. This is a number that has nearly tripled since 1980, mostly due to technological usage. Being overweight can bring with it great health concerns. Many of these children have a chance of developing Type II Diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, social discrimination, high cholesterol and/or blood pressure. Moreover, according to a Stanford University of Medicine study, elementary students consume 20 percent of their daily calorie intake while watching television, which usually includes unhealthy snacks, largely due to advertisements for junk food and boredom. Coincidently, kids are not burning off any of these calories while they are plopped in front of the television.

Even when controlling for ethnicity and socioeconomic status, results still indicate that watching TV contribute significantly to obesity. For example, a study conducted in the United Kingdom concluded that an increase in TV hours on weekends correlated with higher BMIs at 30 years of age. For each added hour of time spent watching TV on weekends at age 5, obesity risk increased by 7%. The impact of watching TV on children’s weight is even more pronounced when there is a TV set in the child’s bedroom. A study of children between the ages of 9 to 12 suggested that having a TV set in their bedroom significantly increased risks of obesity, regardless of physical activity. Moreover, when TV viewing time is decreased, obesity as well as other measures of adiposity are reduced as well. Multiple studies have also documented the positive association between increased TV exposure and increase risks of childhood obesity in the Latino

The rate of childhood obesity has raised over the years with the current breakthrough in entertainment technology. The rise in childhood obesity cases has been linked to the over usage of entertainment technologies. There was a study done by the CDC showing that children aged 12 to 15 years whom play and or watch 4 or more hours of television or playing video games a lot of which were obese. Very few children that were over that threshold of obesity only 20% of which limited their screen time to 2 hours a day rather than 31% of their regular weight friends.

He points out three different mistakes that can be created in a child’s life when they use too much technology. These three mistakes are not setting limits, not having enough family time, and the parents themselves become too involved with technology. Too much technology can cause an increase of arguments between parents and kids, due to the amount of information kids now have access to. Children can use technology in a way to avoid real world situations and basic communication. In severe cases, Grover explains that technology can become addicting and can take over one’s life.

One other major factor is children have access to technology at a young age. This is one of the main factors for why childhood obesity is increasing at such a rapid rate. As technological advances increase, so does childhood obesity. Children ages 8-18 spend an average of 7.5 hours a day using entertainment media. This includes television, computers, video games, cell phones, and movies. Of those 7.5 hours, about 4.5 hours is strictly dedicated to watching television. Eighty-six percent of children ages 8-18 have a computer in their home, 31 percent have a computer in their bedroom, and 20 percent of them have internet access in their bedroom. (Gensheimer 9). The time spent using electronic devices takes away from time that children could be doing physical activity. This leads to increased food

Finally, one school-based, experimental study was designed specifically to test directly the causal relationship between television viewing behaviors and body fatness. The results of this randomized, controlled trial provide evidence that television viewing is a cause of increased body fatness and that reducing television viewing is a promising strategy for preventing childhood obesity.

Twenty five percent of children in the US are overweight and a shocking eleven percent of them are obese (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh and Merchant). Child hood obesity is a forerunner to one of the United States greatest public health crisis. The growth of technology has had a major impact on childhood obesity. Obesity is a widespread epidemic and is getting incredibly worse as technology increases. The use of technology relates directly with childhood obesity because it has been proven that technology has made children live more sedentary lifestyles versus active lifestyles. Also, television commercials influence children to increase their food intake as well as advertise foods extremely high in sugar and fat. Childhood obesity is mainly caused because of personal lifestyle choices and environmental factors, such as where the child is living. (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh and Merchant).

There is a wide spread speculation that television viewing is one of the most easily modifiable causes of obesity among children. America children spend more time watching television and videotapes and video games than doing anything else except for sleeping. Two primary mechanisms by which television viewing contributes to obesity have been suggested, reduced energy expenditure from displacement of physical activity and increased dietary energy in take, either during viewing or as a result of food advertising.

In the precedent few years, Type 2 diabetes has risen radically among children and adolescents. Experts consider this increase is due to the high rate of overweight and obesity (Cutting TM, Fisher JO, Grimm-Thomas K, Birch LL1999). One of the core reasons of children obesity is watching television. Technology is a vast accessory that millions of people use commonly in daily life. Television could be the most-used technological product of all. Millions of people now have as a minimum one television in their home. Though television seems like an immense thing to have, it has its disadvantages. Television can pessimistically influence people, mainly kids. A number of observational studies have originated an association between television watching and child and adolescent obesity. Moreover, it is recognized that American children spend more time watching television and playing video games than doing something else apart from sleeping. Researchers conducted a randomized, controlled test to assess the effects of reducing television, videotape, and video game use on changes in adiposity, physical activity, and dietary intake (Fisher JO, Birch LL. 1995). “The previous twenty five years have caused such a spectacular increase in childhood obesity. Technology, overeating and lack of physical activity can all contribute to obesity”. Birch LL, Fisher JO. Development of eating behaviors among children and adolescents. Pediatr

A decrease in physical activity due to the countless hours of television they are watching, as well as an interference with normal sleep patterns. Unhealthy eating habits can be learned from children television programs or advertising for unhealthy foods. “Each year kids see more than 10,000 food ads on TV alone, almost all for items like soft drinks, fast foods and sugared cereals” (Are You Responsible for Your Own Weight?). Although the connection between food marketing and childhood obesity has yet to be fully established, the federal government can take steps to help improve the media to promote healthier lifestyles for children to

Today’s technology has greatly impacted the young children’s everyday lives. Phones, tablets, and computers are all a form of technology that impact the way kids are influenced. Some children get phones or computers at young ages and it can cause kids to depend on it to entertain them. Eventually they will allow the technology to take over and have it become the form of communication between friend and family instead of face to face. As parents continue to buy their children new technology they don’t monitor the amount of time their children spend on the Internet. Technology is becoming more advanced overtime which causes children to become more attached and unable to function without it near by.

Since television was first introduced, it has grabbed the attention of many. Allowing families to gather with one another and spend time watching their favorite shows. Though now it seems that television is playing a new role in many people’s everyday life by taking large amount of their free time. Many adults sit and watch hours of TV every day and now the trait is passing down to their youth. Children would prefer to watch TV, than rather be outside playing sports or doing other types of physical activities. Now the focus of child obesity is at an all-time high with many organizations such as “Shape Up America” calling on Americans to change their habits for the better. They are

In today’s world television has become one of the most popular and frequently used pastimes. With the increase of technology available today people can now watch television on their phones, laptops, and tablets wherever they go. Something else that has increased in the past years are the number of obese people in the United States. In the last couple decades it was estimated that the number of obese children age 2-5 has more than doubled (5.0% to 12.4%) and for ages 6-11 it has also more than doubled (6.5% to 17.0%). In adolescents aged 12-19 the number has more than tripled (5.0% to 17.0%) and as for adults it is estimated that 70% of Americans are overweight and out of that percentage 50% are obese (Boulos, Vikre, Oppenheimer, Chang, & Kanarek, 2012). It is no coincidence that as the number of prolonged television use has risen so has the number of obese people in America. Television has a negative impact on children that in the long run can lead to obesity.