Technology Is Bad For Brain Development

Children use a lot of technology. They use technology whether they are using social media, using a learning program, or reading an electronic book. The truth is, that there are more positives than negatives when children use technology. There is fear that if children use too much technology they will not have proper development especially cognitively. This paper will show how technology can benefit a child’s cognitive development.

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.

“Growing Up Tethered” by Sherry Turkle she mentions very important point on how kids are trapped behind the technology. Intense use of technology nowadays has become huge problem for childrens because they are spending more time on their electronic devices and games. It’s important to notice that once somebody starts getting more in this technologies they will never know when their fun turned into addiction. This children's excessive use of cell phones and social networking make it hard for them to survive in future. It’s important for kids to spend some time with their family, friends, or go outside and do some activity rather than continuously staring at computer screen. Kids need to keep the brain more active and try not to spend more on

Included below is a summary about the article titled “How Young is Too Young for Technology,” by Josie Gurney-Read, and published by Telegraph. This article talks about the positive and negative impacts when exposing young children to technology. First, Read opens up the article explaining that by the time children start school, 70% are already confident in using a laptop, tablet or smart phone. Read also notes, that 17% of children under the age of three have their own device. The article then discusses that the American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under the age of two should be discouraged from using technology and that preschool kids shouldn’t be using devices for more than two hours per day (Read). Professor Manfred Spitzer

In this section we will be addressing the effects of technology in these three areas: brain development, cognitive functions, and mental health. With today’s fast paced advancements in technology, there is a growing concern with the use of technology in relation to early childhood brain development. Studies have shown that between birth and age eight, brain development is at a crucial growth stage and is shaped by environment and experiences. With the introduction of technical devices i.e. ipad, cognitive functions in early development are being affected in different ways. Mental health issues are becoming evident in early childhood and research links a correlation to the overuse of technology. The next three paragraphs I will be explaining

The technological world has both gains and losses for young children. On one hand, it is an exciting avenue for learning and for developing skills. These skills are essential for their future life and work while on the other hand, it causes poor mental and physical health. In addition, their own creativity is lost as they rely more on the internet. Children who are heavy users of electronic games do less homework, read and exercise less, and do less to help around the home.

How does technology really affect the brain? Technology can and will affect the brain in many ways. It is a very powerful tool physically and mentally to the brain and body. There are main pieces of technology that affect the brain like cell phones, video games, computers, and ipods. There are many pros of technology by using it in an everyday life.

Using technology can alter the actual wiring of the brain. In an article in the Psychology Today also says”... More than a third of children under the age of two use mobile media.” Technology is being used more and more in the twenty-first century. In the article “Does Technology Make Us More Alone?”

Each hour you spend on screens, thirty minutes is lost to face-to-face interactions. Screen time has been used for the wrong things. A synapse is the space between one neuron’s axons and the other neurons dendrite. In order for your brain to make a decision, tiny special cells “talk” with each other through a series of neurotransmitters, like a circuit in a computer. Then the whole network puts out a response which becomes your outward behavior. Information travels from neuron by way of their axons and dendrites. To make the connection better the axons wrap themselves in myelin through myelination (Scholastic). Kids spend over seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen, that means their brains will develop differently from other generations. The overuse of technology such as Google might cause us to synaptically prune our brains and our thinking will be negatively affected. People are getting a lot of information so that makes the attention span get worse (San Crooker). Finally, screen time has been used for the wrong things.

Looking to the past for help understanding the children of today is no longer a useful tool. As technology advances, it begins to play a bigger role in the lives and development of children. Technology’s impact on the families of today is breaking down the core values that held them together. These advances affect the attention span of children, their social skills, and their brain development. In the 21st century, technology has become the focal point of society. More advances have been made in this day and age than any other, and while some of them have changed the world for the better, not every effect has been a positive one.

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 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.

Sometimes it can be difficult for a parent or babysitter to watch a child, so they give the toddler a tablet or send him or her into a room to watch cartoons. Many factors come into play that causes the caregiver to let the child wander into the world of technology. Many individuals do so because it is the fastest and simplest way to remove the child out of their hair. The effects of technology do not only take a tole on toddlers but teenagers as well. Most of the effects take place during the ages of zero to eighteen because of the lack of brain development. However, they can also affect anyone beyond eighteen. Although it may be less time consuming to give a child a device to play with instead of reading or drawing with them, the effects of too much screen time may sway the public to reconsider the way their child’s extra time is being used.

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.

From computers filling whole rooms to cellphones fitting in the palm of our hands, technology has come a long way. With the advancements that have been made we are able to dive into a whole new world of possibilities like never before. We are all able to communicate with someone miles away in an instant, as well as obtain vast amounts of countless information for any purpose on a whim. Technology has helped this generation develop. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the next. With technology being integrated in our society more than ever before, young children are being exposed to technology at such a young age that it is becoming detrimental to their wellbeing.