Negative Effect Of Technology On Children Essay

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.

Did you know that the average teenager spends nine hours a day on their devices, and kids from ages 8 to 12 spend 6 hours a day staring at a screen. That is way too much time spent on cell phones, computers,etc. A recent study by the Researchers at the University of Gothenburg found that a person who is constantly on their computer or mobile device can develop stress, sleeping disorders, and depression, staring at a screen for too long can stain your eyes.If that is not enough you can get carpel tunnel syndrome which affects your hands, and you can also develop epilepsy, also called seizure disorder. This is why I believe that screen time should be limited to the recommended 2 hours or less.

Today children are exposed to a different world than the one their parents grew up in. Consumerism plays a significant influence in children’s lives, including technology. This has led to over usage of technology as a reason for increased health issues in children, and basic building blocks of healthy development being ignored. Children are no longer interested in creative play, which is vital to problem-solving, learning, imagining and thinking. Instead, children can often be found sitting in front of a television, for up to seven hours a day, with their back hunched over and in an almost zombie like state of mind.

There are lots of studies in the impact of technology on children’s developing minds. Studies found that diagnoses of ADHD, autism, coordination disorder, developmental delays, unintelligible speech, learning difficulties, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders are associated with technology overuse, and are increasing at an alarming rate (Rowen). Technology is causing a harmful effect on some children these days and it could potentially be harming them in the long run. children who use too much technology may not have enough opportunities to use their imagination or to read and think deeply about the material (Deloatch). I am a single parent of a 3-year-old girl and I face the problem of technology overuse from my daughter on a daily basis. My daughter has had a mobile device since she was able to walk. She is completely and utterly obsessed with watching her cartoon shows. Every day after she gets home or wakes up in the morning, the first thing she asks for is her shows. She would always ask for our cell phones before she got to watch things on the big TV in the living room, and when we would tell her no she would throw a big tantrum about it. She has a very short attention span as well; it is hard for her to focus on one thing at a time. The technology keeps her up until almost 2 or 3 in the morning sometimes. If we try to turn it off, she still roams around the house and throw fits until she gets someone to turn it back on or falls asleep.

The solution for all those problems is to limit the screen time in children. The parents should limit the time a child spend watching television or playing video games. “Children 2 years old or younger should not be expose to any screen time at all. Children that are older than two years old should not spend more than 2 hours daily on screen time. This time limits are recommended by The American Academy of Pediatrics (2009, 2010, 2011a, 2011b) and the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity (2010). (Funk et al. 2009; Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood 2010). (Technology and

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.

Most traditional theories suggest that a child should hardly ever be in front of a television, or any electronic device for that matter. Many argue that it wastes time that could

For the average adult, forty-five percent of the day is spent using electronics. Teens spend more than nine hours out of a typical fifteen-hour day on a laptop, IPad or cell phone. Technology is so often used; it has become a very large issue. Screen time to this extent is unhealthy for children because they lack social skills, struggle in academics, and it can also affect the physical being of children and adults. People in America spend so much time on these devices that they have become unable to function effectively without them; thus beginning to crave them much like a heroin addict craves heroin.

Technology is doing more harm to our population than good, especially where children and teens are concerned. In the article “It’s ‘digital heroin’: How screens turn kids into psychotic junkies”, it says that 8 to 10 year olds spend on average 8 hours a day with digital media, while teenagers spend around 11 hours a day using technology. Also in this article it is said that 1 in 3 kids are using tablets or smartphones before they can talk. This much exposure to screens can be the start of an addiction for many kids and also cause behavioral

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.

What is technology’s affect on children? Technology has a very complicated effect on children. For Instance, “He started getting more and more focused on his game and losing interest in baseball and reading” (5). Consequently, technology has been affecting this physically activities, most people agree technology can be a very helpful thing when it doesn’t affect children in a negative way. In the first place, “Developmental psychologist understand that children’s healthy development involves social interaction, creative imaginative play and engagement with the real, natural world” (23). As a consequence, many children using technology in a bad way won't get the natural development they need. Psychologists believe children need to develop

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.

Technology has proven to cause health issues in children. For example, in the article, “Obesity in children and technology,” by Elle Paula, it is stated that, “According to a review in obesity in 2012, a lot of screen time may increase obesity risk.” This

Other studies have shown that using technology devices, both during and after school, not only decreased student’s productivity and made it harder for them to learn; but it also negatively affected their social life and health. Vandewater and colleagues (2007) found that technology can adversely affect children’s development because students have a harder time socially, academically, and physically (Vandewater, Rideout, Wartella, Huang, Lee, & Shim, 2007). Their study showed that young children are more inclined to stay indoors and watch television than to go play outside, allowing the possibility of long term negative effects. For example, children can also develop sleeping disorders if the parents use the television to put them to bed or