The Cost Of Computers And Television 's Impact On Society

Computers are what run society today, everywhere we look we see devices that are run off of computers and microcomputers such as phones, computers, tablets, and even vehicles. It is now the way the world communicates with each other, because of computers it is a much smaller world in which we live. Computers have been around for such a short period of time, yet they seem to be advancing faster than anything else; this is because there is an infinite number of ways computers can be implemented to help individuals. Thirty years after the first computer was developed, computers had already been altered to read and save information on magnetic tapes that ran through the computer. The picture below was taken at East Carolina University (ECU) in the mid 1970’s of a man changing tapes in a tape computer (Computer Data Tapes). 40 years after this picture was taken, this form of computers is almost unrecognizable by society today, due to dramatic advancements in computer technology.

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.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children under the age of two years have no screen time, with the exception of video chatting. Children younger than two benefit from a hands-on learning approach, therefore, introducing them to a digital device takes away time they need to be socially interactive to develop their cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional skills. By the age of two, and through the preschool aged years it is recommended that children have no more than 1 ½ hours of screen time per week, and that screen time should be monitored to ensure it is educational as well as age appropriate. There are even television channels and computer applications that are dedicated to creating educational, engaging, and enjoyable content for such young viewers, however, it should be noted that

There have been many advances since the initial invention of the computer fifty years ago. Today, computers operate many of the things that we use in everyday life. Some examples of these things are farm machinery, cars, planes, video games, heat and water delivery to our homes, banking, billing, and even the stock market. The advances of the computer have resulted in the

Technology has been part of our daily live more frequently than before. Screen time has been more popularly used on kids and adolescents. On a daily bases many kids seem to spend more time inside on their tablets, instead of having to spend time with other kids. This is a problem that is becoming more popular over the years,on whether kids need to spend that much time on technology or not. Parents either seem to have strict technology usage, or they either don’t. There has always been a huge controversy with experts, who either think that screen time is beneficial or could cause problems later on in life. There are many views towards this topic, from hurting kids brains, to helping them during school, and socially.

Television is one of the most popular ways to consume media. However, television wasn’t always the way it is today. Many changes took place in the television industry during the 1980s. Some of the important changes that took place in the 1980s were the new types of programming, the increase in the popularity of cable television, and new technology that was invented such as the remote control. Television had a huge effect on society through the way if affected the ways children could be educated and what people watched. It impacted technology through changes in how people watched television and what people could record and watch on television. It also had an enormous effect on the economy through changes in competition in the television industry and how musicians and their music could be made popular. Television in America in the 1980s affected society, technology, and the economy.

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.

This is necessary to help reduce the harmful effects of excessive screen time. Excessive screen time in preschool age children and above has led to an increase in a sedentary lifestyle resulting in increased obesity, poor behavior, and interrupted sleeping patterns. The ever expanding wealth of technology, although helpful in many situations such as health care, communication and business has led to increased health concerns for young children. One of the main concerns that technology has caused in children is the increase in a sedentary lifestyle.

According to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, “8- to 18-year-olds consume an average of 7 hours and 11 minutes of screen media per day” (“Selected Research on Screen Time and Children”). Screen time is time spent watching TV, playing on the computer, or playing on a phone. Too much screen time can have negative effects on young children (“Selected Research on Screen Time and Children”). Since children are having seven hours of screen time a day when they are supposed to have less than two, this is an epidemic that needs to be put to an end. Children are receiving way more screen time than what they should be and it is negatively affecting their health.

When it comes to children spending time infront of screens such as tv's, tablets, I pads, cell phones and video games it can be a difficult argument for parents. Parents can widely dissagree on their perspectives. Making this a difficult topic for them to come to solution on.

The invention of television has impacted American society positively, because it helps spread information faster and influences the way people think about important social issues. It is estimated that about 15 million Americans watch the Cable News Network, CNN, at least once a day and millions more tune in abroad (Stark). In the news culture, information has become presented to the public quicker throughout the years. This causes news to be digested faster as well. In fact, events, such as election results or political choices, have become frequently analyzed before they even take place. For example, the effects of Clinton’s bombing of Iraq, in the summer of 1996, were being explored before a weapon had even been fired (Stark). The spread

Nancy Shute from U.S. News and World Report states in her article ‘3 Ways Electronic Media Harm Kids’ Health and 3 Ways They Can Help’ “A dozen studies have correlated TV in the early years with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) later in childhood.” Kids today spend more hours on electronic devices such as computers, phones, and TV than sleeping. Having young children watch certain TV shows posed as a positive effect for the brain. However, with recent studies from China, it shows that no matter the affect having a lot of electronic experience is bad for the body. In “Screen Addiction Is Taking a Toll on Children”, Jane E. Brody argues that, although Internet addiction isn’t considered a clinical diagnoses here, more American youths are plugged out of “live” action for many hours of the day.

define screen based activities as “watching TV, playing computer games, and working with a computer”. Each participant was asked three questions: “How many hours a day do you spend watching television… on a screen?”, “How many hours a day, in your free time, do you spend playing computer games…?”, and “How many hours a day do you spend using electronic devices such as computers, tablets (like Ipad), or smartphones…?”. With these questions, the researchers divided the children into two sections. One category contained children who spent less than 2 hours a day on technology and the other contained kids who spent more than that every day. The latter is considered to spend excessive time on the internet and technology in general. It was found that more than half of the children tested spend more than the recommended amount of time using technology. The questionnaire furthermore asked each participant to rate (on a scale of very often, often, rarely, never) how often they experienced the following: “inability to eat or sleep because of the internet”, uncomfortableness due to being unable to access the internet, surfing the internet even if they are not having fun, picking the internet over family, friends school, or other hobbies. If they answered very often or often to any of the questions, they were considered to be affected by the overuse of

According to a New York Times article this January, the average kid, ages 8-18, spends over 7 ½ hours a day using technology gadgets equaling 2 ½ hours of music, almost 5 hours of tv and movies, three hours of internet and video games, and just 38 minutes of old fashioned reading according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which adds up to 75 hours a week! These statistics are not just mere numbers; they are a reflection of the way our society is heading. There is a direct correlation of amount of hours spent with gadgets and obesity, poor grades, impatience, violence, and a loss of family interest.

Some parents believe that technology and gadgets are essential for the development of their children, but many go way too far (Jary, Simon). One study showed that over the course of childhood, children spend more time watching TV than the time they spend in school (Jary, Simon). In 2013 The US Department of Health recommended that children under two years old should have no screen time at all, and over that age the maximum screen time should be no longer than two hours a day (Jary, Simon). Children and teenagers watching television all the time can affect their academic grades in a negative way (Jary, Simon). If this happens parents should establish screen time rules, put tablets away before bedtime because they can cause sleep disruption, and have alternatives for your children instead of watching television (Jary, Simon). One mother said “I allow my children to play video games, after they do their homework, and after they’ve played outside, etc. I think technology making children antisocial or obese is an excuse for a bigger issue that’s behind everything else. And I think it has to do with parenting” (Kristina Hatch). This is an effective way to establish screen time rules for your children. A survey asked many parents how much time their child spent on tech gadgets, thirty-seven percent of parents said their child spent one to two hours a day playing