Just another hour, please! This is what most parents hear from their children/adolescent every time it is time to stop using an electronic device. Children and adolescents today spend “1 to 3 hours per day during the week and between 1 to 4 hours per day on the weekends” (Kappos, A.D. pg. 556) on computer games, viewing videos, watching television and internet surfing to name a few. The use of electronic devices has changed the life of children/adolescent and have exposed them to a volatile and irreparable outcome, in their social interaction with peers and family, self-perception, behavior and sleep pattern.
It is now a standard in today’s school and at home to have access to a computer to complete homework assignment and projects. The additional stress to perform has risen and has caused unwanted stress and anxiety in school age children. Due to the ease of accessibility of cellular phones and tablets today, it has become harder to monitor what your child/adolescent. “Only about three in ten young people say they have rules about how much time they can spend watching TV (28%) or playing video games (30%) and 36% say the same about using the computer. When parents do set limits, children spend less time with media: those with any media rules consume nearly 3 hours less media per day, than those with rules” (Kaiserfamilyfoundation.wordpress.com. 2010). Media present in the bedroom effects on sleep in children/adolescents consequences can be both physical and mental.
Additionally, social media has the negative effect of addiction. This is presented in the article, “Technology’s Negative Impact on Teens”, by Ashley M. when she writes, “California has enforced a law to prohibit using cell phones while driving due to the numerous amount of accidents.” Teens who drive are so addicted to social media that they can’t even put down their phones. Actually, the reason the law was made was because there were too many accidents occurring from texting and driving. If teens were not so obsessed over social media, they wouldn’t be distracted while driving. Furthermore, in the same source, it accounts, “Even in school, teens are texting during class, distracting them from the teacher’s lecture.” Adolescents who text or
Children are replacing physical activity with video games, YouTube, Netflix, text messaging, and social media accounts. Instead of going outside on a nice, sunny day, they would much rather stay indoors and play on their IPod, IPhone, tablets, or computers. In Jim Taylor’s article, there were studies done on children and screen time. While most researchers thought that children did not spend that much time on their devices due to busy schedules, they were shocked to find out that children are just multitasking. They are texting, playing video games, and watching videos or movies in between their free times, or even while doing their homework. Children are becoming less active and more dependent on their devices.
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.
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.
Many parents are becoming concerned with the increased amount of time, children of all ages are using technology. They think that spending less time using media would be healthy. The AAP is proposing that a two-hour limit of screen time for teenagers would provide those health benefits, however, most teens would find this limit impractical and unhelpful in their daily lives. Adults and children alike can learn new educational skills with the help of different apps, programs, and articles available through electronics.
In the world today, the predominant force in teen’s lives is the use of their mobile devices, computers, and other forms of electronics. As the use of technology increases, concerns are growing about the amount of screen time teens should be exposed to, and if the use of technology can affect a teen’s brain development. The American Academy of Pediatrics, or the AAP, is considering raising the two hour screen time limit to four hours because of the growing use of electronics in our day and age. However, because teens’ brains develop differently than adults, parts of their brains are not mature enough. Some parts, such as the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for thinking ahead and sizing up risk and reward, are not fully developed. Therefore, the use of technology can greatly impact a growing teen’s brain, and influence from mobile devices or electronics can have both a positive or negative effect on their brain. As a result, some people believe that the screen time limit shouldn’t be raised, however others believe the AAP should raise its standards. In the texts, “What’s Going on In Your Brain?” by Linda Bernstein, “Growing Up Digital” by Matt Richtel; “Attached to Technology and Paying the Price” by Matt Richtel, “AAP Policy Statement: ‘Children, Adolescents, and the Media’”, it has been delineated that the use of technology can have a negative influence on growing teens. Therefore, the AAP should not raise its recommended daily entertainment screen time from
For example, Bronson and Merryman revealed that children are too distracted with technology like television and cellular phones. Since children were allowed to have personal cellular phones, the use of cell phones has been a distraction of their daily sleep and parents are not fully monitoring this behavior. For example, children know they need sleep, but they refuse to do so because they want to know what is happening on their social media apps like Facebook and Instagram. Television is also a sleep distraction due to most televisions being placed in the children’s bedrooms. Children claim that they are staying up by choice due to not being able to complete homework or study for exam due to after school activities, but children also reveal how much time they spend on their cell phones that contain many distractions to prevent them from focusing on their academic responsibilities. Parents should strongly monitor their children’s technology use. For example, the parents must lecture their children about time management and if the child continues to become distracted with technology, they can ban them from the child in order for him/her to complete homework on time and have longer hours of
In today’s society we are overwhelmed with technology. Technology is changing everyday, and will forever be a staple in our lives. The effect that technology has on our children has brought on some concerns and some praises. Children these days have no choice but to some how be influenced by the ever growing technology in our societies. Our common concern has been that although digital technology has boosted children’s talent for multitasking, their ability to process information deeply may be deteriorating (Carpenter, 2010). Many people have a wide range of opinions on if technology is having a positive influence on our children or a negative, there is a vast amount of evidence to support both of these arguments. Technology can refer to
It is also believed that screen time affects a child’s wellbeing and physical lifestyle negatively. She also has backings from Professor Ben Edwards about the fact that children are less active and their lifestyles are badly affected by screen time. Technology also reduces the enjoyment factor in the minimal physical activities that they do participate in. He states that “Children who spend more time on devices reported feeling less energetic and fit”. Once again the use of Professor Edwards increases the professionality and the sense of how genuine this article really
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
Children from two years old to the age of ten years old can be effected in a negative way. Sometimes parents give their children a tablet or their cell phone to entertain them while they try and get something important done. Sometimes they are out in public and their child is being too loud so they pull out the phone and let them watch T.V. on it so they can become quiet. The American Academy of Pediatrics explains, “Screens are distractions, not tools to soothe children. Television is not a “babysitter,” so parents should enforce rules about media use” (Roman). From the start of a child 's life parents should be careful about letting kids have the ability to watch too much tv or spend too much time staring at any type of technology. Parents tend to use their technology to keep
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
Technology and these devices are addictive. To tell parents and children that they should not limit themselves or their children on the amount of time they spend looking at screens is foolish, and sometimes it dooms
“…If all of my possessions were taken from me with one exception, I would choose the power of communication, for by it I would regain all the rest. Daniel Webster” (Lloyd, Fuller, and Arvidson 1).