The Impact Of Electronic Media On Physical, Cognitive, Social And Behavioral Development Of Children

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.

"Screen time" is a term used for activities done in front of a screen such as watching television, playing video games, working on a computer, using a smartphone, smartwatch, or tablet. It is sedentary activity for entertainment purposes for young children, teenagers, and even adults. There is no doubt that screens have changed our lives over the years—some for the better and some not. These changes affect infants through adulthood. Most American children spend about 3 hours a day watching TV. Children aged 5-16, spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen (Jane Wakefield).

As our generations and technological world has vastly began to develop and expand rapidly, a repeated debate of whether technology use for young babies and children is beneficial or harmful to the physical and cognitive development of the child. As research has taken place to determine more answers around this topic, experts and parents from all different generations cast their opinion on the matter.

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.

What defines someone as 'dumb? ' How can someone define someone as either stupid or illiterate? Our generation has the ability to access knowledge and the ability to part-take in educational seminars and activities. How can one become stupid if it is the normal lifestyle of either a teenager or 30 year old to constantly learn and practice? Other say the drive of knowledge is lost from the youth, even though the access of learning is possible most of them do not wish to learn anything. The generation of youth can learn and continues to learn everyday, not in need of passion to learn general knowledge. The focus on how the youth’s knowledge does not meet the level needed to succeed is distorted.

Research suggests that up to 30% of an adolescents’ day can be taken up by screens. She uses statistics and emotive language to appeal her claims and arguments to the reader. The statistics add a sense of trustworthiness and credibility in the author as it makes the articles seem a lot more professional. It also positions the reader to feel as though technology is dreadful and the villain.

Many studies and observations have been made on how technology can negatively affect a child’s physical health, mental health, emotional well-being, values, educational development and relationships. The results of these studies found technology exposure can be linked to childhood obesity, behavioral problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, coordination disorder, unintelligible speech, developmental delays, learning difficulties, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, poor physical activity and poor school performance.

It is explained that past studies were conducted in a time when only video games and TV where the norm and that the advent of smartphones and tablets requires further research. The researchers thus conduct a self-reported survey on 2,620 children from ages 8 to 16 asking their use time regarding common devices including iPads and laptops. The finding was that children ages 8-16 are for the most part exceeding the limit time but the use of the devices and type of use differed depending on the sex, age and even grade of the child. The study also goes into great detail on the fact that schools are more and more embracing technology. This source may be somewhat useful for my paper. My research is supposed to be focused on very young children, 8 – 16 years old is not exactly a toddler. However, the article serves as a reminder that technology use is already very prevalent in older children and becoming a part of standard education. I can use this information to tie it with all my other findings about importance of adopting

The modern generation makes much time of computers and digital media use, to give an average of close to a third of the week. Such high attention catching use by the young generation creates a huge difference from the society traditions of attracting the youth. Therefore, the society faces a big change defined by knowledge of technology, with the young living as digital natives at the exclusion of the older generation as digital immigrants. The society continues to struggle in dealing with the risks that the digital lifestyle presents to the development of intellectual growth of children. Similarly, experts warn of harmful impacts of damage caused on the natural and biological development of the brain as children continue to use leisure time

Screen media has been an acquisition of knowledge and an orientation of cognition of children. Through the visual power of screen platforms, such as television screens, cinema or any form of same kind, screen media was able to give various enjoyment and peak of entertainment to its viewers. However, the extensive and aggregate media exposure of children , according to Hamilton (1998), as cited by Comstock & Scharrer (2011) in the Chapter 1: The Use of Television and Other Screen Media of the book , "Handbook of Children and the Media", is associated with externalities or unintended consequences to the children and inconvenience to the parents. The screen media, being cluttered with various programs of different genres, may attract children

With the advancement in technology it has become common for infants, toddlers, and young children to be exposed to electronics such as televisions, computers, and videogames for hours at a time. Environmental factors affect children in significant ways. The effects the media and screen time children are revealed to influence their physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Television and media can both hinder and encouraging their growth. It is important for guardians, caregivers, teachers, whomever has a child they look after or care for, to make accommodations to construct the best possible environment for children to flourish in. At such a young age, these young humans are like sponges, they absorb much of what surrounds them. Because of this, the importance of trying to make it possible that they are mainly witnessing things helpful to the development of the child and thereby, benefiting them later in life.

Unlike previous generations who were “introduced” to the internet, television and social media, the present generation is “born” in it. By this statement, it is implied that children today are much closer to technology and media than adults are, and so, are more likely to be affected by it. Perhaps, the highest impact on the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of children and adolescents is by media due to its ready availability through Smart phones, tablet PCs and other portable devices. This paper attempts to evaluate some of the influences of media on various aspects of child and adolescent development.

Cartoons are embedded in American culture. Once animation migrated from the silver screen to the television in 1950s, its popularity grew into a bastion of children’s entertainment (Booker, 2006). Today, over fifty years since its TV debut, animated content is a premiere form of media, consumed by children of all ages. But what has been the result of this consumption?

There have been many changes in the technological scene in the last few years. This has prompted the argument on what people stand to benefit from these advancements. This is why there have been many studies and researches that are all intended to show how the electronic media assists in learning amongst children. However, there has been little attention as to what the electronic media does to the same children. The electronic media has become a favorite amongst the learners and in particular children. It is imperative to note that the learning process is not passive. This is because the children do not just heed to the instructions and assume that anything is learnt. The process of learning is active and cognitive. Therefore, the environment under which a child is in has a significant influence on the learning process. It is vivid from this argument that the media has a significant role in the shaping of the children. Electronic media is very beneficial in the learning process but it is imperative that there are regulations because it has a dominant role in cognitive development of children.