The field of technology has seen a vast level of improvement in the past 10 years. We have come from T9 keypad phones to smartphones with almost no buttons and hundreds of features. The handy smartphones of today are everything one needs and wants.
Technology has benefited us in several ways; however, along with these benefits, certain things are not-so-positive about the fast-paced development of technology. It has made us more dependent and lazy. Technology not only affects adults, but it also affects children.
Children nowadays avoid playing outdoors and rely on smartphones for fun and entertainment. This dependency on gadgets and technology is both helpful as well as harmful. Hence, a question arises: Should children be exposed to technology? We are going to discuss how technology affects children’s brain development and what are the effects of technology on children?
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Is Technology Harming Our Children’s Health & Brain Development?
Technology is the biggest advancement of the twenty-first century. It has been the saviour of all the generations during the pandemic scenario. A child’s mind is pretty curious and is always in search of something to do and indulge in.
When they don’t find anything worth their attention, they resort to gadgets like television, video games, and the grandest of them all, the smartphone. The digital gadgets provide entertainment, information, facts, details, awareness, education, and everything required by the students. It is the solution to every hurdle faced by the kids in their learning and development. With the help of technology, students get their required content easily. It has made the content accessible, feasible, and comfortable.
Here are some points that provide you with a perspective on the negative effects of technology on children.
Addiction to Mobile Phone
Mobile phones are the most important element of the present scenario because everything is available on the phones. You can get the education, entertainment, information, subject knowledge, and everything that is required.
This is the reason for their addiction to mobile phones. A study published by NCBI found that addiction to smartphones in kids leads to lower social engagement in kids. It also reduces the concentration power of the kids and makes them lazy and distracted.
Mobile phone addiction is a real thing, it affects adults as well as children. Parents often give smartphones to their young ones to keep them busy. In today’s generation, kids learn about working on mobile phones soon after their birth because they get attracted to it with the help of animations, cartoons, and other desirable content.
Kids nowadays need more affection and care than ever which can only be given by parents and loved ones. Let’s understand more issues related to technology.
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Health Risks
Kids lose a sense of time when indulged in computer or tablet games. Excessive use of devices such as smartphones can lead to a variety of health risks. The health hazards can arise from the way a kid sits or watches the phone screen, this can cause back pains and lead to a bad posture in adult life.
Watching the screen for continuous and long hours can also cause eye strain and damage the eyes. Such risks are real and can become serious later in life.
Low Attention Span and Less Bonding
A major contributory factor to low attention span is the advanced technology that is way faster than its predecessors. We all have gotten so used to the quick completion of tasks and connecting with people that we can’t tolerate any kind of slowdown. This low attention span can be attributed to the excessive usage of smartphones by children and adults alike.
Social media rage has also resulted in the creation of FOMO among teens. Teens are more curious to know what’s happening in their favourite celebrity’s life rather than engaging in a hearty conversation with friends.
But, every coin has two sides. So, what are the positive effects of technology on young children? Several positive aspects outweigh the negative ones.
Positive Aspects of Access of Technology by Children
We have already discussed the negative effects of technology on children. It’s the time of understanding the advantages offered by it. However, multiple benefits can be reaped by giving children access to technology.
A Platform to Showcase Creativity
We all know that the creativity level of children is higher than adults. With proper access to technology, children can showcase their creativity and innovation to the world. A good example to support this claim is Mark Zuckerberg, who started coding when he was only 8 years old.
The access to technology at a young age gave him the skills and he was able to invent Facebook in 2004. This shows that if the children are given the right tools to work with, they can do wonders.
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More Technologically Sound
When you give access to technology to kids at a young age, you indirectly make it easier for them to be more technologically sound in the future. A person who has been using technologically advanced things from a young age will not feel alienated by new technology and will be more comfortable in gelling with similar things in the future.
This will make them more confident in the future as they will have one less obstacle to cross, as compared to others who will be new to the latest technological advancements.
Higher Chances of Growth
This positive aspect is related to the previous one. If an individual is exposed to technology at an early age, then there’s a high chance that she will be able to cope with any kind of technological advancement in her workplace. We all have seen in our childhood that our friends with a PC at home were able to operate computers better than us.
Those kids were the only ones who majorly operated the computer systems in a Computers class and were more confident and efficient while handling the computer systems. This clearly shows that access to technology can be beneficial if controlled and proper access is given to kids.
How to Balance the Positives and Negatives of Access to Technology?
Balance is important in life, be it in any field. The same holds for giving children access to technology. The above-mentioned positives and negatives are to be taken care of while doing the same.
We have to understand that prolonged access to technology may affect the brain development of a child. While playing video games for long hours in a determined manner can make your child a professional gamer or a YouTuber; it is also true that ignoring other important things in life, like basic education, can be a bad thing.
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Set a Time Limit
We should ensure that there is a proper balance in life. As a parent, we can allow children to use smartphones or play video games for a limited time. Through this, we would be able to lead the child to overall development.
Show Them the Way
Ever wonder how technology has changed children’s play? We always wonder how we can motivate our kids to go and play outside instead of sticking to their smartphones. Well, you can motivate your kids to participate in fun physical activities by engaging in them yourselves. Kids learn by watching their parents, showing them how fun it is playing outside with friends, and inviting them to join the fun.
Parting Words
In the end, it all comes to us, the parents. Children are like clay pots, they’ll get moulded the way we shape them. We must give proper care and attention to our children and give them the good future that they deserve.
Technology is a blessing to the human race that should be used properly and smartly. Over-reliance on technology will turn it into a bane; hence, a proper balance is an important aspect that should not be ignored.
We hope you got to know positive as well as concerning aspects of the effect of technology on children. Technology has transformed the functions of the current scenario. Everyone is witnessing and working effectively with the help of technology, especially during the pandemic phase, technology law showed its importance and impact exponentially.
For over two years during the virus outbreak across the world, everyone was locked inside their house and all the necessary functions of eating, studying, purchasing, marketing, and others were carried out with technological advancements.
This is why technology has become greatly important for kids to understand from the beginning. It is significant in the present scenario to have comfortable working with different gadgets and software.
Keep checking this space, and stay tuned to Real School Of Montessori for more informative content to ensure your child’s comprehensive and holistic growth. Real School Of Montessori provides access to experts from the field who create customised content and provide one-on-one mentorship to make sure that your kids have access to the best education that can be offered. With the right choice of platform, you can develop your children exponentially. You can comment in the section given below.
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