The Effects of Technology on a Child’s Development

The Effects of Technology on Child’s Development

In today’s society, people are living in a “technologically civilized” society where every small work that people do is technology dependent. Technology is increasingly important in the modern world and has been developing fast. It is a tool that can provide an added option for young children to learn when they actively build an understanding of the world based on their experiences and interactions. Children are defined as boys and girls between the ages or 2 and 18 years old. As they grow, they become very over dependent and rely heavily on technology to complete their tasks. Children from school age begin to lack physical activity when sitting in front of the television, video and computer screens for hours than they do playing outside with friends. They also begin to lose their personal touch because they communicate through text-messages, social networks such as Facebook, Skype, Twitter and tons of other social networking sites that connect people. Children may lack knowledge due to plagiarism for assignments, cheat on exams, write tests using their phone or may lack an overall respect for correct language usage when writing. Although, technology has made a tremendous impact to society, school age children become overly dependent that it begins to affect their physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development. Therefore, parents, educators, and health care providers should understand the effects that media has on childhood development and learn ways to moderate negative effects and maximize positive effects.

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The use of technology can eventually affect a child’s cognitive development. The overall power of the internet have a huge impact on people’s thinking abilities especially for children. Children at their young age is now dependent on their gadgets like laptops, iPad, cellphones, and other gadgets. Since technology help children and others do almost everything and provides wide range of entertainment, it can also cause negative effects on the learning experience of children within or outside the classroom. Some parents say that the earlier a child is exposed to technology, the better it will be for that child. However, the assumption is incorrect. In a research article, Technology and young children written by Nancy Blanning, she has stated that interacting with a screen has many limitations. It engages the child’s eyes, ears, and finger tips to respond to predetermined right or wrong responses. The brain develops connections between these areas but the rest of the child’s body, brain, emotions remains essentially passive. Her article discusses that the years of early childhood, from birth to seven years are very important and should not be misused. Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America affirmed that the foundation for future capacities, abilities, and skills are formed and the best way to strengthen these capacities is through active engagement. A brain research was done based on how this development happens and they have confirmed two things. First, parts of the brain that are used repetitively develop the most. Second, that may have rested in unused pathways is pruned away. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that the brain expands when there are more parts of engagement of all the senses such as speaking, singing, socially interacting (Blanning 2013, para ).

On the other hand, Marie Evans Schmidt,Elizabeth A. Vandewater, has demonstrated potentially profound effects that are positive and negative on children’s cognitive development. They have found that technology such as video games, could enhance children’s visual spatial skills. However, children who are exposure to inappropriate violent games or television shows encourages violent behaviors (Schmidt & Vandewater, 2008, para 8). In the article of Munni Ray and Kana Ram Jat, they had illustrated that through the use of computers, children may lack an overall respect for correct language usage when writing. At school, children may use their devices to cheat on exam or plagiarize for assignments. Through the use of internet when using their devices, it has brought many opportunities for children in learning. Although in that case, it also brought challenges to children’s academic integrity (Ray & Jat, 2010, para 6).

The advance in technology has tremendous changes on today’s world. However, there are negative effects particularly to child’s physical development. Children who spend too much time in front of the screens takes away active play and exploration that previously filled children’s early years. According to the article, The Impact of Technology on Child Sensory and Motor Development by Cris Rowan, Children are not born with perfect motor skills, but rather motor development happens through learning and practice. When children are connected to technology, it has been proven that children are disconnected from themselves, others and nature. Physicalactivityisvery importantformotordevelopment and it is during the pre-school years that children improve the most in these skills and without a proper motor skills development, children might struggle in school or might not receive the appropriate amount of physical activity (2013, para 11). Therefore, it is rare to have a serious motor control problems, but increasing opportunities for play and practice can improve these skills. Donald F. Roberts, Ulla G. Foehr, Victoria Rideout, have examined most of the various media used by children and surveyed questions about the amount of children exposure to technology. Families with children were surveyed and it revealed that 99% owned televisions, 97% owned video game systems, 86% owned a computer, 78% had internet access, and 80% had cellphones. In this case, some of the variables may contribute to the physical and psychosocial health consequences (Roberts et al, 2010, para 4). Due to technology, children are not meeting the recommendations of an hour physical activity every day. Furthermore, children will exhibit developmental delays if they are not able to acquire and practice their gross motor skills during their childhood.

Technology affects social development in children in many different ways. Children used to communicate with each other through telephone, letters and face to face as a means of communication rather than having a virtual face to face interaction across the globe in seconds using Face Timing or emailing each other. Nowadays, they have become overly dependent on technology to do their work for them than using their human intellect. Barry A. Farber, Gavin Shafron, Jaleh Hamadani, Emily Wald, and George Nitzburg, the writer of Children, Technology, Problems, and Preferences article, surveyed 300 young people. They had found that the most “convenient” forms of communication is through texting and face-to-face communication. Through communicating with technology, emotion and body language are lost compared to speaking face to face or on the phone.In 2011, a report by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project had been conducted and found that 80% school age internet users use social networking site and that most of them had a Facebook account. Some log onto their favourite social media more than once a day and most log on more than 10 times a day (Farber, B. A., Shafron, G., et al Nitzburg, G., 2012, para 1). Therefore, friendships are not physical any more due to technology. Children spend their time in communicating through their devices than actually spending time together. For instance, they spend hours texting rather than the time they spend could have been the time they spent catching up with friends face to face.

For some children, watching the television, playing computer games, texting and chatting, has become their best friend, replacing school or neighborhood friendships. Children are becoming engaged with and exercise competence in whole range of technologies at home, school, and in the wider social world. According to the book, Children, Technology and Culture:The Impacts of Technologies in Children’s Everyday Lives by Ian Hutchby and Jo Moran-Ellis, when children are exposed to technology, it triggers the release of dopamine and it creates a desire for more and faster action, which could lead to addiction (Hutchby & Ellis, 2010, pg 68).

Abraham Maslow’s theory, introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs to understand and explain human motivation. His hierarchy is displayed as a pyramid in which people are motivated to fulfill their basic needs before moving to other advanced needs. There are five different levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization (Santrock et al., 2010, pg. 49). Few years ago, people were living life without depending on technology. As technology started to revolve, people believe that technology is part of their basic needs. Some children and others became overly dependent on technology. For instance, children need to have the newest device that just came out. His theory relates to this topic because technology had already began to be part of their basic needs.

In conclusion, children can learn a lot about technology. In a research article Children and Technology: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities by Carol Wright, he reviewed that children who use computers with appropriate activities that are reinforce educational objectives have a great impact on a child’s development. It has proven that children improved their motor skills, enhanced mathematical thinking, increased creativity and critical thinking and language assessments. However, play such as art, blocks, sand, water, books, dramatic play should not be replaced and should only be supplement because children learn better through communicating face-to-face, play and solving problems. In addition, technology has made a tremendous impact to society. School age children especially, became overly dependent that it began to affect their physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development. Therefore, teachers and parents need avoid letting children in such an early age in front of the computer and the use of technology should only be determined by its ability to support and deepen the healthy essentials of childhood.

References

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Rideout,V.J., Foehr,U.G., & Roberts,D.F. (2010). Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds.Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved from http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8010.pdf

Rowan,C. (2013). The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child. Retrieved from http://www.sensomotorische-integratie.nl/CrisRowan.pdf

Schmidt,M.E., & Vandewater,E.A. (2008). Media and Attention, Cognition, and School Achievement.Future of Children,18(1). doi:10.1353/foc.0.0004