Technology is a gift to mankind,
especially to parents and babysitters. They have the ability make children
quiet, to have them settle down, and to keep them busy for a period of time. However,
how does all this exposure affect the children? What does watching TV for hours
do to them? What dohuge chunks of daily doses of tablet use mean for them? Unbeknownst
to many, technology and the amount of time and the way it is used actually have
an effect on how children grow or develop in different aspects.
Thinking(Cognitive)
When used properly, digital technology
can help improve how children think. It can help teach children basic skills
like counting, reading, and problem solving, and at the same time, let them
have fun. It also has the capacity to introduce new vocabulary words.
If used incorrectly, however,
digital technology can do more harm than good. Letting children watch TV
passively or mindlessly flip through applications with no adult guidance can
cause many undesirable effects on children.
First, with all the kinds of
information available through media, exposure to it with no adult supervision
can feed a child with wrong information. Children need adults to help and teach
them how to filter information.
Second and lastly, passively using
digital technology can keep the children’s minds stagnant. Instead of having
the children glean information and understanding, they may end up mindlessly
absorbing what they see and hear regardless of its value and quality.
Socialization
Just as it is the improving
thinking skills, the proper use of technology can encourage children to
socialize and work with others. However, most of the time, children who use
technology excessively end up being isolated and adapting awkward behavior and,
at worst, violent behavior.
Digital technology has the
ability to keep a child preoccupied and can keep him or her from talking to and
spending time with other people. By not being able to spend time with other
people, children will not be able to absorb and learn social norms and
vocabulary, and will not be able to learn how to appropriately socialize with
others.
Movement
Just like how it can keep children
from socializing, technology can keep children from physically playing. It can
keep them from running and moving their limbs as much as children from a
pre-digital age had.
Children who do not move too much
can suffer from serious effects as they grow. It is through movement that
children get to learn how to control their body. In addition, movement serves
as an exercise to children.
Technology has various negative
effects on children in various aspects of their development. However, it has a
great potential to contribute to the positive growth of children as long as
adults and guardians are present to help children process and understand what
they see and hear and regulate the amount of use they have with technology.
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