Need a babysitter? There’s an app for that. In fact, an estimate of seven hundred apps are designed specifically for iPad users under the age of three. The conception of touch screen technologies has become much more commonplace in our society. However, has it insidiously crept into our children’s world and become their teacher and companion? Do babies and toddlers as young as two years of age really gain any significant benefits with this electronic babysitter? Isn’t this the time when they should be mastering walking and crawling, rather than tapping and swiping? It is my opinion that introducing this technology to young children will create more harm than good. iPad and other touchscreen devices offer children a way to experience technology at a significantly young age. Many parents claim these devices are incredibly intuitive and that it takes no time for babies, some as young as 8 months old, to start scrolling, pinching and flicking. However, is that how we envisioned the first year of our baby’s life? Were we picturing our little ones goo gooing and gagaing over a screen? If it’s simple and easy that we are after, perhaps we didn’t spend enough time considering the child’s essential needs before bringing him into the world. The first year of an infant’s life is a time when the child must come first. During this vital period, how your baby spends his time will make all the difference on the manner he perceives himself and the world. Despite how easy it may be for babies to interact with this device, it simply cannot recreate the three dimensional world in which children can experience, learn and build the skills necessary for their later years.
Most parents love their children, have the best intentions, an...
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...vation--but maybe it is simply just that-- an illusion. As parents, our first priority should be to keep our children from harm’s way. Until further research assures us that a young child’s use of iPads is unequivocally safe, avoidance would be a more prudent path.
Works Cited
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... with unlimited advanced technological opportunities we will continue to see problems in this area. Children are exposed to technology at ages as young as two years old. It is easier for a parent to hand their child an iPad rather than to teach them singlehandedly. So again I say that the blame is not necessarily the technology but rather the parents fault for allowing the technology to take ahold of a young child’s developing mind.
Rideout, V.J., Vandewater, E.A., & Wartella, E.A. (2003). The media family: Electronic media in the lives of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Menlo Park, CA: Henry J.
Due to this argument, parents and children now heavily rely on technology for a main source of play, limiting the challenges of all creativity and imagination (Rowan 3). Although technology can provide some games and tools that can help children learn, it does not provide the same benefits as actual play and actually causes more harm than good. One of the main problems with play through technology is the fact that children are seeing a “symbolic representation of the real world” and are not receiving a direct experience of the real world with real people and materials (Rice 3). The more time children spend looking at a screen, the more they are isolating themselves and not spending time with other children and adults (Rice 3). This is not only damaging to the learning development of a child, but also the healthy development of forming relationships and social skills (Rice 3). According to a 2010 Kaiser Foundation study, children who are in elementary school use on average 7.5 hours per day of entertainment technology and spending this much “screen time” is damaging to the development of children because their “sensory, motor, and attachment systems have biologically not evolved to accommodate this
Television, or screen time, has become a large part of today's society. Whether it's by way of smart-phones, a television, a computer, or a tablet, screen time has negative effects on the cognitive ability of children and adolescents. It has even been proven that it can lead to Alzheimer's disease when a person, in the age range of 20-60 years old, views an hour more than the recommended amount of screen time a day (Sigman 14). In children, the amount of screen time viewed has a relationship with the likelihood of developing a deficit in his attention span; the longer a child views screen time, the more likely he is to be diagnosed with an attention disorder. Screen time, or television, can cause attention disorders and other problem with cognitive abilities in children and adolescents that effect the education they can comprehend.
Technology continues to grow and become part of everyday Life. However, more often times than not it becomes an obsession; many are consumed by the latest technological advances. People become inclined to develop addictive tendencies by never turning off or placing their devices on silent. Many agree the modern devices have helped to improve daily life at home and work. As part of today’s culture revolves around technological advancements such as phones, iPad’s; these devices are what is handed to children not as a learning tool but to distract them. Technology is a part of today’s generation; and children will continue to grow with technology, thus having a detrimental effect on their cognitive function, sociocultural and their well-being.
In this Journal there was a study performed on early childhood students and their reaction to touch screen computers. The results were more negative rather than positive proving that it was more productive to use the mouse and keyboard for young children.
"Impact of Media Use on Children and Youth." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2003. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
To continue, everyone can agree that children need a healthy environment to develop cognitive, social, emotional, physical and linguistic development. How much technology can improve or distract from these essential skills varies with age. The impact and implications of technology tools on young children has been studied and researched through the Let’s Move Childcare initiative and results concluded that little to no “screen time” is preferred for children under the age of two. For children two years or older, the recommended “screen time” is limited to thirty minutes per week in the classroom setting. (White House, 2011.)
WETHINGTON, HOLLY, LIPING PAN, and BETTYLOU SHERRY. "The Association Of Screen Time, Television In The Bedroom, And Obesity Among School-Aged Youth: 2007 National Survey Of Children's Health." Journal Of School Health 83.8 (2013): 573-581. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
As disclosed in the article, The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child, Chris Rowan acknowledges, “Rather than hugging, playing, rough housing, and conversing with children, parents are increasingly resorting to providing their children with more TV, video games, and the latest iPads and cell phone devices, creating a deep and irreversible chasm between parent and child” (par. 7). In the parent’s perspective, technology has become a substitute for a babysitter and is becoming more convenient little by little. It is necessary for a growing child to have multiple hours of play and exposure to the outside world each day. However, the number of kids who would rather spend their days inside watching tv, playing video games, or texting is drastically increasing. Children are not necessarily the ones to be blamed for their lack of interest in the world around them, but their parents for allowing their sons and daughters to indulge in their relationship with technology so powerfully. Kids today consider technology a necessity to life, because their parents opted for an easier way to keep their children entertained. Thus resulting in the younger generations believing that technology is a stipulation rather than a
It is important for children to go through this learning process, so that in the future they can communicate effectively. Scientists call interpersonal communication the interaction between two people through face-to-face contact via verbal and nonverbal communication (Adler & Proctor, 2011). The start of every human relationship is through nonverbal communication; infants master nonverbal interactions since it is their only means of communication. Universal signals such as smiles, laughter, eye contact, sour faces, and many more are nonverbal cues; these signals are essential in the beginning, as children start to communicate and bond relationships with their parents. As children grow, they will learn how to communicate verbally by listening to the people around them. Verbal development matters through the toddler years, and it is essential that parents take the time to teach children how to effectively communicate; it is during this period when children learn the most. There are four different stages of learning communication skills: beginning awareness, awkwardness, skillfulness, and integration; all of these skills come into play as children begin to interact with those around them. The word “haptics” is the scientific term for touching; this type of signal can communicate many types of messages for example, a hug can send a message of love
How TV Affects your Child? Kids Health. October 2011. Web. The Web.
In the United States in this day in age, technology has become a fighting force that parents and teachers both love and hate. I recently interviewed Cindy Moser about some of these problems and questions that concern technology and kids. When it comes to children right now, they are all engaged in some type of technology. Kids are getting phones at younger ages, they are able to watch more mature television shows before they are of age to watch, and with the easily accessible technology around them, actual human to human interacting has become a struggle to some children. However there are many benefits to the advancements of technology that we have made, the benefits are often accompanied by challenges. It can change the relationship between parents and children, not allow children to learn essential life skills needed to interact with other people, and even jeopardize their future by thinking everything that they post is private. Technology can be very useful for young children, but to a certain point it has to be regulated on what they can do.
Childhood overexposure to television can cause a detrimental effect on reading skills and behavior. Bar-on (2000) states, “The exposure of American children and adolescents to television continues to exceed the time they spend in the classroom: 15,000 hours versus 12,000 hours by the time they graduate.” (p. 289) Children are more vulnerable than adults, to the influences of the behaviors that they view. The pediatrics association estimates that for every hour a child under two spends in front of a screen, he or she spends about fifty minutes less interacting with a parent, and about ten percent less time in creative play. (Carey, 2011, p. 2) Although there have been some studies that found some prosocial and educational benefits, significant research has shown there are a lot more negative effects. (Bar-on, 2000, p. 289) This paper will describe in detail the effects that can be caused from too much television.
With the rise of smartphone technology, many parents are letting their children use their smartphones. While it may seem to be harmless, the benefits of letting children use smartphones can be argued. Smartphones can have an impact on a child’s development. Children should not have smartphones due to the impact they have on a child’s development.