Technology's Negative Effects On The Development Of Young Children

Growing up in the twenty-first century is monumentally different than past generations; young children now have access to complex technology in their everyday lives. Handing a young child a smartphone or tablet can satisfy them for hours, placing them into a technology-induced trance. Smartphone and tablet apps have been created, specifically targeting young children with the purpose of appeasing them. Especially for busy parents, allowing their young children to use smart devices makes dealing with their erratic behavior less of a hassle. In addition, many of the apps made for young children also serve with educational intents, increasing the incentive for parents, daycare providers and preschools to allow young children to have more ‘screen time’ with smart devices. However, with rapid expansion of technology

Although technology has been proven to convenient and useful for early childhood education, the impact of technology overall, negatively affects the malleable minds of young children. Technology has been shown to disrupt certain brain growth, subliminally ingrain media messages and cause various health problems down the line for young children. The use of technology by young children has been shown to correlate to the disruption of normal brain growth. Typically in the past, young children had plenty of time to play, challenging their imaginations and problem solving skills, which is crucial for their transformation to members of society. Presently, much of that time dedicated to play is now being allocated to ‘screen time’ with technology. According to the Huffington Post, “analysis of the impact of technology on the developing child