The Impact of Technology on a Child’s Development

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A 2010 Kaiser Foundation study showed that elementary aged children use on average 7.5 hours per day of entertainment technology (Rowan).Various studies have been conducted based on the controversial topic of the impact of technology on a child’s development. Many people believe that by handing their three year old an Ipad or Kindle it’s helping their brain development and enhancing their learning skills. There are some benefits but parents may be holding their children back from fully developing skills that are essential later in life. Parents should limit the use of technology by their children in order for that child’s creativity, deep thinking skills, and ability to focus to develop properly.

My senior of high school, I worked as an afterschool teacher. I had a class of about twenty-five 5-8 year olds that I had to look after. Spending time with the next generation of children for 2.5 hours a day, 5 days a week really made realize how much has changed since I was their age only 10 years ago. When I was a kid we made up our own games and we created characters for ourselves. We gave ourselves new names and different ages and even changed the way we normally acted and dressed, we created stories and scenarios for which we had to find a solution or escape or play a specific rule like mother or babysitter. But my students spent their play time reenacting video games they play at home instead of using their imagination to create their own scenarios. They would rather play in the computer lab than run around outside on the playground.

Technology is suppressing the imagination of children. Jim Taylor, PhD, states “as the technology writer Nicholas Carr has observed, the emergence of reading encouraged our brains to be focused and im...

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...y dependent children are at risk for not only suppressing their ability to think deeply or creatively but also causing a strain on family relationships. Parents should limit the use of technology by their children in order for that child’s creativity, deep thinking skills, and ability to focus to develop properly.

Works Cited

"Television." Television. California State University, Northridge, n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.

Carr, Nicholas. "Author Nicholas Carr: The Web Shatters Focus, Rewires Brains." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 24 May 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

Rowan, Cris. "The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 May 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.

Taylor, Jim, PhD. "How Technology Is Changing the Way Children Think and Focus." Psychologytoday.com. Sussex Publishers, LLC, 04 Dec. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.

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