How Does Technology Affect Children

Is Technology Helping or Hurting the Development of Children’s Social, Writing, and Language Skills?

Today’s generation of children would rather play video games, text, or be on social media. Technology is beginning to control the lives of children. Nicholas Carr said, “When we’re online, we’re often oblivious to everything else going on around us. The real world recedes as we process the flood of symbols and stimuli coming through our devices.” Although there’s negatives to how technology can affect children and it’s very easy to make a connection to the negatives but what about the positives of a child using technology. I’m a strong believer of using technology and that using technology is helping children’s social, writing, and language

skills but some may oppose that the use of technology is hurting children’s development skills.
Technology can truly affect the development of children’s social skills but it solely depends on the type of technology being used. I’m a believer of using technology because not only does it teach children new ways of interacting with life and each other but it helps them learn new ways of social skills. Technology can help children’s social skills by making connections. Most children are very shy so being able to connect or interact with their peers through social media is beneficial. Being able to connect with other children through messaging or video chat helps children become more social. Unlike a child that struggles with meeting someone face-to-face, which can make them feel uncomfortable. Social media may help with that weird or awkward feeling of talking to someone face-to-face. Social technology or media also helps children social skills because many children tend to have trouble finding their social place in life so online communication with other children can help them find their social group. Making social connections using technology is great but some parents may think otherwise. Some parents may argue that technology is ruining children and tearing families apart socially. For example, eating or lunch meetings with friends have changed. They have changed because instead of talking to family or friends surrounding them children would rather have their faces glued to their cell phones or hand held video games. Having social skills is the way children establish close relationships with family and friends. Interacting and making friends through social media is great until the moment comes where children have meet that person face-to-face. Children are so caught up in their life of technology that their not realizing the importance of in person contact. Being social is very key but in today’s world of technology there’s other skills children lack.
Technology has changed the way children write.

In the book “The Shallows” Nicholas Carr really stress how technology is ruining many brains. He believes in the natural ways of learning, the way of learning that drives a person away from technology. What Nicholas Carr fail to realize is that technology is toughening children’s ability to gather information quickly and thoroughly. Nicholas Carr said, “The net’s interactivity gives us powerful new tools for finding information, expressing ourselves, and conversing with others. It also turns us into lab rats. Contently pressing levers to get tiny pellets of social or intellectual nourishment.” This usage of technology by children has claim to be handy in writing skills because children are able to access sites and games that can help their writing performance. Children can also access information and sites about writing that teachers can’t show them. Sites such as “Read&Write,” “iWriteWords,” and “Write About This” (Saxenal 1). “Read&Write” is an app that helps children write letters (Saxena 1). “IWriteWords” helps and teaches children ways to improve handwriting. This app has up to 70 levels that require a child to trace letters both lowercase and uppercase (Saxena 1). “Write About This” is another app that helps with teaching and practicing different writing skills. This writing app is suitable for children of all ages and this app is also geared for children to be creative with their writing style (Saxena 1). Some people

tend to think the use of technology is bad because when it comes to writing papers children are more tempted to plagiarize and technology isn’t doing anything but making that urge more urgent. Copying someone else’s work takes only a second where writing a paper may take an hour so taking a shortcut is a way many children take. Parents should take the time out to stress the importance of writing to their children. Writing is an important part of a child’s daily life as well as computers because the majority of a child’s life is spent in school. Whether or not Nicholas Carr is for the use of technology or not, technology is always going to be around and it will continue to be used by more and more children around the world. Children’s usage of both writing and social skills prepares and helps them to develop great language skills.
Try to picture the world we live in without cell phones, laptops, or academic sites. Learning language will be very difficult but with today’s newest and advanced technology children are able to speak 3 different languages by the time their 10 years of age. People like Kate would argue that the advances of technology is and can hinder children’s speech and language skills. Kate Believes that all the time children spend on technology could be spent doing something more productive like “having a back –and – forth conversation with his or her parents or siblings” (Kate 1). She also believes it’s time not spent reading books and “practicing motor” skills (Kate 1). I think just because a child is using technology doesn’t mean he or she is not doing anything productive or hindering their language. Children’s time spent using technology can be used to play language games that enhances speech and these games not only helps with speech but there very good for exercising the brain to process speech. Schools are now beginning to require that children take foreign courses such as a Spanish, French, Chinese, and German class so learning these languages at an early age is extremely beneficial but research proves that most children tend to learn better by looking at a computer screen. Kate argues that “basically…the time spent on the gadgets could be better used for play and human interaction” (Kate 1). With the use of technology learning a new language is cheap because without technology parents would have to pay for a translator in order for their child to learn a new language so technology is definitely useful cheap and very available. Children are coming onto this earth knowing technology and nothing but technology, technology is the key to all ways children learn and develop both mentally and physically.
It’s important in this technology infested world that parents come together to help everyone open their eyes and see the effects that technology is having on children.

I believe technology is a path that will continue to grow and it’s growing rapidly so there’s nothing that can be done to end the making of new and advanced technology. Although we can choose a side, no one can truly argue the benefits that technology has on children. Only thing that can be done is limiting the time children spend on technology but limiting a child’s time on the newest technology doesn't necessarily mean it’s going to make them better in social, writing, or language skills. It’s safe to say that technology has its positive and negative effects on a child’s life. Whether people are against or for the use of technology by children, it’s just one of those things that will never go away so children will continue to learn that technology is the best way to live in this world. Bill Gates once said, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most

important.”