The Device Vice

The Device Vice

Technology has quickly become an aspect of everyday life and the very essence of our youngest generation. Children of the information age have an entirely new element to their coming of age, technology. While technology was developed to make our lives easier, its influence on the young brain can become a hurdle in a child’s advancement. Devices such as cell phones, tablets, and computers can become addictive to young minds and this addiction affects their ability to learn vital life skills. Technology, like most things, must be used in moderation to optimise its value.

Unlike previous generations, most kids today would much rather play games on a device rather than outside; the line between play time and screen time has become blurred. This has had a significant impact on the physical, emotional, and mental behavior of children. A child who uses technology excessively can have learning impairments, impaired motor skills, and a lack of social skills (Rowan). Elementary school children spend over seven hours a day using some form of technology for entertainment apart from any additional use of technology in the classroom. This leaves no time for physical playtime outside, which is necessary for adequate development of one's sense of balance, reaction time, and sensory awareness (Rowan). Our recent surge in the reliance of technology can have a significant physical impact on a child.

Tech can also have a profound psychological effect on the young brain. Too much independant play in the digital world can desensitize children to the real world around them. Technology overuse can lead to a child not being able to recognize emotions in others, therefore making it harder to communicate and empathise with others (Summers). In a study conducted by UCLA, two groups of children were tested, those who used technology frequently and those who rarely used technology. The results showed that the children without ample technology use had much more refined motor skills and were able to communicate on a higher level than those who used tech regularly. These skills were deemed necessary for playing outside with others. The research also concluded that the kids from the technology dependant group could properly react to a wider range of stimuli and were much better at multitasking. The major finding of this study was that technology was hindering kids from learning certain skills, and replacing them with others, ones more necessary for the virtual world. Children miss out on skills that will help them throughout life by focusing on the ones they need to navigate the internet.

As the UCLA study showed, technology isn’t all bad, it does teach children valuable skills but, how much time is too much for a child? The technology of today can be addictive, especially to young children. The bright lights and instant gratification provided by tech creates a dependency in the mind of a child (Children). This dependency can lead to anything from changes in one’s sleeping patterns to what is known as “technology withdrawals” which lead to anxiety and panic in a child, similar to that of a drug addict (Children). To prevent this from happening, technology use should be moderated,usually two to three hours a day is adequate for a child (Rowan). The most effective way