photo by henriksent

The Negative Effects of

Technology on Young Children

By Alexa Scarcello

Technology is becoming increasingly present in

the lives of young children

photo by frances bell

In 2006, 90% of parents said that their

children younger than 2 had consumed some type of electronic media

photo by kenleewrites

Nowadays,

more young children know how to play a computer game than ride a bike

photo by chiotsrun

By 2010, two-thirds of children aged 4

to 7 had used an iPhone

photo by courosa

Technology is changing the

photo by sethstoll

face of childhood

The question is, how does technology affect these

developing minds?

photo by russrobinson

“We really don’t know the full

neurological effects of these technologies yet” Dr. Gary Small

However, we do know

the brain is highly sensitive to stimuli…

Spending more time with technology and less time interacting with others could lead to

communication deficits

photo by mollybob

There is a lack of

replaced by a shiny screen photo by demandag

real interaction

It can prevent young

children from forming normal

social relationshi

ps

photo by pocketwiley

It has also become commonplace to respond

to child boredom by simply handing them a

device

photo by slolee

“Although

81% of our users felt that children today spent too much time on smart devices,

it hasn’t put

most of them off using them to entertain their baby.”James MacFarlane

photo by reebob

“Learning about solitude and

being alone is the bedrock of

early development

…and you don’t

want your kids to

miss out on that because

you’re pacifying them with a

device.”Sherry Turkle

photo by alinixx

Children

today do not know how to be alone, as they are

constantly entertained with some

type of device

photo by demandaj

Therefore,

they can only ever feel

lonely

photo by celinesphotographer

There is also the problem of the

photo by TheClownPrince29

“’zombie’ effect”

Jane Healy believes that television might

“suppress mental activity by putting viewers

in a trance.”

It’s startling how a screen can render a

hyperactive child motionless

photo by Lars Plougmann

Now, young children even run the risk of becoming

technology addicts

photo by PublicDomainPictures

Young technology addicts

experience the same withdrawal

symptoms as

heroinaddicts

and

alcoholics

photo by Alan Cleaver

They become

obsessed

photo by mindaugasdanys

Children as young as 4 have been receiving

photo by tetraconz

psychological treatment for

addiction to smartphones and iPads

As technology becomes increasingly

We must carefully assess the detrimental effects it may have on their developing

minds and their future

present in young children’s lives

All photos are licensed under the Creative Commons

agreement and sourced from flickr and Google Images

Sourceshttp://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/disruptions-what-does-a-tablet-do-to-the-childs-mind/

http://liesdamnedliesstatistics.com/2012/04/how-technology-has-changed-childhood-ten-stats.html

http://mashable.com/2011/08/09/kids-tech-developmental-health/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/10008707/Toddlers-becoming-so-addicted-to-iPads-they-require-therapy.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/the-touch-screen-generation/309250/4/