Research Paper on Children and Technology

Introduction

There is no doubt that technology is everywhere. We are surrounded by television, internet, and mobile gadgets among other things. With the advancement in technology, things have become easy to be done, and the hustle has been removed. However, there is a special bracket of the population which is the children that are being negatively affected by technology (Ramirez, 2015). Today's child is exposed to the internet from an early age, and that makes them not to be able to have the growth experienced by traditional children. Nowadays children are being exposed to the evolving technology from their homes, and when they join a school, they are already aware of what the internet is. Parents can no longer restrict the way technology is used by children. This article tries to explain the adverse effects that technology has on children.

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Social Skills and Relationship Issues

The current generation of children is using technology a lot. Children are using mobile devices in their daily life, and that makes them dependent on the technology gadgets. As a result of the spread of technology, children are bonding more with their friends as the family unit is being forsaken. Today's kid will be spending their time in texting, chatting and sending images to their friends making a virtual connection that limits the attachment that is needed with their parents. The new generation of kids does not have time for its parents or family (Moore, 2017). Most of the time is spent on the smart gadgets by playing games, chatting and perusing some of the websites that are not healthy. With the increase of social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, today's kid will better have their time there. As a result of the too much time that is spent on technology, there is a weak bond that is created between a child and family. Developing some social skills also tends to be difficult.

Health Problems

This is one of the biggest scares that is presented to a child today. Overusing of mobile phone or any other gadget has some adverse effects on the life of a child. As children get to use the mobile devices, their time is less used on physical activities. When children play games online, it leads to snacking which prevents balanced alimentation. A child who gets to spend their time on the couch playing games, will not be able to burn calories as it is required. That is when there arise some issues of obesity as children use most of their time behind technology (Rowan, 2013). It is up to the parents to monitor their children on the best ways for them to use technology. Parents can make their children get to learn how to balance their time by the use of Screen guide application that can balance the time that has been used on the screen. Parents should teach their children that there is time for everything and that will mean that there is time for children to be involved in outdoor activities and at the same time there is time for indoor activities.

Browsing Online is Dangerous

As children get to browse the internet, they come across some sites that may be dangerous. There are those that may call for violent means while there are those that call for pornographic material. All these spoils the life of a child as it may make their values to go down. A study conducted in the year 2005 indicates that about 70 percent of children have come across pornographic material online (Milani, 2017). With the current free browsing of the internet, children can get to access whatever they want, and that means that they are endangering their lives. However, when children are monitored, they may not be able to come across the danger websites or even material that is not healthy for them. All that is required is for children to be monitored to make their lives better. A way to make children safe is by use of filtering tools that can reduce the type of information accessed by children. This will prevent children from accessing material that is not healthy in any way.

Overuse of Mobile Device Reduces Sleep Quality

There is with no doubt that children get to overuse mobile devices that they are exposed to. As a result of that, there is the reduction of sleep quality. This is because children are not able to sleep as it is required. It has been seen that children usually are kept awake by their mobile phones even when they do not have to use them. Today's child gets to sleep less than it is required. This explains why children do not have to get the desired time to rest (Clinton & Steyer, 2012). Lack of sleep is hazardous to children as there will be no time to make the brain get to nourish itself. When one goes to sleep, their brain gets to clear things that are piling up, and when it is time to wake up, there are new ideas and a fresh mind. When children get to sleep less, they do not have the right time to make their brains get the desired needs. To make children sleep more as much as they are exposed to technology, parents should come in and control the exposure that children get when using the type of technology that they do. That means that children will be able to sleep more.

Lack of Privacy

There is no longer privacy in the children of today. The internet has gotten rid of confidentiality today as the children get engaged in sending and sharing of information. Today's child will post everything that they find in their homes, life and even in school for the world to see (Rosen et al., 2014). This has turned out to be a dangerous issue as the lives of families and children get exposed. With no time those that do not mean well for children and their families get to attack them. The exposure of children to the world has been made easy by technology. Since kids do not have a second thought when it comes to sharing of information, they endanger themselves and at the same time get to threaten their families too.

Escape From Reality

Children have gone online as a way to escape the truth. They do not want to face what is there, and that makes them t be exposed to a life that is not true or real. Today's child wants to be a Rockstar with as many friends as possible. When that lacks, it leads to some personal issues as a child will think they are not loved (Blackwell et al., 2014). By having friends and getting to live a life that is not theirs, children will usually be exposed to predators who are in need of using them. Eventually, a child will not have the experience that their parents wish for them. Escaping from reality is hazardous as a child will not be able to solve the problems that they are going through and that are why parents need to come in and make their kids have a meaning of life.

Conclusion

As seen in the article, technology is used to children as it makes their life better. However, it hurts today's child in various ways. Social skills and relationships do not come up well, and at the same time, there are health issues due to overuse of technology (No Author, 2014). Browsing online is dangerous to children as they can get exposed to harmful material and at the same time, there is exposure to poor sleep because of overusing technology. Lack of privacy to the world and escape from reality are the other problems that are faced by children due to technology. With all said and done, parents should play a part in making their children make good use of technology for healthy growth.

References

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Clinton, C., & Steyer, J. (2012). Is the Internet hurting children? CNN. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/opinion/clinton-steyer-internet-kids/

Little boys learn a lot from watching 'Star Wars,' and it isn't all good. (n.d.). Upworthy. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.upworthy.com/little-boys-learn-a-lot-from-watching-star-wars-and-it-isnt-all-good

Milani, R. (2017). Use of digital technology (Ipads, tablets. mobile phone, video-games and robots) in children: an overview of risks and benefits.

Moore, R. C. (2017). Childhood's domain: Play and place in child development (Vol. 6). Routledge.

Ramirez, M. (2015). The Negative Effects of Technology on Youth Today.

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Rowan, C. (2013, May 29). The impact of technology on the developing child. The

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