Question

It can be argued that the everyday lives of childhood and youth are increasingly mediated by technology. With reference to relevant literature, identify and critically discuss the key benefits and risks for children and youth associated with these trends.

Answer 1

Children in this century are avid users of technology more so than generations past. This rise in use has led to much attention on the consequences of technology use.Young people today are more “connected” than ever. In counties with high rates of connectivity, young people aged 15-24 generally outnumber others in terms of overall online population Young people have shown preferences for using the internet for gaming, chatting and social networking purposes Statistics from the United States suggest that youth between the ages of 8 and 18 spend on average seven and a half hours per day engaging with media content.Children grow up in media-rich homes. They are daily in contact with a wide range of digital tools. However, a high level of presence of digital devices in the home does not necessarily mean ICTs are made available to the children, nor does it necessarily lead to high use. Parents tend to use technology individually for work (PC and laptop) and communication (smartphone), children mainly use technology individually or at turns for fun and entertainment across a wide range of devices (TV, Tablets, smartphones, portable and fixed game console, laptop and PC). Children’s preferences towards one device or another are variable although, when available, they usually prefer tablets for their facility of use and smartphone for their multi-functionality and sense of autonomy that their ownership give them. Interestingly, children value as preferred device technology that they do not own necessarily but wish to own. The technology has then a ‘magical’ value of an object of high desire.Most children acquire easily and quickly basic operational skills. Some have acquired also more advanced online competencies: they can control and install a wide range of applications, and they can search on the Internet. In this, young users that do not master reading yet, rely in their use on their recognition of logos and images. This strategy makes them effective in finding their way even on Asian language based website or apps as they treat Asian language pictograms as images. Some among the older have become acquainted with social networks and messengers (Skype and WhatsApp), especially if family members are distant. Few use digital technologies not only as passive consumers but also in a creative way.

Technology has completely changed virtually every aspect of our society over the past few decades, from the way we work to the way we socialize and everything in between. One of the differences that have been most noticeable is the change in the way that children play and interact with each other from previous generations. Although technology does provide many positive benefits for learning, it also can have several negative effects on child development and quality of life.One of the biggest differences in the way that children live today is that they don’t get as much exercise as they used to. This is because technology such as computers, smart phones and television encourages them to be sedentary when they get home from school, as opposed to going outside and playing with other kids. Child obesity rates have risen drastically over the past several decades. In 2012, the child obesity rate was measured to be 18 percent, which is an 11 point difference from the obesity rate in 1980. While many schools and parents have made strides to change this by promoting organized exercise both during and after school, we still have a long way to go in helping kids playing in more conventional ways.echnology also has profound impacts on the way children think and feel. Since technology is full of stimuli and often requires paying attention to many different things at once, children who play many video games or spend most of their time online tend to have less of an ability to focus than kids who use technology minimally. It can also affect the way kids process information — when kids are exposed to high levels of technology, they tend to think through things only superficially and don’t develop the ability to think critically or be creative when learning new concepts.Technology changes the way kids socialize and interact with others, which can have huge impacts on their mental and emotional well-being. It has now become common knowledge that high levels of social media use, in both kids and adults, can lower self-esteem and create negative moods. However, all types of technology can actually have negative effects on children when used in excess, because they lower children’s frequency of interacting with their peers. This makes it more difficult for them to pick up on social cues and develop meaningful relationships with others — something that can have serious negative consequences as they grow and develop. They also have a difficult time developing emotions the same way other kids would if they spend too much of their time with technology and not enough time being engaged while in the presence of others.

Technology uses benefits to children.

• Technology provides a source of educational entertainment for children.-Kids become easily distracted. Taking them on a long trip or keeping them engaged while you’re working as a parent is already challenging. Trying to have them learn something useful during these periods feels like an impossible task. Thanks to today’s educational apps for kids that are downloadable to most devices, these moments of downtime can promote learning opportunities.
• Kids have access to more information.-Access to technology allows today’s children to experience cultures in ways that could never be done before. They can watch videos showing the festivals and events held in other countries. It offers exposure to different religious and political views not always possible in a family setting. Through technology, today’s children have ways to broaden their horizons like never before. That structure helps to create a smaller world where more opportunities exist.
• Technology prepares children for the future.-Technology will continue evolving. It isn’t going away. Exposing children to tech concepts early on prepares them for a future where they can remain productive. Programs like ABC Mouse allow children to be ready for school while promoting cognitive development. Sites like Zearn are used by schools to teach educational concepts. These tools make it possible for children to be prepared for math, reading, and other core subjects when they are old enough to be going to school on their own.
• Using technology improves hand-eye coordination.-Programs and apps which encourage engagement further develop a child’s hand-eye coordination. Their eye-tracking improves with technology use as they follow objects on the screen or participate in application activities. These skills translate into better reading and writing while in school because the kids are accustomed to using the hands and eyes as ways to understand and communicate.
• Language skills improve when using technology.- Kids have numerous opportunities to develop language skills because of technology. Games require them to follow specific instructions for success. Children can read e-books as a way to improve their vocabulary or stories which are entertaining. Online flashcards promote phonics and mathematical concepts. Kids today seem to have an intuitive understanding of how computers and mobile devices work. Giving them access to technology makes sense if it improves their learning capacity.
• Technology helps children learn other skills or developed natural talents.-Kids can use technology today to write or illustrate, just as children in previous generations used word processors, typewriters, and graphics tables. We have always used the technology of our era to support personal pursuits in some way. Whether a child wants to learn how to play a musical instrument, write a short story, or communicate with their grandparents using a video call, they stay connected with themselves and their family because of what is available to them today.

Negative Effects Of Technology

• Mental Skills Disorder:-Spending more time with the most common technological devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets causes problems like distraction and concentration disturbance. This situation negatively affects the academic success of the child and decreases success in school. technology is not the primary source of the problem. As we mentioned at the very beginning, the reason for such problems is the extreme use of technology. It should not be forgotten that technological developments aim to provide benefit for us. Using the right technology with the right amount of course is not harmful to anyone.
• Social Skills Disorder:- The social skills are weakening during the process in which the child who is playing too many games on a computer is disconnected from real life. The child, who is not in communication, interaction and sharing with his/her environment, is trying to meet all these needs in a virtual environment.children can see the level they have achieved in a game, the level they reach as a respectability element, and they can try to gain respectability in the vicinity of friends. However, these titles, which have no importance in real life, should be replaced by skills such as respect, love, sharing and communication. The child should gain respect on these skills.
• Anger and Fear:- Children can be exposed to frightening elements in videos, cartoons or games they watch and play such as Momo. Children who are not capable of realizing the difference between the real and the imaginary can experience unfavourable situations such as fear of being alone, nightmares, and not being able to go to the toilet alone.
• Technology Addiction - Technology addiction resulting from overuse causes a person to feel deprived when he/she is unable to reach the technological devices.A child who is addicted to technology feels unsatisfied and unhappy every time he/she stays away from the computer or mobile devices.Since we cannot always provide technological products to the child and we know that this is already wrong, we have to go through various restrictions.
• Physical Problems: -The negative effects of technology are not only emotional and mental disorders. The subject also has a physical dimension. Watching TV for a long time, using a computer or tablet in the wrong sitting position brings with it the following disadvantages such as Eye-vision problems, Neck Pain ,Distortion of the skeletal structure of the body, Arm, hand, finger numbness,Overstrain n addition to these, we can also say that the physical development of the child, who is immobilized with the use of technological devices, slows down the time required to be allocated to activities that support muscle development, such as walking, running, jumping, and playing physical games. It is important to remember that children who do not burn enough calories in such cases are at risk of obesity.
• Bullying, Abuse and Security Issues: -We have often talked about “overuse“. There are also hidden threats that do not depend on overuse among the negative effects of technology. Cyberbullying! Considering that the technologies that children are interested in can usually be connected to the internet, we need to be aware of the external threats.n games and applications with online communication preferences, children can be exposed to bullying. They can be abused by malicious adults. Again, malicious adults can obtain personal information about the child or his family.