An examination of technology and today’s child
Whether modern technology is a positive or negative influence on children depends on who you ask. For every parent who decries a child’s obsession with video games, there is another who is thankful that learning can be more robust and interesting. In this three-part series, “HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida” examines how adolescents today use technology, the pitfalls and the benefits—and what parents can do to keep their children safe and healthy.
Part I: A Cautionary Tale
The 21st-century child lives in a vastly different world than the one from just a generation ago. Video games feature lifelike graphics and surround-sound effects. Communication with friends requires little more than a few taps on a smartphone touch screen. Movies, television shows and other entertainment can be viewed almost anywhere. Information for a report or class project can be found in less time than it took just to walk to the library’s card catalog 30 years ago.
But according to Gainesville pediatrician Dr. Michael Beebe, the medium with the biggest impact has actually been around for decades.
“Probably the most common form of technology of all is television. That’s the most pervasive in their lives, even at a young age,” he said. “I hear about a lot of parents who use [the infant DVDs] Baby Einstein, even for kids under a year old.”
Traditional worries about children and their television habits have included the content of programming, from violence and strong language to children portrayed as wise-cracking characters who happily disobey their parents.
A recent study published in the journal of the American Association of Pediatrics [AAP] sheds light upon a new concern—the effect of background television. The study found that the average child in the U.S. is typically exposed to nearly four hours of background television per day. As Beebe explained, the concern goes beyond mere programming.
“The background noise is not seen as a positive influence, especially on an infant. But it’s probably distracting to the caretaker as well,” he said. “They’re probably more likely to watch snippets of that TV show when they might be interacting more with the child.”
When combined with cell phones, video games and the internet, technology becomes a dominating force in the life of today’s child. Consider these statistics from a 2010 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project (unless otherwise stated):
- Seventy-five percent of children ages 12-17 have cell phones. The largest increase in this number was seen in 12-year-olds, 58 percent of whom have cell phones (up 18 percent from 2004).
- The average teenager sends more than 3,000 texts per month. (Nielson Company, 2010)
- Eighty percent of teens ages 12-17 have a home gaming console such as an Xbox, Playstation or Wii, and 24 percent of those teens use these consoles to go online. Portable gaming devices like PSPs or Gameboys are owned by 51 percent of teens; one in five uses them for online access.
- Ninety-three percent of teenagers regularly go online; 62 percent of them get news about current events and politics from the internet.
- Seventy-three percent of American teens who have internet access use social networking sites like Facebook.
What is all of this technology doing to our children? There are physical issues linked to the sedentary lifestyle associated with excessive use, such as obesity. Beebe cautions that technology itself is not responsible for the obesity epidemic in America’s children, citing factors such as the lack of school funding for physical education programs and a shut-in lifestyle as more children are home alone during the day. But he confirms that watching television, playing video games and surfing the internet are replacing the time that children might normally be outside and physically active.
Eye strain is another common side effect of children who stare at a video screen for long hours. A condition known as computer vision syndrome includes many symptoms such as eye strain, blurred vision, headaches, loss of focus, neck pain and even double vision. Long-term use of keyboards and game controllers can also lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, pressure on the median nerve in the wrist that can cause numbness, tingling, pain, weakness and muscle damage in the hand and fingers.
But the more significant effects cited by Beebe, and others who work with children, pertain to a child’s psychological and cognitive well being. Kristina Ford is a fifth-grade teacher at Norton Elementary School, and the children in her class are “tweens,” an age range in which an increased use of technology is generally found. She explained that today’s world of quick information and instant gratification has contributed to changes in how they approach schoolwork.
“I’ve seen a change in their problem-solving skills. If it’s not a quick fix, sometimes they don’t put the effort in to do it,” she said. “When the kids are doing a book report and they need to know something about the author, they don’t do true research on the author or try to contact the author anymore. They don’t read books about the author or even use encyclopedias. They want to go online, look at Wikipedia, believe whatever is posted and just go with it. They think there’s some editor secretly behind the internet and that everything there is true.”
Beebe said that video games in particular tend to exacerbate impatience and frustration in children, especially solo games or games that highlight aggression, warfare and violence. However, when parental action is taken, the behavior is often short-lived and not a permanent personality change.
“All of these shooting and killing games, there’s a lot of literature about that and I don’t think it’s terribly positive,” he said. “Some kids play a lot of video games and you’ll see aggressive, acting out, frustrated behavior. When I’ve seen parents take that game away, the kid’s behavior immediately improves.”
Ford has also found that the attention span of children seems to be changing—something she attributes not only to the instantaneous nature of modern references, but to a lack of socialization skills.
“They used to have play dates with other kids. That used to be very common, and I don’t think that happens much anymore,” she said. “So at school we have to teach them how to interact with each other again.”
While access to technology gives children alternate ways to communicate, that communication can do more harm than good. It’s not uncommon to see teenagers texting with three different friends simultaneously, often ignoring the world around them. This becomes not only rude but dangerous when combined with driving; according to Students against Drunk Driving, texting and instant messaging are the leading distractions of teenage drivers.
There is also the issue of cyberbullying—the use of email, texting, social media and other electronic venues to harass, humiliate or threaten another person. Cyberbullying has become prevalent in a world where words spread faster than ever and the bully is not present to see the target’s emotional reaction. Victims can become withdrawn and disinterested in school or social situations and, in extreme cases, resort to running away or committing suicide.
Online safety has also become a huge concern. The internet provides a way to communicate without being judged by physical appearance or other in-person traits. This is double-edged sword, however, has given rise to online predators masking their true identities in order to stalk, harm and take advantage of trusting minor children.
With such cautionary tales, it would seem on the surface that today’s children face a grim outlook on their physical and emotional health. Yet, this is merely one of many angles on the issue of technology and children. The truth is that adolescents today also have a brighter future than ever when it comes to the benefits of these advances. In the next installment of this series, we’ll look at how computers, e-readers, cell phones and other gadgets can be a positive force in the lives of children and families when used appropriately.