would have thought that between the ages of 2-5, two thirds of the US children use tablets in their
everyday lives, while one third of that group have a device of some sort that they call their own. Steve Jobs, the brains behind the IPad and IPhone, has banned the usage of these items in his own house. Believing that it’s better for his kids to engage with the family and sit around the table for discussions. Is the digital world taking away from the kids’ lives? In recent studies, there been reports that kids are not in fact being sucked into the digital world. A study from multiple countries show that 76% of children that have tablets or smartphones still read a book every week, 72% take part in sports on a weekly basis, and 37% analogue games. SO think that technology takes away from a kid’s life, but in all actually, it can make the kid more social able, less friendship issues, and less hyperactivity compared to the kids who don’t play video games.
http://news.yahoo.com/tablets-hit-kids-experts-worry-152240175--finance.html
Theres those that argue tablet time takes away from activities such as sleeping, interacting with others, and just stting down and reading a book. Social developement is key for kids growing up and kids need to spend more time with parents and care givers. The million dollar question is what is the approriate age for a kid to be able to use a tablet? Do you believe that the advanced technology today is affecting the kids health in anegative positive way?
http://news.yahoo.com/tablets-hit-kids-experts-worry-152240175--finance.html
I don't think there's necessarily an exact age at which a kid can use a tablet. I'm sure it will vary depending upon the parent's discretion. However, I do think that too much of nearly any electronic can cause kids to steer away from another more healthy activity such as playing outside, reading, or learning a new hobby.
ReplyDeleteI do think kids nowadays are far more lenient on technology than when we were kids. Even I have noticed younger and younger kids (unless I'm blind) having cellphones, or better yet smartphones before they even know how to operate a PC. Although, all of these issues should be dealt with in the home of the child. Parents must be aware of what their kids are doing and how long they are using the device.
This reminds me of my childhood. I got my first cell phone at age 12. It was a flip phone, but my parents told me over and over about how they didn't have a phone or computer until they were in college. This next generation is growing up with touch screens and voice commands. Things that are relatively new to us will be things that they can't imagine life without.
ReplyDeleteI think that technology and tablets and such can be great tools for kids and can enhance the learning process. However, there is such a push and over emphasis of this I feel as though kids many times don't know how to function or have fun without technology. I think this even plays into our generation with video games, computers and technology. Kids need to learn how to have fun not sitting in front of some sort of screen that involves no human interaction.
ReplyDeleteLittle kids will be using technology more and more, there is nothing we can do about it. I think that it can be a good think to keep kids busy with fun interacting games and also there has to be some apps out there that help develop children's learning. As a result the younger generations are going to lack social skills.
ReplyDeleteIn my family, I have cousins that are homeschooled and their parents use tablets that have all the learning programs on there. All my cousins half my age know how to use those tablets better than I do. For their generation it is more important that they are tech savy. However, those statistics surprises me because I see that generation being less sociable and less skillful in dealing with conflict.
ReplyDeleteI think that much more important than just setting rules for kids on the use of technology is that the parents set the example in their use of technology. I have noticed in my house that the more time my wife and I spend on our phones, the more our daughter will want to use technology. However, when our phones are both sitting on the counter out of sight, she almost always chooses to read a book or go outside over using technology.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the later a child is introduced to technology the better. I firmly believe that technology is linked to childhood and adult obesity. When I was a kid I was born and raised on a farm. I was outside all the time working the animals, choring the animals, pulling baby animals out of the mother's womb, giving medicine, bottle feeding, scooping poop, etc. I was never in front of a TV as a child unless it was playing softly in the background to go to sleep. I would much rather be outside then to plop my butt in front of a computer screen for hours at a time. Do not get me wrong, I love technology, and I believe it serves its purpose. But I have noticed from working with children since the age of 12, that technology is more of a problem than anything. Yes it can be used as a reward, but it should be monitored very strictly. I believe the less time a parent just sits their child in front of a TV or tablet or cell phone the better off they will be. Children need to be out playing and learning. Yes their are TV shows and games that are educational. But most of the times parents just plop their child down on the couch and give them a tablet to keep them quiet or out of trouble. This is teaching the child that every time they do something wrong or misbehave then they get rewarded.
ReplyDeleteThis is really a good article to talk about, and there are too many different options to chose from. I partly agree with Steve Jobs a bit. For me, I work in the nursery at our church, and I see that some of the others use their devices to calm down the kid from crying. I sometimes do believe that the new technology today has taken an impact on the kids today in some way, since this is a bit new, I would need to look at a longer study period... It is also good to go back to what people did before all of this new and cool technology came to be easy to learn and to have...
ReplyDelete