How is Technology Affecting the Health of Kids
Just look around, nowadays, technology is everywhere. Now you are reading this, and your eyes are absolutely on your smartphone or computer screen.
Technology has made numerous changes to our daily life. It also has an impact on the kids. Our children are also using smartphones, personal computers, tablets, video games, etc., at home or school for various reasons.
At present, our children learn many things that we have not to think even dream about it. That is a positive view of technology. It also has some negative effects on children. We marked some negative impacts of technology. You may pay attention to how technology is affecting the health of kids.
Table of Contents
Positive Effects of Technology
1. Enhancement of learning
At present, the enhancement of learning through technology has become a revolutionary change. It has integrated the learning experience for children into the classroom.
The technology is incorporated into educational lessons through smartboards, document cameras, even 3d printers. It boosts the students to collaborate in the learning process.
This collaboration increased the creativity of teachers and students in the classroom. Technology helps to make academic education more meaningful.
On the other hand, technologies have developed the fundamental skills of toddler-aged kids. They can learn the alphabet, numbers, colors through technology at home.
2. The Development of Future Technological Leaders
It is crucial how is technology affecting the health of kids. At present, in every sector of life, technological skill is essential. We indeed are now more dependent on technologies.
In the future, in the workplace, technical skills will be more important. Learning the uses of technology is an excellent opportunity for children to develop their skills. It will help them to build a strong career in the job place.
3. Skills of Problem-Solving
Technology provides many online programs. Such as technical drawing programs, coding programs, visual design programs play an important role in improving kids’ creativity.
Technology has both effects, good and bad. It depends on you how and when you use it. Creative children can adapt to the changing world successfully. They can create new solutions for new emerging problems.
Enhancement of problem-solving skills in childhood is much essential, which helps the children in the future to overcome obstacles quickly.
4. Helps to Develop Multitasking Talents
Technology helps children develop their multitasking talents. By using technology, children can learn drawing and presentation making for class even though some children can design new software early.
It’s a sound effect on children because they can expose their creativity at an early age. In the future, these children can do many things with their technological ideas.
5. Instills Entrepreneurial Spirit
Relationship building(networking), empowerment, creativity, determination, and expression; all these words go with technology. These all help to make the children budding entrepreneurs.
Technology helps to make kids imaginative. With their imagination, they can build relationships with others and make them determined to do something creative. So, it’s another valuable part of technology.
Negative effects of technology
1. Lower Attention Span
Researchers find that technology has a direct effect on spans of attention. That raised the concern of parents, teachers, and children themselves.
Because kids brain is not like adults brain, their brain is still developing and flexible. If children are endangered by technology at high rates, their brains will start thinking quickly. This makes kids aggressive to get anything more rapidly without waiting.
Technology makes visual stimulation, little need to imagine, and rapid change that highly exposed the child’s brain.
2. Increased Risk And Lack of Privacy
Nowadays, teenagers and children are growing up in the touch of technology. In this technological world, privacy is a little bit tough because technology makes all things more open and free.
Cyber Security is a revolutionary invention of technology, but it is not always working correctly. Cybercriminals and hackers are more active in the technological world. They hack a child’s identities and harass them in many ways. It has increased cyber risk.
3. Health Problems
The overuse of smartphones, computers, or tablets harms the kid’s health. Now they like to spend more time using devices and don’t do the physical activities which they need.
When they play or do other activities, they forget outside playing, running, which helps them burn over calories. As a result, it causes childhood obesity. Obesity is a crucial problem for kids.
It also causes so many health problems like visual problems, bad headaches, back pains, etc.
4. Risk of Depression
Technology increased the risk of depression for children. Children who spend more time using a device or media are more effective in mental health issues.
Depression is correlated with excessive use of media through technology. It increased the number of kids who need mental health support at a time. Even they need medicine and counseling.
It is proved that excessive use of direct technology or social media increases depression. Sometimes depressed child tries to attempt severe issues like suicide.
5. Reduction of Sleep Quality
The negative effects of technology on kids’ health are not limited. More use of technology makes the sleeping disorder for both children and adults.
Every people need an adequate amount of sleep. But when children take media devices in their sleeping environment, it makes a bad habit. Technology causes this lousy impact on children.
Children whose age is under 13 years typically need to sleep 11-14 hours. But the more technology-addicted children don’t do this. That’s why they suffer from many health problems after an age.
7. Social Interaction Issues
If children play too many games on the computer, disconnected them from real life. It is a negative effect that appears on technology.
The child who doesn’t interact and communicate with others becomes introverted day by day. It hampers his or her social activities.
8. Hampers School Performance
Unlimited attention to technology affects a child’s school performance. Lack of reading school assignments on their own will be hampered due to social media and cellphones.
By watching YouTube, emailing, or texting, anyone can’t be a good writer. To make a good performance in school, children need to be more attentive. For that reason, kids should use technology for a limited time. Otherwise, it will hamper children’s education.
9. Reduction of Self-soothing and Self-regulation
When kids expose their distractions, some parents try to keep them calm through technology. They give smartphones, tablets to their preschooler’s child’s to convince them.
That makes those children more desperate to get their desired things. In this fact, when they don’t get their selected items, they do something unexpected. It claims as a misuse of technology and this misuse reduces the self-soothing and self-regulation of children.
How can parents ensure the beneficial use of technology?
At present, parents are worried about their children. The reason for these worries is the harmful effect of technology. Technology has both impacts useful and useful. If parents don’t take proper care, it may harm their children. In the above, we discussed how is technology affecting the health of kids. Now we will tell you how you can protect your kids from the harmful effect of technology.
1. Enforcing Time Limit
You can enforce a time limit on using devices or digital media. To do that, you can use apps. It ensures a balance of screen time and non-screen time activities.
Besides using apps, you can fix a time limitation to use devices for your children. It will be more helpful to save your kids from health stimulation and develop social communication.
2. Talking Regularly with Your Children
You should talk with your children regularly to know their relationship with their peers. It will help to reduce the lack of real-life relationships.
This process perceives children from their online activities and gets engaged in real-life cooperation. It also helps you be aware of the negative impact of cyberbullying.
3. Being a Role Model of the Healthy Device Habit
To make a good habit for your kid, you should not use devices excessively in front of kids. It is very appreciated that parents spend quality time with children face to face.
Being a role model of the healthy device habit engage children to support healthy emotional and social development. So, try to be more careful about your kids.
Conclusion
The topic of this article is how is technology affecting the health of kids. It’s a matter of concern about kids.
The development of technology with newer formats not only for business but also for children. When you use technology responsibly, it has many benefits. It helps us to communicate with others, find many answers to questions.
Technology helps to build good social interaction. On the other hand, if you are not using it properly, it might harm your entire life. Children’s minds are sensitive and flexible. They can pick anything very quickly.
So, try to teach your kids to use technology appropriately. American Academy of Pediatricians recommends before age 2, no exposure and 1-2 hours per day, children can enjoy the entertainment media.