Technology vs. Child

Back then I remember actually reading books as a child, playing outside on the playground and being out there until the street lights came on. My parents had to practically drag me back in the house. I remember family game nights, dinners at the table, and building forts out of the couch pillows. Today's families and children are so hooked on these devices that they are missing out on their real childhood. Kids are grabbing at their parents iPad's and iPhone's more than actual print books. "A 2010 Kaiser Foundation study showed that elementary aged children use on average 7.5 hours per day of entertainment technology, 75 percent of these children have TV's in their bedrooms, and 50 percent of North America homes have the TV on all day. Gone is dinning room table conversation, replaced by the "big screen" take out" (Rowan, C). I chose this article because it really goes into depth about how technology affects the younger generation. There wasn't really any peer review papers I could find that goes into detail as this article.  Cris Rowan, Pediatric occupational therapist,biologist, speaker and author, talks about how the children who are excessively using these devices, their developing sensory, motor and attachment skills are not developed enough to handle the fast past of today's technology. Even the fast pace advancement of technology has increased some psychological health disorders. 

"Child obesity and diabetes are now national epidemics in both Canada and the U.S., casually related to technology overuse. Diagnosis of ADHD, autism, coordination disorder, development delays, unintelligible speech, learning difficulties, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders are associated with technology overuse, and are increasing at an alarming rate" (Rowan, C). Rowan also goes into what factors are most critical to achieve healthy development in children. These consist of movement, touch, human connection, and exposure to nature. "These types of sensory inputs ensure normal development of posture, bilateral coordination, optimal arousal states and self-regulation necessary for achieving foundation skills for eventual school entry" (Rowan, C). Reminiscing back to the good ole days where I'd spend hours outside with friends or on my scooter, roller blades or just enjoying swinging on the swing. This young generation needs more time outdoors being active to achieve sensory stimulation to their proper systems and less time cooped inside on their mobile devices. Also being outside and taking in all of nature has not only a calming affect on children but is also "attention restorative and promotes learning" (Rowan, C). What the future holds may not be headed in the right direction. If we continue to allow our future children to be so tied up in technology they may not get the proper nourishment's for development and spiral into "overload".

  

"Children who overuse technology report persistent body sensations of overall "shaking", increased breathing and heart rate, and a general state of unease." Its up to us and our generation to come together and help our world wake up to these technology downfalls. It affects the future generations ability to grow and learn mentally, physically and emotionally. "Rather than hugging, playing, rough housing, and conversation with children, parents are increasingly resorting to providing their children with more TV, video games, and the latest iPads and cell phone devices, creating deep and irreversible chasm between parent and child" (Roman, C).

Resources

Rowan, C. (2013, May 29). The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 23, 2014 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negative-impact_b_3343245.html