Screening For Help: The Negative Effects Of Technology On Children

Screening for Help

Where kids can explore the world we live through the small pixels displayed on the tiny screens, kids of this decade live in the age of technology. Now is the time where children have access unlimited amounts of information while having the attention span lower than a goldfish. Entertainment from technology like games and TV shows are made known to cause health problems, impulsive behaviours and for the lack of using one’s imagination as a child. However, in this age in time, it’s hard to separate from a world where technology is used almost every second of the day. Therefore in this world where technology constantly surrounds our children, I believe instead of shielding our children completely away from the use of technology

In 2015 Toy companies, Hasbro and Mattel, declined by 28 percent in the sale of girl toys including the ever so popular Barbie. This is because more and more children opt for devices rather than physical toys used to cultivate their imagination. Technology has definitely benefitted kids in terms of using it for school projects but for entertainment, is it necessary to replace toys with devices? By allowing children to be simulated through games on their devices, this decreases the opportunities for them to create their own scenarios and their imagination becomes limited to what is visible on the screen. Without the aid of technology during their playtime, it will allow them to think independently so that when they grow up they are able to solve worldly problems without relying heavily on technology to do the work for

Children nowadays are definitely more likely to sit down and watch an episode of “Spongebob Squarepants” as opposed to going outside and riding a bike. Research carried out by the University of South Australia found that “screen time is more strongly associated than physical activities with overweight and obesity in 9-16 year old Australians.”[1] It is evident from research that screen exposure is becoming the big cause for obesity and this consequences should be taken in as advice for parents to reevaluate the importance of limiting the amount of screen time a child receives. However, I believe adults are also not too far from this problem either as the New Zealand Herald published an article in 2012 where “More than 2.8 million New Zealanders spent an average eight hours each on social media sites”[2] This raises the concern of parents who spend large amounts of their time on technology for entertainment will most likely have their children to follow in their footsteps. In terms of screen exposure for children, adults should understand that they are role models and play a key role the controlling the amount of screen time is given. By doing so this will show children that playing outside is an enjoyable activity and that they should not rely on screen time to have