With the changing conditions around the world, technology has become more present to young children. As a result, the modern child has become more consumed and more impacted by the availability of technology. More information has been discussed in the 45-minute-long podcast.
From the podcast, it is noted that two experts on the issue under discussion have been able to explain some of the effects of the digital world and technology on the young children's emotional growth, social development and their educational progress and development. These key experts that were involved in the discussion included Howard Gardner of Harvard and James Steyer of Stanford and Common Sense Media. According to them, there are many opportunities and challenges with the emergence of technology and its use among the young children.
For instance, when one joins the digital world, he or she would have joined the digital world with quicker and easier access and spread of information. Technology among the young children should be an issue that should be embraced by the society putting in to consideration the fact that the modern children are the digital natives of the modern world. Therefore, parents should take a balanced approach on the effects of technology on the children by accepting the reality as it dawns.
Impact of technology on kids
Technology has played a key role in the education system of the young children. However, the same technology has had its own pitfalls causing some harm to the children. It is therefore up to the older society to find and tap the available opportunities that will be of help to the young generation of the digital natives' society.
In the podcast, several parents have been able to raise matters of concern regarding the behavior and conduct of their children around their parents as a result of technology. The modern society kids are fundamentally different. With technology, there has been an alteration in the creativity and the graphic creations of the children.
There has been deterioration in the creativity among the children due to continued use of technological devices like phones. There is a big difference between the creativity of the generation prior to the current generation. For these kids to improve on their creativity there should be a limit in the use of devices like mobile phones.
As a result of technology, the kids are considered to be universally risk averse. There are dangers of these children falling off the correct path. With the use of this technology, it has been stated that these children have lost patience; one of the most important virtues for a rational human being.
With technology, the children have grown so fast, hence surpassing the teachings yet to be taught to them by their parents. Therefore, the parents find it difficult in teaching their children some rules of engagement. This is because of the fact that these kids are growing in a reality with the revolution of the technology.
Falling off a narrow path has also been a common phenomenon among the young kids as a result of technology. For instance, during camping seasons, it is usually recommended that the kids should not carry their electronic devices into the camps. However, their parents more often than not usually have a back-up phone hidden in the teddy bears these kids are given as they go for the camping.
As a result of the addiction to the technological devices, these children no longer pay attention to some critical issues of society. This has become a great challenge especially when such kids are being provided with crucial advice for their own growth. Direct communication among the parents and their children has become a challenge to the children development
With the spread of technology among the children, there has been a thought that the elderly have been hiding some information from them. They feel that the parents withhold information from them. This implies that for any question asked, it should be followed with a direct answer. In the pod cast, one of the parents mentioned an issue that occurred between him and his five and eight year old daughters.
One of the children asked the parent about God since He was the one that created the universe. One of them recommended that the father should just Google it to get the answer. This implies that these kids believe that with technology, there is a solution to every unsolved answer. Furthermore, technology has altered the relationship of the children to the life's big questions like questions concerning the supreme beings like God.
Additionally, technology is undermining and shortcutting the relationship. It is therefore up to the parents and the older generation to come up with ways of answering the tough questions asked by their children so as to keep up with the pace of development among the children.
Without technology, the children's mood is lifted. In the podcast, one of the participants highlighted on her relationship with the children when they went for a hangout. With no mobile phones in the surrounding there was a quick and smooth flow of conversation. It is the duty of the society to combine the use of technology with the development of the children since it is a necessary evil.