In today’s modern digital world, a wide-ranging exploration of technology influences children’s and young adults’ social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. As “growing up” in a digital world is explored for the effects, it becomes rather imperative to analyze the multifaceted impact of technology on various aspects of development. Therefore, this essay will critically analyze the attention span, issues of socialization, empathy, and communication skills, which have been elaborated on in the essays, and provide strategies against them.
Issues at Hand
Attention Spans
With the digital era, there has been a dramatic change in the kids’ and youths’ behavioral tendencies regarding attention spans and focus. One teacher observes, “I see youth who used to go outside at lunch break and engage in physical activity and socialization. Today, many of our students spend the whole lunch hour sitting and playing on gadgets. This shows that teachers have observed more and more students getting destructively engrossed due to digital technologies, affecting their ability to be engrossed in some of the duties that make the classroom environment a place for achievement (Jana Partners and CalSTRS). Continuous screen exposure and instant technological gratification compound a restless and rapidly falling attention span. This, at this hour, creates an enormous challenge in most institutions of education, as it undermines not only the learning outcomes but also cognitive development.
Socialization
Technology has transformed the way children socialize and connect with others, both positively and negatively. As stated in Trewin’s article, “The challenge is looking at a child’s digital life from all angles to understand how technology is affecting things like social connectivity, creativity, problem-solving, homework, identity, and even nutrition and exercise” (Trewin). This means that notwithstanding what kind of digital platform opportunities lie in virtual socialization and worldwide contact, some screen glut precludes live opportunities for socialization and relationships with others. In addition, the study highlighted that teachers feel the impact of technology; it brings a rise in social and emotional problems among the students. Moving towards interaction within the virtual space may have harmful impacts and negative influences on the development of a child’s social basics and emotional intelligence.
Behavior toward Others
There have been social proofs of its issues with technology and empathy and behavior towards others in the digital world. In an open letter to Apple, according to Jana Partners, “Professor Twenge’s research shows that 8th graders who are heavy users of social media have a 27% higher risk of depression” (Jana Partners and CalSTRS). Spending hours on electronic gadgets puts teens more at risk of facing depression and even committing suicide. The high cases of cyberbullying and online conflicts can further be interpreted to point out the need to address challenges with empathy and behavior in the use of technology.
Communication Skills
The development of digital technology has dramatically and extensively modified written and oral communication skills among children and young people. Patel says, “Technology changes how kids socialize and interact with others, which can have huge impacts on their mental and emotional well-being.” Thus, while on the one side, technology is paving the way in the world for communication and sharing of information, concerns against it have been voiced about screen time and its impact on language development and the acquisition of skills required by people to interact with other people. There is an emphasis on the need for a balanced perspective on technology’s role in enhancing learning and communication.
Combating the Negative Effects of Technology
Where technology sources a negative influence on focus, the application of strategies that elicit mindfulness and focus becomes an absolute necessity. Parents can limit the time spent using gadgets, create areas without tech inside the house, and develop mindfulness activities within a child’s day-to-day activities to build the ability to focus and concentrate. Trewin states, “‘We aren’t going to come out of this with a recommendation to throw all technology out or ban children from having access to phones or tablets.’ “Not really possible, and definitely not something to desire.” Thus, through this, parents and educators make children realize a proper attitude toward using technology and thus help them reduce the negative effect it creates on their shortening attention span. It is, therefore, the responsibility of parents to have children participate in actual life social activities, such as sports, group projects, and community events, among other social activities. This may help develop social skills and eventually lead to good emotional health. It is of greater importance to encourage open communication on the importance of this in both homes and schools; this would help grapple with the negative implications of large-screen times on social development.
Building empathy and digital citizenship through nurturing activities can reverse the erosion of empathy and adverse action online. Educating children in kindness, speaking softly, and respecting others in virtual and real situations forms a basis for correcting behavior toward others. Some ways to approach this are through anti-bullying campaigns that educate digital etiquettes and promote an empathy-driven initiative towards social good and an excellent online environment. Further, developing an assortment of experiences linked with communication is desperately required to enhance the challenges related to communication skills. This will facilitate children’s engrossing in face-to-face chatting, storytelling, creative writing, speaking, and other activities. Through this manner, oral and written communication could be developed in learners. If combined with digital literacy courses that teach effective communication methods and critical thinking, this will arm the children in the world of digital landscapes appropriately and, as a result, become part of a generation with well-practiced communication skills.
In conclusion, technology has many impacts on a child’s development; it includes various effects, from social, emotional, and cognitive well-being to physical effects. They are issues of short attention spans, socialization, empathy, and communication skills. Knowing all this, one can understand the difficulty of bringing up a child in digital technologies. It is possible to turn the tide of technology’s negative impact by inculcating strategies that develop mindfulness, balance, empathy, and effective communication so children may succeed in the digital era.
Works Cited
Jana Partners. “Letter from JANA Partners & CalSTRS to Apple, Inc.” Corpgov.law.harvard.edu, 2018, https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2018/01/19/joint-shareholder-letter-to-apple-inc/
Patel, Dhruvin. “How Technology Impacts Children’s Development.” Medium, Thrive Global, 4 Mar. 2017, https://medium.com/thrive-global/will-technology-ruin-your-childrens-development-663351c76974
Trewin, Meaghan. “Growing up in a Digital World.” Www.ualberta.ca, 2017, https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2017/01/growing-up-in-a-digital-world.html
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