Over the last few years, technology has played a vital role in every single aspect of human life. The key difference can be noticed from the way today’s kids interact with several modern technology devices as compared to earlier generations. Though technology has helped us to achieve better comfort in our lives, it has also thrown lots of challenges that need to be dealt with at the right time. Knowing both the positive and negative influence of technology on kids will help you to keep things well organized and balanced. Here we have listed both positive and negative influence & effects of technology on kids along with useful remedies to overcome the problems:
Positive Influence of Technology on Kids
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1. Aids in educational learning
Technology is offering a different level of vocational training to kids which they can’t get in a traditional academic curriculum. The availability of such a strong source of knowledge in hand is allowing children to work on their area of interest and also gain information on difficult subjects. By using modern gadgets such as tablets, printers, and laptops, they can really push their imagination to a whole different level. Most of the children are also taking the help of the latest applications and tools to hone their logical reasoning skills. Spending time on such innovative tools is like an exercise to their brain. This helps them to handle pressure situations very well.
2. Encourages an entrepreneur spirit
It is a commonly accepted fact that the future of kids will hover around most of the emerging technologies. As technical skills are becoming highly relevant in the workplace, children will be encouraged to adopt several new things that will keep them at the top in a cut-throat competition. Spending some quality time on learning about the latest technologies will not only make them more knowledgeable but it will also instill an entrepreneur spirit in them. Technology is really playing its vital role to create future leaders who have a pearl of wisdom to make the right decisions at the right time.
3. Safety
Smartphones have made it easy for kids to reach out to their parents in case of an emergency. Some modern gadgets such as smartwatches are going a step further by offering top-level security features to kids. You can use GPS to track the location of your kids and also restrict a few numbers from which your children may receive fake calls. In most of the schools, children are educated with easy tactics that will help them to get out of any critical situation using modern gadgets. For physically challenged kids, technology acts as a real lifesaver as parents can employ the latest innovations for the safety of their children.
4. Fosters multitasking skills
With the advent of different mobile applications and tools, technology is helping kids to learn multitasking skills. They are not only becoming quick learners but also show a lot of flexibility when it comes to dealing with problem-solving situations. With high-end devices in hand, kids are becoming more capable to resolve problems on their own. Being a technology savvy individual, they try to come with their own solutions when it comes to dealing with real-life issues using technology.
5. Gives a boost to creativity
Kids have a strong imagination and technology acts as a real catalyst to boost their creativity. With such high-end devices in hand, they can push all limits to create something extraordinary. Within a just matter of seconds, they can transform their thoughts into a reality. They can draw a painting, create 3D animation and even print it to develop a prototype for an emerging business. Technology not only helps them to adopt new skills but gives them the freedom to express their idea without any hesitation.
Negative Influence of Technology on Kids
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1. Lack of Exercise
Using the latest technology gadgets to achieve efficiency in work is a good thing but it is also making kids lazy. Most of the children even prefer to spend the maximum amount of their daily time on desk or sofa while playing games or managing social media accounts. Few kids even prefer to play indoor games and they avoid going outdoor which is hampering their physical development. They are becoming less active day by day and it’s no wonder we observe such a strong rate of obesity amongst young kids.
2. Social skill issues
Today, children spend most of their leisure time on smartphones, computers or tablets. They prefer to interact with their friends only through social media channels. What it means that they wish to connect with their colleges on the virtual networks rather than personally interacting with them. Eventually, this is affecting their social skills and their relationships with parents or friends are not as strong as they used to be. Confining themselves to the online network means they don’t have a network of people on whom they can rely in case of critical situations.
3. Physical Problems
Spending an immense amount of time on mobile phones, laptops, desktops, game consoles, and tablets leads to physical issues amongst kids. Most of the children are facing problems such as blurred vision, shoulder pain, back problems, neck pain, dry eyes, and headaches. Taking improper posture while using devices is also creating musculoskeletal problems amongst kids that are difficult to deal with.
4. Sleep patterns & emotional behavior
Having technology gadgets in the bedroom of your kids will definitely going to affect their sleeping habits. Most of the children have a habit of using devices before going to sleep which is affecting their quality of sleep in a drastic manner. Fewer hours of sleep are also affecting their efficiency in the study during the day which ultimately hampers their educational progress. Most of the kids spend a limitless amount of time playing games and failure in those games is also influencing their emotional behavior. They feel extremely stressed, depressed and lonely which can be easily observed from their emotional behavior.
5. Online browsing can be harmful
If your child is doing online browsing without sticking to necessary precautions then he may become a victim of phishing or fall prey to deceptive advertisements. Kids can go online and access any kind of content which they shouldn’t open considering their age. This may involve watching porn sites, playing dreadful games or online betting. Many young kids are also being blackmailed by scammers and they are ready to go to any extreme to serve the demands of these fraudulent people.
6. Losing control of life
Most of the kids are so obsessed with modern gadgets that they are ready to give up on their study time to spend maximum time with their favorite gaming console. This is not only creating a negative influence on their career but they are also losing control over their own life. They are extremely fascinated by smartphones, tablets, laptops or any other technology device and even find it difficult to live without them. The constant use of gadgets is also making most of the kids impatient and more aggressive in everyday life.
How to reduce the Negative Influence of Technology on Kids?
- Create a daily schedule for your kids that define the number of hours they need to spend on gadgets. Advise your kids to take frequent breaks when interacting with devices.
- Educate your kids about the advantages and disadvantages of technological devices. Teach them about how to achieve proper balance in life by using technology in an effective way.
- If your children see you constantly on the phone or using any other device then they are going to follow you. So, try to set a nice example in front of your kids by behaving in a more responsible way.
- Make sure your children are not using Internet filtering tools. For example, a VPN is used to hide an IP address for security reasons, but parents need to watch out that their kids are not using it to bypass parental controls and accessing inappropriate sites.
- Keep your kids busy with educational apps and creative tools available online which will increase their interest in gaining knowledge instead of wasting time on useless things.
- If your kids are addicted to technology gadgets then you can arrange a few consultation sessions with experts to get them out of such a tough situation at the right time.
- Ask your kids to maintain the right posture to avoid any physical comfort while using gadgets. Developing an ergonomic workplace is recommended by experts to offer a conducive environment for kids.
- Encourage kids to interact with their friends and relatives personally rather than through smartphones or laptops. This will make them more sociable and they will learn the art of maintaining a healthy relationship with the people.
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The Bottom Line
In this modern world of constantly changing technologies, you can’t keep your kids away from the latest gadgets. But you can definitely help them to get the best out of these technology devices by using them in a productive way. With such an impactful tool in hand, technology can make or break the life of people in a short span of time. However, sticking to some disciplinary tactics while using these technology devices will definitely help everyone to reap the best results out of technology.
Web developer and SEO specialist with 20+ years of experience in open-source web development, digital marketing, and search engine optimization. He is also the moderator of this blog "RS Web Solutions (RSWEBSOLS)".
