How is Technology Changing Childhood?

1. How is Technology Changing Childhood? By Kendall Black Soc 1010 042 sp14

2. Table of Contents • Reflection Paper #1- What I knew • Failure To ConnectBy Jane M Healy, Ph.D. • How technology is Changing the Way Children Think and FocusBy Jim Taylor, Ph.D. • How Technology Has Changed Childhoodby Dirk Singer • Is Technology The Enemy of an Outdoor ChildhoodBy Tim Gill • CCFC-Facing the Screen Time DilemmaBy Colleen Cordes • Reflection Paper #2- What I learned • The End

3. Reflection Paper #1What I knew Wherever I go, I see children of all ages using tablets and smart phones. I can't help but wonder how this technology is changing the way a Childs brain develops, and if this is a positive or a negative change? I know that parents are concerned about the long-term repercussions of children being inundated with technology. There are also noted benefits of the early use of computers and smart phones, but do those outweigh the possible negative affects? I know children today are spending more time online and in front of a screen than ever before. I also know that it is such a new phenomenon that there is no way a person can tell exactly what it is doing to a growing brain. I have read several articles citing the great benefits of children having 'screen time', but I think it isn’t that great for adults or children to sit in front of a screen several hours a day.

4. Failure To ConnectBy Jane M Healy, Ph.D. In this article the author, Healy, states that children using technology is really just an experiment. We hope that their education will benefit, but nobody know if it will. Parents sometimes worry that their child will be behind in technology, but Healy says that a letting a child have regular use of a computer too early is far worse then having them start later in life. She thinks that using a computer before the age of seven will do more harm then good. Healy feels that the best multi-media, interactive environment is still the ‘real world’. Healy, Jane M. Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds--and What We Can Do about It. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999.

5. How technology is Changing the Way Children Think and FocusBy Jim Taylor, Ph.D. The author notes that since a Childs brain is still developing, the use of technology is in fact rewiring the brain in different ways. As a society we doubt that technology is changing the way we think, in particular, young children, we just aren’t sure how it is changing. Technology is so new, that we have no way to calculate the value and/or cost it is having on children. It could be beneficial or it could be harmful. We also need to take into account the type of technology children are exposed to, and the frequency in which they are using it. Taylor, Jim, PhD. "How Technology Is Changing the Way Children Think and Focus." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. N.p., 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201212/how-technology-is-changing-the-way-children-think-and-focus>.

6. How Technology Has Changed Childhoodby Dirk Singer Singer write that he believes childhood has changed. Childhood has drastically changed in the last 20 or 30 years. Kids are learning computer skills before they are learning life skills. More small children can use a smart phone application then can tie their shoe or ride a bike. Singer states that 81% of children have a digital dossier or footprint. In the United States that number goes up to 92%. Singer, Dirk. "How Technology Has Changed Childhood – Ten Stats." Lies Damned Lies and Statistics RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://liesdamnedliesstatistics.com/2012/04/how-technology-has-changed-childhood ten-stats.html>

7. Is Technology The Enemy of an Outdoor ChildhoodBy Tim Gill Gill finds that the effects of technology and childhood is a heated debate. And since we don’t know the consequences of a highly digital childhood, we shouldn’t abstain completely, but limit it and find a good balance for our children. Gill found that increased screen time is associated with reduced feels of social acceptance and increased feelings of loneliness. As well as lower self esteem, lower self worth, and higher levels of anxiety, distress, and depression. Gill, Tim. "Is Technology the Enemy of an Outdoor Childhood?" Rethinking Childhood. N.p., 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://rethinkingchildhood.com/2013/10/23/technology-outdoor-childhood/>.

8. CCFC-Facing the Screen Time DilemmaBy Colleen Cordes CCFS advocates to reduce all children's screen time. Technology offers possibly but also many challenges. The article offers many suggestions for parents with children using computers, smart phones, and tablets. Some of those suggestions include: setting limits on time spend using screen time and the content that is being accessed. Not to let children have screen time isolated in their bedroom. I thought the best suggestion was being an example to your children. Watch how much screen time you have daily. Cordes, Colleen. "Facing the Screen Dilemma: Young Children, Technology and Early Education." Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. <http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/screendilemma>.

9. Reflection Paper #2What I learned Technology has changed childhood dramatically. Childhood is different today then it was 20 or 30 years ago (Singer) and that has a lot to do with the fact that children are spending a significant amount of their time using technology. Instead of playing outside in dirt, climbing trees, and riding bikes, children are sitting stationary using a computer, tablet, or smart phone, watching television, or playing video games. In my research I have learned that a majority of children in the United States have a digital dossier or footprint, sometimes before they are even born. (Singer) This is surprising to me considering my own feelings about the privacy of my children. Increased screen time is a problem for both adults and children. As an adult and parent, paying attention to my own screen time can help limit my children’s. Since they are watching I need to be an example. Increased screen time is associated with reduced feelings of social acceptance, self worth, and self-esteem, as well as increased feelings of loneliness, anxiety, distress, and depression. (Gill) Since the brain of a child is still developing, they should be exposed many different stimuli. If they are spending a large portion of their day sitting in front of a screen, the opportunity to experience other stimuli is decreased. I learned that you don’t necessarily need to have children abstain completely from screen time, but that there is a delicate balance. One of which should be balanced with time outside, time interacting with adults, and time free to play games and use their imagination.

10. The End