Technology’s 6 Negative Effects on Children (And What You Can Do)

Technology’s 6 Negative Effects on Children (And What You Can Do): Technology is amazing, and we embrace it, but it is critical to limit your children’s access to it.

Technology’s negative effects on children
We used to claim that television raised our children, but nowadays, additional technology options compete for your child’s attention. Technology has an inextricable influence on the growth of today’s youngsters, from social media platforms to video games.

However, we must consider whether such early access to technology is genuinely advantageous. What are the harmful impacts of technology on your children if it isn’t? We’ll look at those in this post and offer suggestions to assist you strike a good balance that will benefit your children.

6 Negative Effects of Technology on Children

Children are becoming more tech-savvy at an earlier age, either to prepare them for school or to keep them occupied. Parenting is a difficult task, and it can be tempting to placate a child by handing them a phone or tablet so they can get some work done.

Don’t worry; it’s something that every parent does! However, this continual obsession with technology leads to some serious health, emotional, social, and safety concerns.

Reduced attention span, health concerns, and poor sleep quality are just a few of the negative consequences of technology on children. Let’s take a closer look at it.

1. Attention span is shorter

Our brains are wired to respond to stimuli, and we are constantly assaulted with news and videos owing to technology. Because of the multitude of choices, online users’ attention spans are shortening; there’s always something new to learn or something new to watch. To meet the demands of such a group, internet information has become increasingly condensed.

This steady stream of fast-changing content can be harmful to young children who are constantly exposed to it. Our children’s minds are learning how to flip instantaneously between distinct and sometimes unrelated events thanks to social media, television, and the internet. Their still-developing brains will become so wired to multitask that they will find it impossible to focus on a single task or thought.

A study on the impact of frequent television viewing and video gaming on children’s behavior was published in Pediatrics. It lasted over a year and involved over 1,300 youngsters ranging in age from 6 to 12. Teachers of the children participating noted that the majority of them had focus problems due to their average screen use of over four hours. Another study backed up similar findings and suggested that the effects could persist a long time.

2. Health Issues

The health concerns that emerge from children’s over use of technology are a serious negative consequence. Because they spend more sedentary time on their phones, playing video games, or watching TV, they participate in fewer physical activity. This promotes thoughtless munching, which leads to substantial weight gain. Obesity in youngsters has been linked to a lack of exercise caused by excessive computer and television use, according to researchers.

Other health concerns include the following:

  • Repetitive usage of the thumb when gaming or typing increases the risk of tendonitis in the thumb.
  • Long hours of gazing at bright screens at close range cause eye strain.
  • Sitting posture is poor.
  • Excessive usage of headphones with loud music on causes hearing loss.
  • Neck discomfort that never goes away
  • Headaches that come and go

3. Sleep Quality Issues

Because of portable devices like smartphones and tablets, children now have access to digital information at all hours of the day. This implies that instead of resting, people may spend the entire night reacting to texts and messages. Sleep is necessary for both physical and mental health, and children require a large amount of it.

Children’s sleep was altered by media use before bedtime, according to a study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the United States. A research published in JAMA Pediatrics backs this up, finding that children who use media before bedtime are more likely to have poor sleep quality. Reduced attentiveness in youngsters, excessive daytime sleepiness, and the start of numerous sleeping disorders are the results of this.

4. Emotional and Behavioral issues

Children’s fears have been triggered by technology, particularly social media. Children who are easily influenced by bad influences may become overwhelmed by the desire to imitate their friends’ or heroes’ actions.

When they can’t meet up or do what they observe on TV, it can cause worry or a sense of inadequacy and inferiority. FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) arises, which is a toxic combination of worry and inadequacy.

Kids who are always online can be readily targeted, and the internet provides an opportunity for them to be emotionally tormented. One in in three teenagers has been a victim of cyberbullying, a staggering statistic that demonstrates the scope of the problem.

Furthermore, a study published in the SAGE journals discovered that youngsters who used social media devices on a regular basis had more mental health difficulties. In addition, according to a research published in the International Journal of Child Health and Human Development, 30 percent of the 1,500 children in the study who spent more than 3 hours on the internet were diagnosed with depression.

5. Social Skills Deficit

The constant use of electronic gadgets as a means of communication can stifle the development of important social skills. Overuse of technology displaces time spent in social contacts, and these social skills are developed during daily physical interactions.

Knowing when to take turns in discussions, reading and using facial expressions, making acceptable eye contact, and altering your tone depending on who you’re talking to are all social skills. To be fully honed, all of these skills require face-to-face interaction.

Furthermore, youngsters that use technology excessively legitimize poor social habits such as bullying and rudeness, which are particularly widespread online. According to a study published in BMC Public Health, screen usage is linked to bad social skills in toddlers, particularly in interactions with others.

6. Explicit Content Exposure and Safety Concerns

This is the most alarming effect of children’s unsupervised technology use. With the amount of explicit information available on the internet, youngsters who have unrestricted access to technology are sure to be exposed.

Most sites that display this don’t have any kind of age restriction, so children can readily view them. Furthermore, dangerous persons online can easily lure minors into sending sexual photographs of themselves. These people can get your financial and security information from your children.

What are your options?

These are some actions you can take to help your children achieve the correct balance of technology use:

1. Encourage and facilitate the participation of more people in outdoor activities:

While it is understandable that children choose to play video games or watch television, it is critical that they spend appropriate time outside. Encourage children to participate in more physical activity by playing games like hide-and-seek and catch.

Increased physical exercise burns calories, lowers obesity risks, and promotes muscular growth. Furthermore, this aids in the development of social skills and interactions with playmates and peers.

2. Limit Screen Time

Set limits on how much time your children spend on electronic devices. This will lower the risk of eye strain, neck pain, and other health problems associated with excessive screen usage.

You can teach them to follow the American Optometric Association’s recommended 20-20-20 guideline. To apply this rule, take a 20-second break after every 20 minutes of screen usage to stare at anything 20 feet away.

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3. Employ Parental Control Software

There are a variety of parental control programs available, but they always fall into one of four categories:

Content Filters: You can use these apps to block access to content that is improper for your age group. You might limit your children’s access to a children’s entertainment service, such as those in our list of the top streaming services for kids.

  • Usage Control: These allow you to set time limits on how long you can use your gadgets. If you have an iPhone, for example, you may hide and restrict apps to keep them out of reach of your children. Similar options are available for Android smartphones as well.
  • Computer Management Tools: These are used to ensure that only specific software or apps are utilized on a computer. If you use a PC, you can make Windows child-friendly with a few simple steps or use Windows parental control tools to limit what your child may access online.
  • Monitoring Tools: These are used to verify the location of your children’s devices and track their activity consumption.

Apply these rules to your children, limiting their access to electronic devices based on their age, time, and usage. When putting these precautions in place, however, it is critical to talk with your children, explaining the risks of the internet and how the limitations are for their safety. This is due to the fact that tech-savvy kids can get around parental controls and app limits.

They might figure out a way, whether it’s through basic techniques like uninstalling browser extensions or switching to a different device, or more sophisticated methods like using a proxy server or resetting device parameters. Your children are less likely to try to get around parental rules if you are less tight.

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4. Spend Quality Time With Your Children

Parental care cannot be replaced by technology. Parents should set aside time when their children are not allowed to use electronic gadgets so that their families can socialize and form social bonds. Instead, discover fun physical activities to do with your kids, or simply spend quality time together playing a board game or something else.

Make an effort to be inventive and deliberate. When it comes to parenting, because technology is here to stay, we must discover ways to make it work for our children.