Does Technology Enhance or Diminish Childhood?
I look back at my childhood and tend to think that today's children are much worse off with the evolution of DVDs, games consoles and smart phones. Getting outside to interact and play with the other kids in healthy activities was much more enjoyable for me. I believe that the children of today are missing out on such a great opportunity for social development that costs very little and pays great dividends in the future.
In the 1980's a tennis ball, a piece of bat-shaped wood and wheelbarrow were all that was required to engage all of the kids in my street in backyard cricket. This provided many hours of fun and exercise over the summer each year. Winter was even cheaper - all that was required was a football. What we didn't appreciate as kids at that time was that we were doing more than playing in the street or backyard. We were:
Maintaining physical and mental health and fitness
Developing verbal communication skills
Learning about being part of a team
Improving skills and strategic thinking through competition
Setting our own guidelines and rules of engagement
Developing "hands on" technical skills (e.g. fixing fences, building a kart...)
And so on...
Can we say this about today's children as they sit in front of an LCD screen?
At the very least, I say that their social development is severely diminished.
What do you think?
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6 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.technology isn't just one thing, or even one group of things. i am pretty old, and when i was a kid and teen we had tv, radio, record players, cassette tapes, movies, all of which are technology... and most kids still got outside and played with each other, and were as active or inactive as their personalities dictated. i spend most of my time online and i'm not a kid. disabled i am; a kid i'm not. i know a kid who loves the computer... and irish dancing, girl scouts, dog obedience training and other active stuff. it's easy to blame technology for our woes. it's not particularly realistic or fair. and by the way, without what we today call technology, half a century ago, kids were still mostly not going off the grid. the good old days were not gridless unless one made a special effort, and it WAS special. living without plumbing maybe an adventure but good sanitation trumps that in my book. i like technology. like anything else, it can be properly used or abused. how about we look to our own behavior instead of blaming technology?
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genessa
Level 8
Dec 29, 2018
2
I agree. It is the responsibility of parents to guide their children.
@sfvpool Absolutely. Part of my inspiration for this post is observing parents use technology as a low-cost childcare solution. In contrast, I see the time and effort my sister and cousin, like @Zster, put into raising their children and the noticeable difference in outcomes. I don't have children of my own so it is good to hear the perspective of those that do. Not being a parent, I realise I don't fully understand the complexity of the topic.
@pmar074 I have three sons, who are now in their forties. When they were children, we limited their time on the TV and video games (such as they were back then), made sure they did their homework, let them play sports, and spent time with them. They turned out pretty well. Two of them are atheists and one is agnostic (can't win them all -- LOL).
@sfvpool lol winning them all. my childhood was well before theirs, so there were no video games. we had no particular restrictions on tv but didn't spend all our time watching it anyway (except for one year when i was really sick and mostly bedbound -- and i still remember almost everything i watched that year, and it influenced me, not to be inactive but to think about things like racial and religious and ageist stereotyping, and other important stuff; it is possible to learn a lot from tv if you are observant, and being observant is both an innate skill for some and teachable to some). now if a kid grows up on roseanne and fox news.... i shudder to think.
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@genessa I was kind of a "free range kid" (probably not by today's definition), told to play outside and not to bother my parents. I had to show up for meals, go to school and church, but otherwise be perfect and leave them alone. They didn't bother me, except when I wasn't perfect, and I tried not to bother them -- literally.
I am part of a woodland restoration project, no running water, only a little solar power, no plumbing or heating. I took my boys loads when they were little. The first time they moaned but after a couple of hours they were off into the woods, found sticks, made dens and they only came back to camp for food. They learned real life skills like fishing, making fires, planting and growing things.
Amisja
Level 8
Dec 29, 2018
2
Mine were never just "staring at screens". Mine were connecting and playing with other kids, being entertained, and educating themselves FAR beyond what we could do when I was a kid. We live rurally, so the connecting was welcome (no neighbor hood to gather in). My son took himself so far in the areas of eastern history and linguistics that, even at a junior level, he has not learned much (yet) that is new at college.
My kids balanced screen time with the arts (band was physically gruelling) and going to the gym and so were/are not obese and out of shape.
So... it depends on the kid.
Also, television has gotten SO dumb, I am glad they don't spend the time that way that I did.
Zster
Level 8
Dec 29, 2018
1
You make some good points. It is how the technology is used that matters. Did you encourage your kids to use it in the right way to start with? I think most kids would need some guidance/encouragement/ground rules to begin with. The question is, what percentage of parents take the time to do this these days? Also, do you think technology pushes kids to grow up too fast these days?
I totally agree with you about TV. I mourn the reduction in quality documentaries that seem to be losing out to trashy reality tv shows.
@pmar074 Early on, the tech was shared and was in the main living area. No one could sequester with it. This gave us the ability to note what the kids were doing and to chime in to guide as needed. It also allowed us to model with our own sporadic use, and to address some sticky topics as they came up. Many of our drug, alcolhol, sex, bullying, religion, predator etc talks were launched in exactly that environment.
This doesnt seem very realistic. I see parks full of kids playing. It is the parents that are on their phones. I guess it is good if the parents can find time to take their kids to the park. Kids can't go by themselves any more. The people with the free candy & lost puppies are really out there. No, I don't see kids at the park on their phones.
Della
Level 6
Dec 29, 2018
2
I think that as in all things it is simply a matter of striking a balance. Some of my friends have children and grandchildren who are obese through lack of exercise, poor diet and spending most of their free time on a computer playing games.
Technology is useful but not when using it exclusively and excessively for entertainment.
ASTRALMAX
Level 8
Dec 29, 2018
1
Diminishes it not just in the lack of physical activity but has destroyed the activity of exploration and discovery. And creativity is all but gone.
But I will say that it has enhanced children in languages and cultures other than their own as well as adapting to newer technology which is constantly evolving.
48thRonin
Level 8
Dec 29, 2018
1
It's interesting you mention exploration and discovery... To me, that involved trial and error. Mistakes and accidents were an acceptable part of the learning process. What I have observed in the Teaching Labs at work more recently, is that students are more fearful of using handtools, damaging equipment and failure in general. There seems to be increasing instances of stress and anxiety-related illness associated with this.
@pmar074 Well without sounding too old I have to ask is there really anyone at home for them to learn and observe from?
The men in my family made sure that by the age of 16 I knew how to build, drink and kill.
And I don’t feel that exist as much as it use to do to the diminished family issues that we’ve experienced over the last 20 years and when the families are together they’re all involved with their devices or they’re overprotective and sheltering their children from loud and frightening things.
YouTube definitely can’t prepare you for these things either so I don’t know they better get busy with building robots to do these things or let as many immigrants in that want in. Either way I’m almost 50 my kid semi capable I’m sure that if I don’t have a grandchild within a few years that they’re not going to be taught that’s necessary either
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