Katie Skinner English 1102- Section 22 Voltz 9-16-13 Negative Effects of Technology on Youth Our parents and grandparents

spent their childhoods outside while we spend ours in a perpetually virtual world. A mere twenty years ago, a child's scheme was simple as they stayed moving, playing outside with their friends as opposed to playing online. "By the time they're two years old, more than 90% of all American children have an online history. At five, more than 50% regularly interact with a computer or tablet device, and by seven or eight, many kids regularly play video games" (Paul). Technology is evolving before our very eyes, often at such a rapid pace that we are unaware of it taking place. With such ignorance, we rarely have a chance to analyze the costs, benefits, and, most nobly, the disadvantages the increased use of technology is causing, especially for children. Important developmental concepts, such as physical activity, sleep patterns, relationship building skills, and brain development are all deeply impacted by increased technology use in children. It may seem obvious that constant screen-time can cause a child to gain weight. In a study done by Kelly Laurson PH. D., 700 children were given pedometers and told to keep track of how often they spent time engaged in various forms of media, such as watching TV and playing video games. Laurson's study concluded that children who spent more time sedentary (ie. sitting in front of various screens with little to no physical activity involved) had overall wider girths than children who took part in more physically demanding activities. Laurson also found that children are more likely to eat in front of the television or computer. In addition, children are often extremely susceptible to outside media, and the choices as to what they eat are influenced heavily by the bombardment of advertisements seen in main stream media. The 52.5 hours of children's Saturday morning television viewed from five major networks contained 997

Katie Skinner English 1102- Section 22 Voltz 9-16-13 commercials selling a product and 68 public service announcements ( Kotz). The habits children develop whether healthy, such as a well balanced diet and exercise, or unhealthy such as copious amounts of television and a diet high in fats and sugar, tend to follow them throughout their lives. As parents and other role models it is important for us to set a positive example for them in hopes they will develop healthy and positive habits. In addition, sleep patterns are also heavily impacted by the increased presence of technology. Oftentimes, we do not "unplug" ourselves before going to sleep in fact 83% of people sleep next to their cell phones (Pearcy). The lack of down-time and the constant bombardment of "notifications" consistently results in children staying up later and having irregular sleep patterns. Annie Paul, an expert on parenting, suggests that parents collect all electronic devices about an hour before bed time to allow for a good nights rest. Sleep is extremely important in proper child development and health. For example, studies have shown that when children do not get the recommended amount of sleep it can lead to mood swings, hyperactivity, and impact their overall ability in the classroom (Tanglao). When we sleep our bodies recover from the day and without the proper amount how can we expect to be successful?

Jim Taylor, PH.D, suggests that the omnipresence of technology is not only influencing our physical beings, but also the way we think and how our brains are wired. The constant overstimulation is causing extreme developmental delays which negatively impact the formation of basic skills needed for proper development. "Hard-wired for high speed, today's young are entering school struggling with self-regulation and attention skills that are necessary for learning, eventually becoming significant behavior management problems for teachers in the classroom"

Katie Skinner English 1102- Section 22 Voltz 9-16-13 (Rowan). Children have become accustomed to constantly being entertained, whether it is in the car, at the dinner table, or even in the classroom. The stimulation causes dopamine to be released in the child's brain, which has shown to be addictive over time. Dopamine is located in the reward centers of our brain and causes us to crave this notification, and the rush they cause to occur, resulting in children becoming more and more glued to their phones. Advancements in technology have not only completely transformed the way children develop our relationships (ie. making friends online instead of in person), but it also transformed how we communicate within those relationships. Now, a majority of our interactions take place on a variety of electronic platforms, such as text messaging, app use, and social networking. The presence of face-to-face interaction is dwindling and as a result, children are no longer developing the social skills and abilities that they should be. A study of over 3,000 adolescents published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine determined that the more hours one spends engaged in screen time, the weaker the emotional bonds are in important relationships, like child-parent and peer relationships. Those who chose to engage in more constructive, non-technology based activities, such as completing homework or reading, were found to have stronger emotional bonds. For example, when I was younger there was a rule in my home that there would be no television until my homework was completed and checked by one of my parents. At the time, I hated this rule as any kid probably would, but I see now how it helped me to value you my studies and build stronger bonds with my parents. With the arrival of portable technology, parents and guardians are finding it harder to turn off or limit their childs usage. To completely cut out technology is outside of the realm of possibility, as it has become a vital part of everything we do. In addition, it would simply be

Katie Skinner English 1102- Section 22 Voltz 9-16-13 illogical, as it improves our lives by making them faster, more efficient, and allows us to connect to others more easily. Just like everything else in life, too much of something will inevitably be a bad thing. The key is moderation. We must limit childrens use of technology because they themselves are unable to affectively do so. Benefits of technology are vast including progress in the fields of education and medicine that before never seemed possible. Technology is not inherently bad and can be used to significant better the lives of our youth, if used properly.

Katie Skinner English 1102- Section 22 Voltz 9-16-13 Worked Cited Clinton, Chelsea, and James Steyer.. "Is the Internet hurting children?." CNN. Cable News Network, 1 Jan. 1970. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/opinion/clintonsteyer-internet-kids/index.html>. Kotz, K., and M. Story. Food advertisements during children's Saturday morning television programming: Are they consistent with dietary recommendations? ScienceDirect. November 1994. Web. 21 Nov 2013. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0002822394924635>. Martin, Alice . "The 4 Negative Side Effects Of Technology." Edudemic. N.p., 30 May 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.edudemic.com/the-4-negative-side-effects-of-technology/>. Paul, Annie. "Your Wired Kid." Good Housekeeping. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/parenting-tips/negative-effects-of-technology-onchildren>. Tanglao, Leezel. "Back to School: Healthy Sleep Habits." ABC News. ABC News Network, 23 Aug. 2010. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. <http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Sleep/healthy-sleep-habits-kidsback-school/story?id=11458225>. Richtel, Matt. "Your Brain on Computers." New York Times. N.p., 6 June 2010. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&>. Rowan, Cris. "The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 May 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negativeimpact_b_3343245.html>.