Should parents limit how much time children spend in tech device?

Technology is now a part of human's lives in the twenty-first century. The technology
now develops and become needs in every people, especially for work people. The uses of
technology help human to solve problem and increase work efficiently such as finding a book
online and communicate with people who live in distance away. The word technology comes
from two Greek words, techne which means art, skill, craft, manner, while logos means word,
an expression or how the thought being saying. Children are an individual is anyone under 18
according to UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. From the article of Young Children
and Their Internet Use, children and technology are the children which are like to access to a
variety of online activities, such as watching videos, playing games, searching for
information and doing their homework ( Holloway,D.,et al, 2013 ). The research from the
European Commission (EC) shows that, most of the children are using the internet at younger
and younger ages.The uses of technology also increase every year as the it's easy to get and
buy at cheaper prices at the market. In the most family, the parent has children and these
children have access to multiple media, such as television and radio in their homes, and half
have a television in their bedrooms. Most these devices have Internet, and it's become a
significant portion has a cell phone and an iPod. Every year, there are increase in number that
people joining SNS like Facebook and MySpace. This cause changes the world of electronic
media, which cause increase in demand to people to get use it. Simon Jary, an editor of PC
Advisor present the survey conducted by TLF Panel on behalf of kids clothing retailer
Vertbaudet.co.uk, some of their parent believe technology are good for their children. There
are a few reason that cause that they let the children use tech gadgets is because to make their
children become happier,entertainment besides they want their children has a good skills in
computer use. Latest survey that conducted in the year 2015 among the 1,000 British's
mothers of children aged 2 to 12 indicates that 85 percent of moms grant that they are using
the technology to keep their children busy meanwhile their parent can doing other things such
as cooking and washing the clothes. However, this rising trends sparks concerns among
experts on should parents limit how much time children spend on tech devices because of the
bad effect that will be faced by the children especially on long-term. Therefore, the parent
should limit how much time children spend in tech device because excessive usage of tech
device can expose a lot of bad impact on children.

There are numerous possible risk when children go online. Firstly, sharing of private
information. Most parents doesnt know the childrens online activity as they assume children
only playing games and converse to virtual companions , as relatively harmless compared to
older children (13+) online activities due to lack of online monitoring by parents. According
to German research, large amount of children under 13 years of age has their own social
network site (SNS) and even own own the social sites. SNS have been criticised for their
poor default privacy settings, causing childrens private information can be accessed easily by
strangers such as identity details, geolocation or home address inside the social media. This
can attract strangers with malicious intention and can lead to self danger such as kidnapped,
robbery and snatches. Besides, children can encounter online bullying and expose to the
inappropriate content. It makes it harder for children to exchange personal information as
virtual worlds usually have filters. Children might undergo difficulties when in real world
when they want to share the personal information. Supposedly, at this children age they
should be ready with many skills such critical skill. This skill need to keep them more safe
when they interact with the new environment. Next, possible risk is video viewing sites. The
video viewing sites are now latest trend that online activities that carry out by younger
children. They many video viewing sites, but commonly children like to view YouTube site.
This is because YouTube offer many types of entertainment and educational video that fulfill
younger children personal happiness. However, children might expose to the some of
inappropriate content that prefered by adult such as murder, war and violence video. This
cause the raising concerns among the parents and society on children safety and
development,. The survey that conduct with parents and children among the 100 Italian
people indicates that their children had watch an inappropriate content on YouTube (Buzzi,
2012). The EU Kids Online report, sometimes the children are bothered with inappropriate
clip when they are viewing on YouTube and Tumblr.
A study show more than 15 percent of parents let their children spend limitless time
on tech devices and nearly one in four kids spend more than three hours a day using digital
devices. As there is no limitation of time childrens usage on tech devices, the children might
be suffering from the side effects of overuse. One of the physical effect that children can
suffer from the overuse is digital eye strain. It causing the dry and itching eyes, blurred
vision, back, neck and shoulder pain; and the worst part of it is headaches. The discomfort
felt on eyes is basically due to the time used by children looking at a digital screen with the
close to mid-range distance of digital screens including all tech devices. Current studies

shows sleeping problems on children related to the length and timing of screen time on digital
screen. This is because the light from digital devices has a higher intensity of blue light than
natural light. This blue light will affects levels of the sleep inducing hormone melatonin more
than any other wavelength. The experts also warns that electronic devices should be turn off
at least an hour before bedtime, because brain are being stimulated before bedtime by playing
exciting games just before bedtime is not a good idea. Our brain are become more effective
when we socially interact with the environment cause the brain to stimulates curiosity and
exploration thus it takes more time to relax and causing sleep disruption. There is also
chances of negative effects on their general progress when children involved with limitless
activity on tech devices as it will limits childrens social interaction.
The use of digital media give negative effect on children their life such as increase in
hyperactivity and less attention in their activities. The overuse media such as computer and
smartphone can cause the lower academic achievement at school. In addition , this excessive
use of the digital media may limit the children social interaction. This social interaction help
the children to develop their skill and brain development. When children are not interact with
environment, it is possible that the children undergo the negative development in their brain
and the children also might be suffer the negative overall development in their life. Moreover,
the children experience the lower levels of personal contentment and always to keep in
trouble when always spending more time on tech devices, They also report feeling more sad
or bored as because they only has the tech devices as their only friend compare to virtual
friends in real world. Therefore, the digital media reduce the childrens physical activities.
The children use to be obese when they like to spending more time on tech devices. Some of
research states that most of children to be overweight when they like to spend more than four
hour a day on screen time. Excessive use of digital media causing sluggish physical progress
on children and increase the chances of getting obese as it restrain required physical
challenges to children bodies in order to achieve maximum sensory and motor progress.
The use of tech device also gives good effect on children's health and academic
performances. Even though, this activities need to be monitor by their parents. Based on
research, the American Academy of Pediatrics, they have developed many recommendations
related to child health and development in a variety of areas. It can give good effect to
children's health which is can prevent diseases such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Besides, it also affects children's

academic

achievement. The early childhood educators understand the significance of digital

technologies. This digital technologies tool function as a learning tool to the children which,
when used frequently can promote the language ,cognitive and social development of young
children. Studies show a positive correlation between smartphone use during early childhood
and achievement at school (Cavanaugh et al, 2004). A large-scale longitudinal study with
8,283 kindergartens, first and third-grade children in the US found that frequent use of the
internet and proficiency in computer use correlated positively with academic achievement
(Judge et al, 2006). This research also stipulates that children mostly likely use a computer at
home can increases level in mathematical and readings. The recent study in Australia also
shows that the development in vocabulary over 9000 children aged between four and eight
years of age, after allowing for socio-economic background and the time the children spent
reading, having access to the internet was positively related to verbal abilities (Bittman et
al, 2011, p. 167). But, all this activity must be monitor by the parent when their children are
using this tech device.The researchers suggested that this parental control by parents on
childrens online activities, such as watching the video, playing games and chatting to friend.
This is because parents and social commentators are now raising concerns about the ease with
which very young children can access age-inappropriate content and sites on unfitting video
sites such as on YouTube and Tumblr.
Even though, theres no denying the existing technology does help children,
especially students in solving problems and help to get any information quickly, there a lot of
disadvantages that at stake. Parent should limit the time children spend on tech devices but at
the same time be a bit flexible in terms of the time usage of the tech devices. Parent also have
to remember the real danger of the tech devices is actually non educational and leisure screen
time other than the bad impact on overall development of the children. A few step can be
taken such as allow some screen time flexibility to children and explain to the children the
bad effect on overuse of tech devices especially social networking sites as it can help children
to understand the reason why parent have some restriction. Parents also can emphasize to the
children what the real world can offer to the children than what is inside the screen to help
children understand the balance of using tech devices and a lot of interesting things that await
them

in

front

to

be

explored.

References
1. Young children and their internet use, Holloway,D., Green, L. and Livingstone, S. (2013).
Zero to eight. Young children and their internet use. LSE, London: EU Kids Online.
2. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (1989) UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child. United Nations.
3. Children and Electronic Media, A Collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School Of Public
and International Affairs at Princeton University and The Brookings Institutions.
4. Young Children in the Digital Age, YaeBin Kim, Area Extension Specialist, Parenting
Education.
5. How much screen time is healthy for children?, Simon Jary, editor PC Advisor (2015)
6. Academic achievement, Young children and their internet use, Holloway,D., Green, L. and
Livingstone, S. (2013). Zero to eight. Young children and their internet use. LSE, London:
EU

Kids

Online