Our last blog post and first offering for the EE Article Series explored what many believe is an impending consciousness revolution and I believe that it will actually be activated or driven by technology. The responses to "Conscious Revolution - The Youth Response to Technology" were enormous and sparked many discussions. One off-spin discussion is 'What role (if any) should technology play in our children's lives?'
To venture to speak of the merits of technology is to allow oneself to sit on a pendulum that can swing between two very extreme trends of thought. And these thoughts are all so much more passionately expressed and felt when one thinks of what is best for one's child.
To venture to speak of the merits of technology is to allow oneself to sit on a pendulum that can swing between two very extreme trends of thought. And these thoughts are all so much more passionately expressed and felt when one thinks of what is best for one's child.
Parents Who Hate Technology
On one extreme end of the spectrum, are those for whom technology is the tool of the devil or the Illuminati. The thought of introducing technology to their precious child is beyond unthinkable. For these souls, the ideal spiritual approach to life is one where we abandon our concrete jungles and live in the real jungle. Swimming with the dolphins, eating wild berries and sleeping under the stars are for them the hallmarks of true spiritual living.
These are the ones who who, quite notably, call for us to unplug from the matrix and get out into nature.
To the extremists - electronics and media houses are the tools of the alien reptilian race, which are used to program and monitor us. These folks won’t even own a tablet, far less introduce them to the pure, innocent minds of their star-seed children.
(For what it is worth, there is something in the very core of my being which finds this lifestyle appealing although quite honestly, I have never truly experienced living in the wild).
Questions for this Parent: This parent needs to consider the following questions - Am I inadvertently teaching my children to be fearful of the unknown? Am I sufficiently open minded and balanced in my thinking? Can I acknowledge that even science can be spiritual? Am I ensuring that my child is well equipped for living in this technological era?
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| Image courtesy: http://estruda.deviantart.com/art/Living-with-nature-193978709 |
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| Image Courtesy Amazon.com - The Watch Over Me Dream Station |
On the
other extreme end are those who view technology as the pinnacle and ultimate
achievement of mankind. Research and studies that electronics invariably emit frequencies which may be harmful and serve in some way to
affect the natural frequencies of the brain, mean nothing to them.
How could
it? They live in a fully automated smart house, sleep with their phones and
tablets charging within easy reach from their pillows (not a good idea), and cannot imagine
making it through the day without checking in to their Outlook calendar,
Facebook news feed, Google circles. Twitter updates and other daily notifications.
Will they
introduce technology to their child? Why the baby room is already outfitted
with the latest smart gadgets! Who needs mobiles, which are so last decade by
the way, when there are sophisticated smart-sensor technology baby monitors?
With built in sensors to detect baby’s movements and sleep patterns, one
monitor on the market can adjust its display of lights and sounds to create
different moods and environment to either soothe baby to sleep or greet them on
waking in the morning.
These
parents will, quite naturally, gift their one year old baby with a tablet
loaded with age appropriate apps and content and they will tell you that it’s
to ‘help stimulate baby’s brain’’.
Questions for this Parent:
Am I using technology as a pacifier to avoid the act of parenting my child? Does my child sense that I genuinely want and enjoy spending time with them? Do I responsibly monitor my child's usage of technological devices? Am I sufficiently aware of the real dangers that exist not only with the internet but with the use of electronic devices?
Where should we stand?
Well let's eliminate the passions and just try to objectively consider the well researched and documented pros and cons:
The Pros:
Despite all the naysayers, there is growing support for the actual benefits of technology in childhood development.
● Increased visual-spatial ability - A person’s visual-spatial ability which speaks to their capacity to understand and remember the spatial relations among objects is said to be quite indicative of a person’s adeptness to success in mathematics and science. Several notable bodies including the John Hopkins University recognise this and even recommends the playing of video and computer games to improve this skill within oneself.
● Better Hand-Eye Coordination - The University of Toronto has researched increased sensorimotor skills among video gamers. Sensorimotor control speaks to coordinated vision and hand movement.
● Improved Cognitive Development - There are certain regions of the brain that are engaged in the use of computerized devices which can be said to lead to improved cognitive development.
● Improved Verbal Skills - It is not uncommon for children using these devices to quickly learn the nursery rhymes which can played on repeat to enhance rapid learning. As new words are learnt in the nursery rhymes, they can then start linking these words together in daily conversation.
The Cons:
To develop
a more balanced perspective let us consider the research done in this
authoritative report from Public Health England which highlights the major detriments
to extensive ‘screen time’, a term which encapsulates television viewing time,
time spent surfing the internet or playing video games etc.
The main
cons are:
● attention deficit problems -
switching from the fast stimulation of technology to the slower pace of natural
life means that children get bored more easily with the regular pace of life
● Hyperactivity - strongly linked with
the problem of attention deficiency. If the child’s natural environment is too slow and
boring, children may become hyperactive to assist with giving themselves the
heightened stimulation they have come to accept as normal from their computerized environments.
● Socialization problems - most of the
technology gadgets and activities can be engaged alone which means that
children who spend excessive time playing alone on these gadgets won’t be able
to develop crucial social skills which comes from interactions with other
people and children
● Lower levels of wellbeing -
emotional distress, anxiety and depression are never too far off for kids who
possess poor social skills from spending too much time alone.
● Several physical health problems -
such as eye strain and underdeveloped muscles from long periods of inactivity.
(NOTE: This article does not quite scratch the surface of other ills such as online predators, hackers who hack into your home camera system etc. but suffice it to be said that there are real dangers inherent with technology use which one must become aware of. This article is simply focused on how technology may affect your child's development.)
Conclusion ~ Technology and Your Child: To Be or Not to Be?
After starting with a complex mathematical function for our pendulum swing, we end up with a very simple
equation:
Love =
Time
The most crucial thing you can do to aid your child's development is spend time with them. This is how children interpret love.
The most crucial thing you can do to aid your child's development is spend time with them. This is how children interpret love.
So gadget
loving mommy or tree hugging daddy (and yes I purposefully switched these from
the expected stereotypes) - whatever you do, make sure to spend adequate time with your child. Your love, which comes across in the time you dedicate to them, is the best development tool ever.
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