Effects of Technology on School Going Children in United States of America

Abstract

In the last few decades, technology has completely revolutionized the way we do things, from the way we socialize and everything in between. One of the most noticeable differences is in the way children play and interact with each other compared with previous generations. The amount of time children spend on their devices has increased exponentially, and there is a concern that it is affecting their overall growth and development. Even though the recommended screen time by the American Pediatrics Association is at most 2 hours for preschool children and no screen time for children below the age of 2, a study by the University of Washington found that 66% of children under the age of 5 exceed this limit having an average of 4.1 hours' screen time a day. By adolescence age, their screen time soars to about 7.5 hours a day with more than a fourth of the time used multitasking between media leading to a total average time of about 10 hours, 45 minutes. It is, therefore, possible to see that technology has a negative effect on children since it affects their physical, mental, and social development as well as bring about adverse health outcomes. Children have become so stuck on their screens that they are not able to live in the real world. This has led to an increase in the rates of child obesity, mental health problems, a decline in social skills, among others. To facilitate the development of more holistic and healthy individual's parents should teach their children responsible and conscious behaviors when it comes to the internet. They should also limit and monitor online usage to ensure that children stay safe from potential risks and dangers that lurk on technological devices as well as ensure that they don't expose children to technology at an early age to make sure they are able to develop properly in their physical, mental and social capacities.

Keywords: Technology, Children & United States of America