1 Madison Griffin Dr.

Wanda White 1102-018 24 March 2014

The Affect Electronic Devices Have on Children

Are electronic devices taking over your childs life? Over the past twenty-five years the use of electronic devices by children has risen greatly. The world of electronic media is changing. Television, ruled the electronics world throughout the mid-1990s. Television is now competing with cell phones, iPods, video games, interactive multiplayer video games, virtual reality sites, Web social networks, and e-mail. Screen Time More time spent watching TV (screen time) by preschoolers has been shown to have a negative impact on their academic performance, adjustment to elementary school and middle school, and also their attention. Teachers have even started incorporating technologies into lesson plans. Car rides have also become a time for watching videos or being on smart phones. Parents, educators, service providers and researchers are now starting to question how is screen time affecting the children? The American Academy of Pediatrics released a Policy Statement recommending: Avoid TV for 0 to 2-year-olds: Because of the lack of research on the effects of screen time during this critical period of development, the potential risks are unknown. Studies have shown that

2 children in this age range do not yet fully understand what they are viewing and are not likely to learn or benefit from it.; Provide opportunities for unstructured play: Young children require independent play time in order to learn important skills such as problem solving and creative thinking. This play time is much more valuable for a childs development than any type of electronic media.; Less than 1-2 hours entertainment screen time per day for older kids: Children over 2 and adolescents may benefit from restricted television and computer use. High levels of electronic media use have been associated with aggressive behavior, obesity, substance use, and difficulty in school (Cope). The total amount of media use by youth ages 8 to 18 averages 6-plus hours a day, more than any other activity (Diaz, Evans, and Gallagher). Sexual and violent content on TV shows, movies, and video games have resulted in: More aggressive behavior and thoughts, more angry feelings, increases in fear, fewer helping behaviors, and less empathy.

Emotional Development: Relationship with Parents and Peers Increasingly of late, discussions about electronic media have focused on the social implications of the various technologies. Do electronic media have the potential to influence childrens emotions and their relationships with others? Barbara Wilson, of the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, considers the evidence for children and concludes that programs designed

3 to promote pro-social behavior do increase social capacities such as altruism, cooperation, and tolerance of others. On the flip side, the content of some entertainment and news programs can instill fear and anxiety in children. Between ages three and eight, children are usually more frightened by evil fantasy characters; older children, by contrast, are more affected by realistic scenes of injury and violence. Children who have a heavy media diet of violence are more likely to perceive the world as dangerous and to see aggression as more acceptable than those who view media violence less often. More so for the older children and youth technology has become almost essential for communication with anyone, weather it be parents or their peers. (Calvert). Electronic Devices and Children Research shows that children 6 years of age and younger spend an average of 2 hours per day watching TV and children 8 years of age and older spend an average of 6 hours per day using electronic media (television, computer, video games, etc.), including weekends. As the age increases up to 18, media usage also increases up to more than 7 hours per day, much of which is spent multitasking on more than 1 type of media. This really is not all that surprising, given that 7 in 10 kids have a TV in their bedroom and 1 in 3 kids has a computer with internet access in their bedroom. The statistics are even more astounding in younger age groups.

4 Sixty-six percent of infants and toddlers watch 2 hours of TV per day. Children ages 2 through 5 spend about 2 years per day using electronic devices, mainly television. School-age children average 4 hours per day watching television plus an additional 2 hours spent on the computer, not related to school-work. (Electronics and Technology: Part 1- The effect on children). Bed Time The amount of sleep children get has a direct bearing on their performance in school and their mental and physical health. Snap shot studies suggest that the more kids use electronic media the less sleep they get, and that their sleep is more likely to be disturbed. Children with a TV or computer in their bedroom, compared with the frequency of usage, demonstrated a greater delay when going to bed on school days and the weekend which resulted in less sleep.(Kids Sleep Patterns Affected By Electronic Media Time and Media Presence in the Bedroom). ADHD The rise in ADHD has coincided with the rise of mobile devices. According to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children on average spend nearly seven and a half hours each day staring at screens. Thats up 20% from just five years ago.

Boys with the condition outnumber girls, lets call him Josh. Josh is playing Minecraft. His head is down, his attention rapt, his eyes riveted

5 on the screen he looks like every other child. But as he plays with the tablet, his mind is processing information much differently than the others running around the room. If you could scan Joshs brain, youd see its working harder, trying to absorb the barrage of information and sensations. That increased brain activity makes it harder for him to focus on one task and control his impulses hallmark signs of hyperactivity. In fact, his ability to stay focused on the screen, and not anywhere else, is a characteristic of ADHD.

When he plays with gadgets, it looks like concentration, but its not at least not in the way we think of it. Christopher Lucas, associate professor of child psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, told the New York Times that kids focus on video games and television in a different way than the attention theyll use to thrive in school and life. When kids play games and rack up points, move to higher levels and unlock characters and goodies, their brain is rewarded by one thing: dopamine, a neurotransmitter thats released each time they win. The chemical is often at the center of ADHD and their love affair with electronics. And some experts even believe children seek out those screens because they have problems with their dopamine systems. In fact, medication, like Ritalin, controls ADHD by increasing dopamine activity, so when Josh plays Minecraft, its as if hes self-medicating, giving his brain that extra boost that his internal circuitry doesnt offer.

6 Thats also why separating Josh from excessive use of his iPad isnt easy. Kids with ADHD are usually ridiculed and ostracized, and that isolation sends them back to those gadgets. Since electronics are likely their only consistent companion, they often develop an emotional dependency that extends beyond dopamine. Right now, Josh is utterly focused on the iPad, keeping constant eye contact with the screen. But without it or his computer or portable gaming console hes a handful. Its far easier for him to find solace in screens. They dont shun him, and they give him a place to become a different person.(Rock)

Isolation

Children from the ages of eight to 18 spend an average of sevenand-a-half hours each day interacting with an electronic device -- not including the hour-and-a-half children at these ages text or the time they spend talking on the phone, according to a January 2010 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. By interacting with friends, family members and instructors over electronic devices instead of in person, the child may be isolated and fail to develop normal social skills, like conversation abilities and etiquette. The same study pointed out that children may avoid social interaction or extracurricular activities to have more time to spend on the computer or a game console.(Parker)

Brain Development

7 Brain Development in a Hyper-Tech World" published in August 2008 by the Dana Foundation covers the facts that the brain is still developing its wiring well into your 20s. As a result, brain development can be impacted by electronic use by children. The frontal lobe, which deals with "high-level cognitive skills such as judgment, executive control, and emotional regulation" develops last and, while its developing, can be influenced by its environment. Since children who use electronics often multitask between activities and devices, for example, electronic use may help some children become more likely to multitask. While multitasking seems like a time saver, the same study indicates that it actually takes more time and the task being accomplished isn't done as well. There are other issues, too. As Dr. David Perlmutter points out in his December 2010 Huffington Post article "Brain Development: How Much TV Should Children Watch?," when children watch television, they aren't engaging in creative activities; exposure to television also discourages children from reading and increases their desire for material goods. A child's language acquisition can be stunted by too much time in front of the television. Too much time with passive electronics can also make it more difficult for children to develop social skills and understand the consequences of their actions.(Parker)

Conclusion

In conclusion, there should not be much of a question of how much all these

8 different electronic devices affect children development and their behavior. Research clearly proves this. With this being said electronic devices affect children behavior and development.

9 Work Cited Calvert, S. n. page. <http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/docs/18_01_FullJournal.pdf>. "Electronics and Technology: Part 1 - The Effect on Children." Examiner.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. "How Do Electronics Negatively Affect Children?" Business & Entrepreneurship. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. "Kids' Sleep Patterns Affected by Electronic Media Time and Media Presence in the Bedroom." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. Mobiledia, and Margaret Rock. "A Nation of Kids with Gadgets and ADHD |

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