Technology May Be Destroying Our Children
When I was little all I did was play with toys, such as G.I Joe action figures and Lincoln Logs. I would also make up my own games, such as playing Ghost in the Graveyard, Ball Tag, and Chase the Zombie. Never would I choose a phone over my play time outside. Today, children are wanting to play outside less and less. This is because they are exposed to technology devices. Now, children are faced with more screen and less play. I know this because ever since I got a phone, I’ve been so dependent on it, and I know many people feel the same way. Children attached to technology at a young age decreases their creativity and social skills.
Children thinking for themselves and playing with their own creative ideas is important. According to Valerie Strauss, reporter of education for The Washington Post, “Play is a remarkably creative process that fosters emotional health, imagination, original thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, and self-regulation” (Strauss). Playing outside or with toys is important for children because it helps them think creatively. Children invent their own games and create an imagination when they play with real life objects. Strauss also says “And it’s not only concepts that children are learning as they play, they are learning how to learn: to take initiative, to ask questions, to create and solve their own problems” (Strauss). The brain is more active when they play with real life objects and they have to make up their own scenarios instead of having them at hand for them with technology. When children look at a screen, it isn’t a full experience of what the real world is like, but when they play outside or with toys, they have interaction with real world things and people. Playing games with technology is more active than watching television, but it still doesn’t give them a full experience. “It doesn’t involve the whole child’s body, brain, and senses. In addition, the activity itself and how to do it is already prescribed by a programmer” (Strauss). The child plays with someone else’s rules and designs, and it doesn’t give them the chance to have their own idea or imagination.
Some people say that reading made us more creative than the technology we use today. When reading a book in elementary school, I was able to let my mind wander into my own imagination. Jim Taylor, who specializes in the psychology of sport and parenting, states “Technology conditions the brain to pay attention to information very differently than reading.” For example, in past generations, children used their free time to read, “an activity that offered few distractions and required intense and sustain attention, imagination, and memory” (Taylor). Having an imagination makes us more creative. “The emergence of reading encouraged our brains to be focused and imaginative. In contrast, the rise of the internet is strengthening our ability to scan information rapidly and efficiently” (Taylor). So, what they are saying here is that when reading was more popular, people had more of an imagination and were more creative. Because when you read you put an image into your head, but when you are watching television you already have the image right there for you, so there is little reason for you to think creatively. Television has altered attention by using visual images, which fragments attention and offers a little need for imagination because its already picture for you. Studies have shown that reading is more beneficial for a better understanding and learning is more effective. For example, “Those who read a text-only version of a presentation, as compared to one that included a video, found the presentation to be more engaging, informative, and entertaining” (Taylor). Children who read more may have more beneficial brain developments.
Kids are being sucked into their phones and it is affecting their social lives. Having 6 younger cousins on one side of my family is a lot, not to mention they’re all boys. Growing up with them, I found they were outgoing, crazy, and loved playing games with their older cousin. Now, when they come home, I have noticed a change. Maybe I’m getting older and they aren’t interested in me anymore, but I don’t think that’s the case. They would rather be inside playing on their iPads than outside playing catch with me. Seeing kids at a young age choose their social devices over being active is heart breaking. Being a kid is all about making mistakes and being yourself before the real-world springs upon you. “Too much screen time and not enough other activities, playing games, and good old unstructured and imaginative play, will result in your children having their brains wired in ways that may make them less, not more, prepared to thrive in this crazy new world of technology” (Taylor). Kids need to focused more on their main priorities like playing and having fun. Too much screen time will affect these adolescents.
Some people argue that being able to be behind a screen can make creativity easier to show. Shy people may refrain from sharing ideas in person. They would feel more confident sharing their ideas over a screen. This is a good thing to boost people’s confidence for sharing their ideas, because it might be a really good idea, but some people may not be confident that others will like their idea. So being shut down would be easier online than in person. I personally am a very communicative person and would feel comfortable sharing my ideas with the class or in a group meeting. I understand the need for technology to be able to share creative ideas and I can see it being easier. Shouldn’t we all have learn how to talk to others and how speak up? Sherry Turkle, author of Reclaiming Conversation states, “You need face-to-face conversation to establish trust, to sell something, and to close the deal. Face-to-face conversation is more important than being behind a screen because you can’t just be on your device all the time. There is going to be times when you need to talk to others in person.” While having technology can help, it is not the answer for these problems.
Some people see technology as a good learning tool for young children. “Exposure to technology isn’t all bad. Research shows that, for example, video games and other screen media improve visual-spatial capabilities, increase attentional ability, reaction times, and the capacity to identify details among clutter” (Taylor). Certain social media apps like Lumosity focuses on developing the brain positively. Lumosity is computer-based brain development program, that enhances brain functions. Victoria L. Dunckley an author of Reset Your Child’s Brain, and an expert on the effects of screen-time disagrees, states, “It does not make your child smarter or more prepared for real life or a future job; nor is it necessary for healthy social development. It is pure entertainment attached to a marketing platform extracting bits and pieces of personal information and preferences from your child every time they use it, not to mention hours of their time and attention.” Most children use technology as a distraction and not as a learning too.
Two or three decades ago, children were roaming neighborhoods in mixed-age groups, playing pretty unsupervised or lightly supervised. Dr. McCarthy who writes about health and parenting for Boston Children’s Hospital concludes “Yes, you can break an arm from climbing a tree — and yes, you can be humiliated when you try to make a friend and get rejected. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try; the lessons we learn from failure are just as important as those we learn from success.” Kids were able to resolve disputes, which they had a strong motivation to because they wanted to keep playing. They also planned their time and managed their games. They had a lot of connection whether it was their toys or their peers. This feeds their self-esteem and mental health.
Children in an educational setting are showing lack of creativity. My mother, Jodi Wahl is a teacher at Garfield Elementary. She has been teaching for 25 years. She really notices the lack of creativity in fictional writing pieces. The stories the students write are more reflective of the most current or favorite video game, rather than their own unique and imaginative stories. Also, when reading, children are taught and encouraged to make connections to themselves and the world around them. However, many times the connections they make are to a video, something from the internet or an imaginary world within a video game. An example that exemplifies lack of creativity in relation to video games in the classroom was when after reading Beekle, by Dan Santat, the students were to create their own imaginary friend. Some of the students in the class really struggled to create a unique character that did not relate to or resemble a character from a video game or video. She also recognizes that Chromebooks and the internet are most often the first choice during free time even through board games and other brain break activities are encouraged, limiting so many social experiences that are so important in elementary school. Therefore, because the students are so interested in videos and video games, it is not unusual for daily conversations to be centered around these topics.
In conclusion, kids are in child care much of the day from morning until they fall asleep or they’re under the supervision of their parents. They aren’t taking small risks. They aren’t managing their time. They aren’t making decisions and resolving disputes with their playmates the way that kids were 20 or 30 years ago. Those are really important social and emotional skills for kids to learn and play. Play time and being creative at a young age is how all young mammals learn. Technology has become a negative impact on children’s creativity and social skills.
Works Cited
Anonymous. “War Against the Imagination: Technology, Kids, and Autonomy.” Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, pp. 56–62. Accessed 2 May.2019.
McCarthy, Claire. “6 Reasons Children Need to Play Outside.” Harvard Health Blog, 21 May 2018, http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/6-reasons-children-need-to-play-outside-2018052213880. Accessed 2 May.2019.
“Mental Wealth.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, http://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/. Accessed 2 May.2019.
Strauss, Valerie. “Beware the Quick Tech Fix When….” The Washington Post, WP Company, 13 Sept. 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/is-technology-sapping-childrens-creativity/2012/09/12/10c63c7e-fced-11e1-a31e-804fccb658f9_blog.html?utm_term=.139b9824e107. Accessed 2 May.2019.
Turkle, Sherry. Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. Penguin Books, 2016.
Wahl, Jodi. Personal Interview. 1 May 2019.
Wahlman's blog 