Technology helping or hindering our future

generations?

Image by Ram Reddy

Since the invention of technology

there has been debate over balancing

the amount of technology children

are exposed to

Image by Kriss Szkurlatowski

The first question to ask is…

How much time is being spent using technology?

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In the year 1999, children ages 8 to 18 years old spent approximately …. Source: Media Literacy Clearing House

3 ¾ hours watching television

1 ¾ hours listening to music

½ an hour using the computer

½ an hour playing video games

Image by Mark Boggis

By the year 2009, the time had increased to…Source: Media Literacy Clearing House

4 ½ hours watching television

2 ½ hours listening to music

1 ½ hours using the computer

1 ¼ hours playing video games

Image by Elisa Nobe

29 % of time exposed to

media is spent multitasking

Source: Media Literacy Clearing House

Image by Jacopo Lorenzetti

How are companies targeting the increase in

technology usage by youth?

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Apple is creating new children’s apps for the iPad

“With electronic books—a technology teeming with children’s

titles, many of them stunningly rendered from the Apple iPad—

mere pictures and conversations are passé , at least pictures

that don’t move and conversations that you can’t here”

~ Lawrence Downes, The New York Times

Image by Lin Hsun

Does digital interactivity endanger mental passivity? Source: The New York Times

“What does interactivity do for the imagination, as

reading a book gets closer and closer to watching

television?

~ Lawrence Downs, The New York Times

Image by Dora Pete

“Today’s children aren’t old enough to prove or disprove

any grand theories about e-literacy and e-maginations”

~ Lawrence Downs, The New York Times

Image by Belinda Ramos

Some apps, however, are quite beneficial

to young children

Nursery with Storytime

An app that acts as a form of remote

parenting using recorded voices. It

allows parents to connect with their

children when they’re not physically

there Source: PSFK.com

Image by Shin Ishimaru

The Digital Sandbox app allows children

access to unlimited virtual toys,

providing them with more than reality could

Source: PSFK.com

Image by Patrick Dignard

Some apps for children are created to improve academic results and help with learning

Apps, like Jellytoons, act as brain

trainers for children and others, like

iCommunicate, work to help children

with special needsSource: PSFK.com

Image by Shho

Technology has had many detrimental effects on the lives and learning of children

“The Oxford Junior Dictionary will no longer

contain a large chunk of nature terms…replacing

the cut words in the children’s dictionary will be

technology terms”

~ Dan Gould, PSFK

Image by Sanja Gjenero

Words like beaver, dandelion, ivy and tulip were removed, while…

words like blog, chatroom, mp3 player and celebrity were added.

Source: PSFK

Image by Jon Fife

Transformations like these dictionary

updates give us signs that

technology is having a greater

influence in the lives of children,

while nature and other past influences

begin to take the backseat

Image by Spectrious

Image by Josh Gallaway

Embedded Advertisements

Advertisements are being

subtly concealed within

children’s video games Source: The New York Times’ Bits

Image by Sarich10

“Children who may

think they are simply

playing video games

are in fact engaging

with sophisticated

commercials, a

practice that is

beginning to attract

scrutiny from

regulators”

~ The New York Times’

Bits

Image by Dave Rutt

In conclusion…

When it comes to

children and technology,

everything needs to be kept in

perspective

Technology can help stimulate and cultivate

the minds of children…

…but it also has the power to manifest

negative and unwanted effects. Image by Greg Lawler

CREDIT

All images used are sourced from

Flickr and Stock.Xchng and are

licensed under the creative

commons

Image by Dennis Kim