Kids and technology: How early is too early?
Experts continue to tell parents that they should not let their young children interact with electronic media at an early age. Unfortunately, this does not stop parents from handing out cell phones, allowing extended television time and tolerating long sessions on the Internet. Technology has become a major form of parenting, education and entertainment, and it can be difficult to escape. Still, should parents simply give in or should they attempt to maintain some sort of standards? With that in mind, here are a few thoughts on how early kids should be allowed to interact with technology.
Zoning out
What parents and guardians have to consider is their reason for allowing technology in the lives of their young children. There is certainly an argument that life continues to be increasingly technologically oriented and that kids will need to learn this world at some point. However, there is also the reality that technology is not always interactive and that passively sitting in front of a screen is not necessarily an optimum environment for intellectual development. Technology may provide some tools for young children, but studies seems to suggest that even some targeted educational offerings are inferior to old-fashioned methodologies.
Physical activity and other lifestyles
Another aspect of technological exposure has to do with general lifestyle. Humans are active creatures, but if they are stimulated enough by electronics, they will give up their active lifestyle in favor of a sedentary environment. Going outside and playing in the dirt may seem rather pedestrian to some people, but there continues to be great value in creating a lifestyle that includes outdoor activities, fresh air and plenty of exercise. Being outdoors has a certain simplicity to it, and life will get complex soon enough for most children.
Lack of interaction
In addition to lack of exercise, technology may encourage less interaction between people. Social networking sites may provide people with instant access to thousands of "friends," but this cannot substitute for quality face-to-face interactions. Parents who give technology to their children at a young age may be teaching their youngsters that communication is best done through text rather than in-person dialogue. This can inhibit children's ability to communicate, dialogue and think critically.
Do you really need a video for a 15-minute car ride?
Certainly there are some benefits to technology as it can give parents a lot of tools and vast storehouses of information to provide to their children. In addition, some children are growing up being able to video chat with relatives and friends all over the world when in the past this was an impossibility. However, there are boundaries, and parents would be wise to keep technology at a distance for as long as possible. Technology is a nice babysitter, but it should not be used as an excuse to employ lazy parenting. Parents need to teach their children to interact in a fast-paced world, but first they need to teach them the value of real, interpersonal relationships with other human beings. Technology can only provide so much in learning how to be a thinking citizen.
