Baranova

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Marina Baranova
Instructor: Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103 (M/W 8am)
April 11, 2015
Technology; a Stepping Stone or a Banana Peel for the Developing Young Generation?
What if one day we all woke up to find empty phone cases? All of a sudden there were no
computers, tablets, or iPhones. Such a thought brings about anxiety and fear in many
individuals, especially those of the younger generations. This goes to show how dependent our
civilization is to technology. The latest technological boom has brought about convenience for
parents as well as different recreational activities for children. Previously, children only had the
option to entertain themselves with toys, friends, or the great outdoors. In todays world, children
have the option to entertain themselves with a wide variety of electronic devices. Parents no
longer have to go out of their way to entertain a bored child when they are out doing chores. A
screaming child is easily pacified by a small screen with colorful moving pictures. However,
what are the implications of technology on the young developing generations? Technology is
indeed useful and in fact mandatory for the existence of todays society, but how will todays
technological advances influence the future teachers, doctors, lawyers, and laborers?
One Friday evening, I came to my aunts house to babysit my two cousins. One of them
is eight years old and the other is three years old. I walked into the living room awaiting to be
embraced with hugs and kisses, but to my surprise they did not even notice me. The eight year
old was sitting on a large couch playing mine craft on his tablet. The three year old was on the
opposite side of the room on her cellphone watching cartoons on YouTube. I stood in the room
for two minutes wondering how long it would take for them to notice me and then their mother
walked in.

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I thought I told you kids to put your phones away! You guys have not moved from your
spots since this morning! I have to go now, please be good little children and I will be back
soon! she said and exited the room.
The kids finally looked up and noticed my presence. I felt a sense of relief when they
jumped up and hugged me, but I was quickly dismayed as they walked back to their couches and
continued playing on their devices. Babysitting them was an easy task. They sat in the same spot
for hours engaging themselves in a world that included them and their electronic devices. I
remembered the days when I was a child. I spent most of my time outside, playing soccer and
running around. Todays younger generation spends most of their time in front of a screen. What
consequences will such intense technological engagement have on these young children? Will
they develop into socially and cognitively mature adults?
Tablets, cell phones, iPads, iPhones, and various game stations have become the common
go-to leisure activity for kids. In fact, according to the article "Study Shows Kids Tethered to
Technology posted in ABC News, the Kaiser Family foundation conducted a study in which
they found that kids spend an average of three hours on video games and Internet, five hours on
TV and movies, and 2.5 hours on music each day. These statistics, although shocking but true,
aroused concerning questions for many concerning parents. Is technology bringing more benefit
or harm to my child? The vast amount of questions and concern have fueled a vast amount of
research and case studies. The implications of technology on child development have shown
varying results, both good and bad.
Many parents believe that by giving their children early access to technology their
children will grow up to be tech savvy and more social beings. However, observations made by
fourth grade elementary school teacher Karen OHara from Harrison, Arkansa described the
impact to be on the contrary (qtd. in Bowden). The school at which she teaches passed a new law

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that allowed children to have their cellphones out during recess. This rule was passed to allow
the children to call home, but instead the kids used up their break time to isolate and entertain
themselves with games downloaded on their devices. Karen OHara observed that once socially
active children have now become isolated and reserved. In fact, Dr. Gary Small, director of the
Longevity Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) and author of iBrain:
Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind claims that spending more time on
the cellphone than live conversation hinders development of normal communication skills. (qtd.
in Bilton). Children learn to communicate and interact using live conversation. Juana Summers
describes this phenomenon in her article "Kids And Screen Time: What Does The Research
Say?" Summers described a study conducted by UCLA in which sixth graders from a Southern
California public school were split into two groups. One group was sent to an outdoor education
camp in Running Springs, California where the kids had no access to electronic devices. The
other group remained in the public school and continued education as usual. After just one week,
the students were shown 50 facial expressions that they were asked to recognize and describe.
The results showed that individuals found that the students who went to the camp scored
significantly higher when it came to reading facial emotions or other nonverbal cues than the
students who continued to have access to their devices. This proves that face-to-face interaction
is important for acquiring social skills and understanding. Overexposure to technology correlates
to a hindrance in the social development of young children. Excessive access to technology
compromises the ability to conduct live conversation.
Another socially related consequence is the overuse of technological devices, by parents,
as a pacifier for kids when they begin to throw a scene in public facilities. Children often times
get restless and bored when dragged along with their parents on errand-runs. They begin to
complain and at times scream and cry. So to avoid public humiliation and judgment by fellow

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shoppers, the parents give the children a phone or tablet to engage them quietly as they complete
their to-do lists in peace. This teaches the children two unhealthy lessons. First, the child believes
that they can turn to a device to escape social situations. Second, the child does not learn how to
entertain themselves in time of loneliness. Sherry Turkle is a professor of science, technology
and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of the book Alone together:
Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other. Turkle claims that Learning
about how to act when alone is the bedrock of early development (qtd. in Bilton). Children need
to learn to engage themselves without the aid of a device or they will often feel feelings of
loneliness and depression in their older years. In fact, the importance of overcoming boredom is
an important learning milestone in young developing children. It not only teaches patience but
also prolongs their attention span and creativity.
So, why allow children to have access to cellphones if it can inhibit their social
development and encourage unhealthy behavior? Technology has proven to aid in other forms of
child development, such as learning. The no cellphone policy in the classroom is a commonly
accepted practice by many teachers. Mathew Wennersten and several other authors published a
scholarly article that described a 2012 study done in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, two
regions in India. The study brought a new perspective to the possible implications of technology
in child cognitive development. The India Bridge IT project incorporated a mobile phone based
educational program in 134 classrooms. The teachers of the project commented that the students
were much more eager to learn, less likely to miss class, and more active in their studies. More
importantly, when AP scores of students from the Bridge IT program were compared with
students of traditional classroom learning, the scores of mobile phone based education were
much higher. The students in the special program scored on average eight percentage points
better than their counterparts. In science related topics, students using the cell-phone based

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program performed 34 percentage points better. These results are astonishing and give rise to
new questions and research. Why do children seem to perform better when learning and
technology are combined into a single program? What is responsible for the significant findings
of the India Bridge IT program?
Technology and Young Children was an article published by the NAEYC, National
Association for the Education of Young Children, which gave insight to this matter. Children are
innately curious. Computer programs designed for child-based learning include sounds and
graphics that grasp their attention and curiosity. Children consistently see the use of technology
in the world around them, especially by their parents and older siblings, and are themselves
interested in engaging in technological activities. They feel a sense of control and independence
when they are allowed to work and learn at their own pace using their own devices. Technology
introduces a new level of interest, problem solving, and creative play to traditional learning that
intrigues their young developing minds. Although, the prospect for technology-based learning is
highly likely, certain controls need to be established. If a program, such as the one used by the
India IT project, was to be implemented teachers would have to work harder to ensure students
stayed on task and used their devices appropriately. If students use their phones to play games
rather than for educational purposes then such astonishing results as those observed in the Bridge
IT program will not be attained. In addition, to reduce the impacts of social isolation, as
described earlier from observations made by fourth grade teacher Karen OHara, teachers should
encourage team based learning when using devices. Team based learning enhances face-to-face
social interactions. Often times, individuals in a group differ from each other in many ways. It
benefits the children to learn how to deal with conflict and differences in a controlled social
environment than over an uncontrollable social networking world.

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Even though technology does have its negative impacts, the reality of the situation is that
there is no way of riding society of electronic devices. In fact, society has reached a point of no
return in which the productiveness would be hindered without the use of advanced technology.
Given the vast amount of research on both the positive and negative impacts of technology, one
question remains; is technology a cost or benefit to the emerging young generations? The answer
to such a question is that there is no answer. Technology cannot be labeled as completely
harmful or completely helpful. Allowing children unsupervised access to technology can lead to
problems with their social development, such as depression, loneliness, and isolation. However,
the use of technology in the classroom has proven to encourage mental and cognitive
development. Education, when incorporating technology, intrigues the young students and
encourages active learning. Therefore, given that technology will only continue to develop and
younger generations will continue to be exposed to greater and newer technology, it is important
to understand how to balance child exposure to technology in a way to allow the benefits to
outweigh the costs.
The key to success ultimately lies in the hands of the parents. When parents give their
children access to technology supervision is mandatory. However, what is the age at which
children should first be exposed to technology? Many toys have a recommended age appropriate
label printed on the packaging. So if a toy has a recommended age of use, why not a
technological device? According to Laura Lewis Brown from PBS parents, Just because
toddlers like to push buttons and watch videos does not mean they are ready for a computer. Dr.
Carolyn James, a learning designer for Leapfrog Enterprises, a company based in technology
centered learning, emphasizes the importance of children discovering the world using their
senses and developing their knowledge of life through real life experiences (qtd. in Brown). She
states that face-to-face conversation has proven to be crucial in the social development of

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children, especially those under the age of two. It is one thing to learn about something by
watching a video or playing a game, and another thing to acquire knowledge through experience.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with allowing a child (older than age two) to play a game or
watch a cartoon, as long as it is supervised and timed. It is important to find a good balance
between the two extremes of absolutely no access to technology and the unsupervised obsession
with technology. However, Brown recommend not even engaging children into the world of
technology until they enter pre-school.
Another important question is how long should a child spend using technology for the
purpose of entertainment? The parents must control how much time their children spend with
their electronic devices. According to the AAP, the American Academy of Prediatrics, screen
time used for the purpose of entertainment should be limited to 2 hours a day for children ages 318 (qtd. in Summers). Children under two years of age should not spend any time in front of a
screen. It is important that parents help balance the free time of their children to allow them time
to enjoy themselves with and without technology. Parents should encourage children to engage
themselves in educational applications and games. However, parents may not have the time to sit
with their child for the two hours that they are allowed to have access to their devices. A popular
solution to this issue is the use of parental blocks and limits that can be turned on in the settings
of many devices.
In essence, even though technology provides children with a sense of independence, the
ones in charge are still the parents. Margery D. Rosen, a writer from Parents Magazine, gave five
simple suggestions for how parents can take charge in her article Is Technology Good For Little
Kids? The first thing she emphasized was to set an example for the kids. Turn off electronic
devices when they are not being used and avoid bringing electronic devices to the table during
dinner time or family time. Her second tip was to avoid using technology as the electronic

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babysitter. When the children are bored or the parents are busy, it is the responsibility of the
parent to provide alternatives for the children to engage in rather than allowing them to waste
hours in front of electronic devices. The third suggestion was to develop media healthy habits
from young ages. As mentioned before, keeping the balance between electronic and nonelectronic activities is important. A child must develop to be able to cope in situations whether
there is access to a device or not. Another suggestion was to actually teach children (over the age
of two) to learn to use technology as a tool rather than a lifeline. Although electronic devices
give quick and easy access to just about everything parents need to teach children how to think
creatively and analytically without relying on Google to give all the answers. Last but not least,
as the supervisors, parents themselves must practice skepticism. Parents need to check up on the
websites and applications there kids use. Simply because the play store labeled a game as
educational does not mean it should be downloaded. It is advised to read other parent reviews on
the application as well as taking some time to view the game or application before giving it to the
child. These are simple and easy changes that will help parents improve the development of their
children in a world run by technology.
As technological advances are made, the impacts of technology are studied in greater
detail and more information is gathered. Is technology a stepping stone or banana peel? It can be
both, but it depends on how it is used and by whom. A knife in the hands of a robber can take
away a life but the same knife in the hands of a doctor can save a life.

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Works Cited
Bilton, Nick. "The Child, the Tablet, and the Developing Mind." New York Times, New York
Times. 4 Jan. 2013: B9. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.
Bowden, William. "Smartphones Bad for Children's Social Skills?" Razorback Reporter. 12 Dec.
2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
Brown, Laura Lewis. "When to Introduce Your Child to a Smartphone or Tablet." PBS Parents,
PBS. n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.
Rosen, Margery D. "Is Technology Good For Little Kids?" Parents. Parents Magazine, Feb.
2011. Web. 1 May 2016.
"Study Shows Kids Tethered to Technology." ABC News. ABC News Network, 20 Jan. 2010.
Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
Summers, Juana. "Kids And Screen Time: What Does The Research Say?" NPR. NPR, 28 Aug.
2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.
"Technology and Young Children." NAEYC. National Association for the Education of Young
Children. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.
Wennersten, Matthew, Zubeeda Banu Quraishy, and Malathi Velamuri. "Improving Student
Learning via Mobile Phone Video Content: Evidence from the BridgeIT India Project."
International Review of Education Int Rev Educ 61.4 (2015): 503-28. SpringerLink.
Web. 28 Feb. 2016.