Lawson 1

Anna Lawson

James Johnson

ENG 1201

11 July 2021

Literature Review

Growing up in a large family of ten children, I have always found the nature of children

to be fascinating. Watching a baby develop into their personality is one of the most genuinely

amazing things on earth. Of late, I have been noticing the behavior of my nephews. I have

noticed that the differences in their behavior, whether negative or positive, often coincide with

their extended usage or lack of technology. This observation led me to ask, "how does

technology affect children's behavior?" while researching the topic, I came across a question that

has become more interesting and is what I am now focusing my research towards. This question

is, "How are technology and mobile media affecting children's mental and emotional

development?" Is technology helping children's ability to learn, or is it hindering them? Are the

media setting children up for success or disaster? Is it affecting them at all? Is technology

exposure at an early age potentially dangerous to children's developmental abilities? These are

all questions I intend to answer in my research.

What effect technology and media have on individuals, in general, has been a general

question and concern since the invention of the printing press in the 1500s. This question has

taken a whole new dimension with the sudden expansion in this area in the past 20 some years.

Most people have a cell phone, computer, and TV, and most children have exposure to either one

or all of these forms of technology from the day they are born. Whether it is because their mother

is texting a friend while feeding them or their father is watching the game while they play on the
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floor. Whatever the situation, researchers have become increasingly curious if this exposure is

affecting them. When technology was only accessible at home or the office, there were concerns

and questions, but these questions and concerns have become much more common in the last ten

or so years. Because with the invention of the smartphone, technology became a much more

significant presence. The views on this topic range from "technology is the best invention ever"

to "technology is our impending doom." With my research, I hope to discover which is more

likely.

A common thread I have discovered throughout my research is that children acquire their

own devices at a young age and learn to use them quickly and spend an extreme amount of time

on these devices. According to a study conducted by professor of education Pasi Sahlberg, and

researcher Amy Graham, 80% of children between five and seventeen personally possess at least

one technological device. This study also showed that many of these children receive their first

digital device at four years old. In addition, the study also observed that children at this age

commonly own more than one device (Stahlberg and Graham). This article was written after the

authors had conducted a survey to discover how early children acquire their devices. They wrote

it to bring awareness to parents of the number of technology children own and spend time using

it. A study published in the Pedagogy journal confirms these findings with a different survey

which shows that about 12% of children access a smartphone before reaching age two, and 47%

of children own a cellphone before age six (Tsaneva 401). This article was published in a science

journal and based on multiple studies conducted in the field of technology and children. The

author, assistant university professor Yoanna Tsaneva, compiled this research to appeal to an

academic audience and point out the dangers of excessive exposure to technology in children.

With this early exposure, children also tend to spend an extensive amount of time on their
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devices. According to Common Sense Media's 2020 survey, "Media Usage in Kids Zero to

Eight," children in this range spend an average of about two and a half hours directly consuming

media per day. This same report also states that of this media consumption, barely 5% is spent on

educational forms of media (Rideout and Robb, Media Children 3). According to another survey

conducted by Common Sense Media, in 2019, children between eight and twelve years old used

an average of almost five hours of technology a day, and teens thirteen to eighteen used an

average of nearly eight hours of technology per day (Rideout and Robb, Media Teens 3).

Common Sense Media is a non-profit organization whose goal is to help parents, educators, and

caregivers use technology to benefit children and discover how technology affects children

through research. This organization has done the pioneering research in children’s use of

technology.

In addition, the research I have done also shows that extensive use of technology is

harming children's health. According to an article in the Middle East Journal of Family

Medicine, there has been a correlation between children's use of technology and decreased focus,

aggressive tendencies, lack of physical activity, obesity, and insufficient sleep, in school-aged

children (Agha 57). So, while children's technology usage is increasing, their health is declining.

According to this same article, the lack of sleep that children are experiencing is because most of

them sleep with their devices near them, which can lead to more and more interruptions (Agha

58). This journal is used to extend knowledge, found through medical studies and research, to

parents and teachers to further help with childcare. The Heart and Blood Institute verified this

concern in an article that stated, to get sufficient sleep, one must get 3 to 5 sleep cycles a night

(Heart and Blood). Also, an article in Global Pediatric Health states that sleep is one of the most

important fundamentals to a child's development; lack of sufficient sleep can lead to inability to
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stay focused and obesity. The study also showed that children who have extended screen

exposure before bed are more likely to spend more time on their phones or other devices after

they go to bed, losing some of their much-needed rest (Fuller et al.). This study was done based

on pediatric studies' findings to share knowledge in the medical community.

Research is also showing that technology is impacting children's development. According

to research done by assistant university professor Yoanna Tsaneva, pre-adolescent children's

premature and excessive exposure to technology hinders their speech development, hindering

their ability to interact in social situations. She explains that this is because by spending much of

their time on digital devices, they spend less time with the parental figures in their lives and their

peers who would ordinarily help them develop these skills (Tsaneva 402). Tsaneva also

expressed the concern that children spend so much time watching TV and playing games that

overstimulate their brains, causing them to become disinterested in the world around them

because it is infinitely less stimulating, which leads to social disconnect (Tsaneva 401). An

additional developmental concern is the affect EMFs have on the developing brain. Accotding to

the Middle East Journal of Medicine, "EMFs are electromagnetic waves less than 300 GHz" this

article also claims that children's developing brains are less protected against EMF exposure. The

reason for this claim is that children's heads are smaller than adults, and their sculls do not have

the same density, leaving the areas of the brain most susceptible to EMF radiation particularly

exposed (Agha 55, 57). According to the World Health Organization, though it is not definite,

there is an association between EMF exposure and leukemia in children (WHO). Technology is

not just affecting children's cognitive development; it also affects their social and emotional

development. Tsaneva stated in her research that children spend so much time interacting and

communicating using technology that it hinders their ability to communicate with individuals
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face to face, stunting their empathy towards others because they are not learning from their

caregivers (Tsaneva 402-402). This research is further validated in an article published by the

American Psychological Association; studies have shown a risk of violent digital entertainment

causing an increase in children's cognitive aggression, aggressive behavior, and a decrease in

empathy towards those around them (APA). Additionally, Pediatrician Dimitri Christakis stated

that when parents spend excessive time on their digital devices while with their children, they are

teaching their kids that it is okay to ignore those they are with, showing them that socializing

with those around them is unimportant (Screened Out 31:47-33:44).

In the research I have done, I have discovered that many of the studies done on this

subject seem to agree that with the amount of technology use becoming more and more

predominant in our society, many would classify it as an addiction. In the documentary Screened

Out, creator Jon Hyatt explores the possible adverse effects of technology and discovers through

interviews with phycologists, pediatricians, and addiction specialists that technology addiction is

genuine. The experts say that the addictive qualities of technology are purposeful for the

advancement of tech companies. Screened Out was created using first-hand experience and

evidence from studies done by experts in development, technology, marketing, and

psychological behavior. It mainly targeted parents to encourage parents to limit their children's

exposure to technology because the frequent use of technology may increase a child's possible

addictive behavior (Screened Out). While this seems, all negative the purpose of the

documentary was not to paint technology as inherently evil but to express all the possible

dangers that go along with it. Sahlberg and Graham's study further validates this concern as they

discovered that only 46% of caregivers stated that their child could go a full twenty-four-hour

day without their digital devices (Sahlberg and Graham).

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In contrast to the adverse effects, an acritical published in Neuron, suggests that

children's use of technology may not be harmful but good. While the authors of this article

acknowledge the possibility of technological addiction, they focus more on the positive findings

for children and technology. This article was written to point out to parents that though

technology has some adverse effects on children, it can also be positive. The authors compare

technology to food in that not all foods are good for you so, not all technology is good for you

and vice versa (Bavelier et al.). The authors discussed that while entertainment media was a

concern because children base their social behavior on what they see, they also discussed the

benefits of educational entertainment such as "Sesame Street" and "Little Einstein's" (Bavelier et

al.). However, this article was written ten years before the Screened Out documentary, which

may be the reason technology addiction was less of a focus. The Neuron article specifies that

more research was needed to tell whether technology addiction was a possibility, and ten years

later, it seems to have been confirmed. However, an article published in the TEM Journal also

points out some positives to children using technology. This article states that digital literacy or

using technological devices is essential in becoming part of the IT society (Ružić-Baf 883-884).

They are showing that the ability to use technological devices is a worthwhile trait.

Asking the question "How is technology and mobile media affecting children's mental

and emotional development?" will not yield one definitive answer. I expect to discover that

technology and mobile media have and will have both positive and negative effects on children.

However, the answer I most expect to discover is that technology in excess harms children's

mental and emotional development. The only way to improve this is to limit their access time

until they are old enough to make those decisions themselves.

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Works Cited

Agha, Nidal Ibrahem, and Ahmad ZaaZa. “The Effects of Digital Technology Usage on

Children’s Development and Health.” Middle East Journal of Family Medicine, vol. 19,

no. 4, Apr. 2021, pp. 54–60. EBSCOhost,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=a9h&AN=149769281&site=eds-live

APA. “Violence in the Media: Psychologists Study Potential Harmful Effects.” American

Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 2013,

www.apa.org/topics/video-games/violence-harmful-effects.

Bavelier, Daphne, C. Shawn Green, and Matthew W. G. Dye. “Children, Wired: for Better and

for Worse.” Neuron, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 9 Sept. 2010,

10.1016/j.neuron.2010.08.035. Accessed, 5 July 2021.

Fuller, Caitlyn, et al. “Bedtime Use of Technology and Associated Sleep Problems in

Children.” Global Pediatric Health, SAGE Publications, 27 Oct. 2017,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5669315/.

Heart and Blood. “Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency.” National Heart Lung and Blood Institute,

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-

deprivation-and-deficiency.

Rideout, Victoria, and Michael B Robb. “2019 Common Sense Census: Media Use by Teens

and Tweens.” Edited by Jenny Pritchett, Common Sense Media, 2019,

www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/2019-census-8-to-18-

full-report-updated.pdf.
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Rideout, Victoria, and Michael B Robb. “Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Ages Zero

to Eight.” Edited by Jennifer Robb, Common Sense Media, 2020,

www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/2020_zero_to_eight_ce

nsus_final_web.pdf.

Ružić-Baf, Maja, Andrea Debeljuh, Rajović, Ranko Rajović, “ICT, Digital Rest (or Tiredness?)

Spending Free Time in Front of a Screen.” TEM Journal, vol. 6, no. 4, Nov. 2017, pp.

883–887. EBSCOhost,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=a9h&AN=126605289&site=eds-live. Accessed 2 July 2021.

Sahlberg, Pasi, and Amy Graham . “Children Own around 3 Digital Devices on Average, and

Few Can Spend a Day without Them.” The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2021,

theconversation.com/children-own-around-3-digital-devices-on-average-and-few-can-

spend-a-day-without-them-159546.

Screened Out. Directed by Jon Hyatt, Dark Star Pictures, 2020. Prime Video

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088SCNH5K/ref=handoff_detail_ios.

Tsaneva, Yoanna. “Influence of Digital Technologies on the Speech Development of 5-To-7-

Year-Old Children.” Pedagogy (0861-3982), vol. 93, no. 3, Apr. 2021, pp. 399–

405. EBSCOhost,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=e5h&AN=149973396&site=eds-live.

WHO. “Exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Fields -- Backgrounder.” World Health

Organization, World Health Organization, www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-

change-and-health/radiation-and-health/non-ionizing/elff.