How Technology Affects Child Development
A Double-Edged Sword: How Does Technology Impact Development?
Children live in a world that is abundant with television, video games, iPads, computers, and cell phones. “Nearly every working and living place has computers, and over two-thirds of children in industrialized countries have a computer at home” (Rauterberg, 2004). Almost all the three-year-old children I interviewed at Williamsburg Campus Child Care reported that they watch TV every day. Many children use their parents’ computers and iPads, and one boy has his own Nintendo Wii. For better or worse, technology plays a pervasive role in the modern world. The question is not whether technology affects child development, but how technology affects development.
First, the benefits of …show more content…
Computer games engage children’s attention and “requires that players manipulate objects using electronic tools and develop an understanding of the game as a complex system” (Rauterberg, 2004). There has been some research done on the effects of educational media on children’s cognitive skills. Studies have found that “Sesame Street” improves literacy and numeracy skills while “Dora the Explorer” is correlated with greater vocabulary (Bavelier, Green, & Dye, 2010). Action video game experience has some surprising benefits: the ability to notice small details and perceive dim signals, improved attention, superior short-term memory, and more flexibility when switching from one task to another (Bavelier, Green, & Dye, 2010). The skills and abilities gained through experience with action video games have transferred to behavioral changes in the real world (Bavelier, Green, & Dye, …show more content…
Collaborative computer games can improve cooperation and prosocial content can affect measures of altruism (Rauterberg, 2004). It can also be argued that some children would be disinclined towards social interaction even without computers and tablets. These children may “find more honest and intimate human relationships with others on the Internet than in the real world, and they tend to successfully integrate these online relationships into their offline lives” (Rauterberg, 2004). Whether video gaming causes loneliness or contentment depends on the context of use; playing with strangers has shown to increase sadness and loneliness, but playing with friends or family enhances the player’s “sense of positive well-being” (Rosen et al.,
Children live in a world that is abundant with television, video games, iPads, computers, and cell phones. “Nearly every working and living place has computers, and over two-thirds of children in industrialized countries have a computer at home” (Rauterberg, 2004). Almost all the three-year-old children I interviewed at Williamsburg Campus Child Care reported that they watch TV every day. Many children use their parents’ computers and iPads, and one boy has his own Nintendo Wii. For better or worse, technology plays a pervasive role in the modern world. The question is not whether technology affects child development, but how technology affects development.
First, the benefits of …show more content…
Computer games engage children’s attention and “requires that players manipulate objects using electronic tools and develop an understanding of the game as a complex system” (Rauterberg, 2004). There has been some research done on the effects of educational media on children’s cognitive skills. Studies have found that “Sesame Street” improves literacy and numeracy skills while “Dora the Explorer” is correlated with greater vocabulary (Bavelier, Green, & Dye, 2010). Action video game experience has some surprising benefits: the ability to notice small details and perceive dim signals, improved attention, superior short-term memory, and more flexibility when switching from one task to another (Bavelier, Green, & Dye, 2010). The skills and abilities gained through experience with action video games have transferred to behavioral changes in the real world (Bavelier, Green, & Dye, …show more content…
Collaborative computer games can improve cooperation and prosocial content can affect measures of altruism (Rauterberg, 2004). It can also be argued that some children would be disinclined towards social interaction even without computers and tablets. These children may “find more honest and intimate human relationships with others on the Internet than in the real world, and they tend to successfully integrate these online relationships into their offline lives” (Rauterberg, 2004). Whether video gaming causes loneliness or contentment depends on the context of use; playing with strangers has shown to increase sadness and loneliness, but playing with friends or family enhances the player’s “sense of positive well-being” (Rosen et al.,