Topic And Discussion: The Effects of Technology
I have had a few parents and teachers ask me about technology-- questions like:
What are it's negative effects?
How much screen time should be allowed?
Are there any good apps, shows, etc. to use with kids when we do allow screen time?
Technology and screens are everywhere! We as parents need to be aware that technology is everywhere, it is ever changing, and we need to be educated on ways to use it positively and effectively with our children.
So, I did some research on this topic (see the end of this blog post with research articles I used for this post). So what are the effects of tech?
Effects on Sleep -- increased technology use has increased risk factor for sleep disturbance and suppresses melatonin by the blue light emitted from the screens
Effects on Obesity -- increased screen time usually causes less time using fine and gross motor skills
Effects on Mental Health -- using minimal time on social media each day shows reductions in loneliness and depression
Effects on Child Development -- 24 months and younger learn better through one on one interactions with people. Before 24 months they are unable to adequately transfer the 2D digital/abstract information learned to their 3D world
Effects on Parenting -- parental distraction with TV in the background or phone use reduces the quality interactions with your children
Ways to implement positive use of technology throughout the day as a parent:
Put the phone away (physically out of reach) when interacting with your children - during play time, during homework time, and during meal times
Limit your children's screen time - all types of screen -- iPad, iPhone, TV, video games, computer -- to 1 hour or less per day
Now, technology is a great tool that we can use! We just need to use it in an appropriate manner.
Research articles quoted in this blog post:
Parent Project: Use technology in an effective and educational manner with your child this month.
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