How Technology Affects This Generation's Childhood and How to Overcome It

chillibreeze writer — Krithika Sathyaraj

Technology has become an inevitable part of our life. It is easier and much more convenient to just rely on technology rather than doing things ourselves. We also lead a fast life where we don’t even have time to spend with our families, let alone do things without the help of technology. Letting go of the traditional way of doing things is not the problem but exposing too much technology to the kids is usually a bad thing. Parents want their children to have an easy life where they are nurtured and happy. They buy everything the kid asks without thinking about the consequences. Let me point out the major drawbacks of exposing too much technology to kids at a young age.

Obesity

Kids today simply refuse to go out and play. They are obsessed with watching their favorite television shows and playing in their video games. According to statistics, the percentage of obese children has doubled in the past few years just in America alone. Similar trends are being reported in other parts of the world as well. Obesity also brings on diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc which are extremely dangerous. Kids should definitely have their dose of regular exercise to have a healthy life. Parents should make the effort of setting time limits for watching TV or playing their video games. They should enforce rules where the kids should play for at least a couple of hours outside the house. Invest some time to give your kids a healthy life.

Loss of interest in sports

Kids do not have any interest in playing sports these days. They have technology such as Wii and PS3 which gives them the illusion of playing the game. They do not learn how to play the actual game as they virtually play it. They also don’t get the essence of team spirit by playing their Wiis or PS3s. It is important that kids learn to be a part of a team as it helps in character building. Kids need such kind of team environment to grow up in a selfless manner. Make them join a club or a team where they learn new skills and sports. Monitor their interest and performance level and encourage them (offer small treats) to keep playing.

No respect

They grow up in a world of television, video games and texting where it’s easy to lose the sense of reality. They are over exposed and their style of clothing and speaking changes. They use foul language at a very young age and they do not listen to parents or elders. They think it is below their dignity to do as they are told. Parents should punish kids and make them obey. They should be disciplined so that they have a better future. Children should have the fear of being punished so that they are well behaved. Similarly, reward them when they behave so that they know that life will reward them only if they are good. Discipline should be cultivated at a very young age.

Lost innocence

Kids are exposed to a lot of information thanks to internet, television and video games. They do not know how to handle such information as it is not from a proper source and they are not always well informed. Kids do not come with doubts to their parents, they just Google it. As a parent you will only reveal certain part of the information, only as much as the kids age could process but, through the internet, they get information in a three dimensional format. You might think you have parental control on all their technological access but being smart they always work around it. Video games and television shows and commercial plays the psychological aspect of your kids in doing and wanting things. Parents should always monitor what they watch and play. Go online and check if it is safe for your kids before allowing them to watch or play the particular show or games respectively.

Being violent

They do not learn the act of kindness, forgiveness or giving. Kids these days don’t understand the joy of sharing. They live in their own little shell which isolates them from the outside world. They learn violence from the media but never the art of kindness. They learn violence and foul language which makes them rude and unkind. They should learn to treat everyone as equal, be kind and to share. They should go out and meet people around the neighborhood. Parent should teach them to talk with courtesy and be helpful.

Parents should take initiative in all the activities carried out by the kid. This required them to put in maximum effort and time. Kids should also be punished when they do something wrong. They should always have limits and rules. Never buy them anything unless and until they have earned it and they are old enough to handle it. Before buying anything for your children always research it. Being strict may make them throw a tantrum but remember this is necessary to make your child a successful person who is disciplined and kind.

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in August, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Krithika Sathyaraj has worked as an SEO analyst and as an online marketer with specialization in social media marketing. She has experience in writing content for human as well as the Google spiders. She has also worked as a technical writer for few projects and writing technical content is easier for her as she is an ECE graduate. She is an ardent reader and loves to take up challenges.

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