Technology is directly affecting the evolution of our children’s brains, especially changes in the areas associated with language and self-regulation. Studies have shown that children who spend more time in front of a screen have significantly reduced attention spans and poorer impulse control which is thought to be contributing to the rise in ADHD diagnoses.
Psychologist Ferahim Yesilyurt from Istanbul University states that the more subjects a child becomes interested in through a fast-learning online process, the greater their IQ will increase. However, this instant access to so much information may have resulted in the current generation having a higher IQ than previous generations, but it has come at the expense of other skills such as physical interaction with the real world and disconnection from real world situations and relationships.
Other detrimental side-effects which are as a direct result of overuse of digital devices include reduced sleep quality, behaviour and emotional issues, poor social skills and general health problems such as eye strain, headaches, anxiety and depression.
Such negative ramifications have undoubtedly been exacerbated during the pandemic when human beings of all ages were more reliant on technology than ever before to work, study and connect with each other. Now in 2022 we are witnessing the physical, emotional and mental health problems which have arisen as a result of digital overdosing during lockdowns and the sudden return from enforced social distancing to normal interaction with the outside world.
Other aspects which may interfere with normal development and push children into more screen time is the fact that we have much smaller family groups in our society and the primary caregivers are often heavily engaged with their own working lives. In fact, most family members are often ‘screened’ from each other even within the same room, so to obtain the attention and interaction that was an accepted part of the daily lives of previous generations, children will naturally gravitate to their digital devices where they will instantly have the world at their fingertips.
If the resulting increase in IQ has produced a corresponding increase in anxiety owing to overuse of technology, this perturbing association needs to be urgently addressed if we are to avoid raising a future generation of potentially unstable and unreliable individuals with weak coping skills when faced with real world challenges.
‘Kids love technology. They also love Lego, scented markers, handstands, books and mud puddles. It’s all about balance.’
K.G. first-grade teacher
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