Children are attracted to technology for a number of reasons.
- They want to mimic their parents. If they see you using technology, they want to too, because you are the ones that they look up to and want to be like.
- Flashing lights, bright colours and unusual sounds attract attention. Even as adults we tend to look around when we hear unfamiliar sounds, because we want to know what it is, what's making it and where it is coming from. Lights and sounds stimulate children and so handling technology seems rewarding.
- Generally modern technology is small, light and easy for children to handle. There are not many activities that children can do today that pack so much mental stimulation into such a small package.
But the question that begs to be asked is: Is such exposure to high-tech products good for our children?
Without being unduly harsh, there are some really fantastic electronic devices available. Some programmes have been really well designed to help children learn in an exciting and interactive manner. The sights and sounds capture the imagination of the child and hold there attention while they work there way through the activity, but there is a foreseeable problem. While these devices do really engage children, they soon become yet another 'toy,' something that you can just drop when you are bored. From that point of view educational tools may be put down when a child has 'had enough.' Alternatively, it may be the other aspect that children will not want to look at educational applications, because they are gripped by the entertainment aspect of the device.
With technology so accessible and able to be switched around from education to entertainment so easily, children will often opt for entertainment, because it is less mentally taxing. The result is that a powerful educational aid, may be neglected in favour of the toy aspect. Secondly, children start to believe that there is plenty of time to get education, because there are educational applications everywhere and they can take it or leave it as they wish. Thirdly, the low entry cost of technology now also means that some children are losing the real sense of value and they can throw things away for a new one when a better one comes along.
Technology while it has its benefits also has other costs. Not only is there the social cost associated with production, such as automation leading to a lower employment cost, there is also a social cost related to the user. Many electronic gizmos are captivating with their classy appearance and captivating graphics, but take it from another angle, how does it affect our attention span and sense of value? One could argue it is great, because people will spend hours on these devices. Very true, and writing this I feel just as guilty typing on the computer, while the kids are sorting out some summer clothes! But take away the technology and people generally become bored very quickly. Give them something that does not have an image that changes every few seconds and they will complain that it is boring. Our minds are constantly hankering for stimulation and the more stimulation they get, the better we feel.
Unfortunately not all stimulation is good for us. Too much stimulation and we find it difficult to rest. Too much light before going to sleep upsets the hormones associated with our 'body clock.' Light causes the release of one hormone telling us it is day and time to be active, therefore too much light at night, and you start not sleeping well! Expose children to fast moving graphics, motion and light and they too become overstimulated and unable to rest effectively. Some suggest that this is not true, but there are two simple tests you can do to prove it for yourself. One way to test if this is true is to take a TV programme you like. When you are watching the programme, time how long each scene/ angle lasts. You will find that the more entertaining the programme is, the shorter the scenes or angle shots are, many no more than 5 seconds, most are only a few seconds long. One result is that you become conditioned to having a shortened attention span. The other is to watch something quite bright just before going to sleep. Often your mind will be recalling images of what you have seen, over and over and you will probably find it hard to settle. Likewise children with so many choices through interactive high-tech activities now have a significantly reduced attention span of less than 5 minutes, compared to children a generation ago that had an attention span of 20 minutes.
Socially the cost of IT has also undermined the value of people. There are tremendous advantages of IT, but at the same time, children (and even adults) lose the sense of value of things because it doesn't blink, beep, connect to the internet, or give them wireless capability. Technology enables things to happen in nanoseconds, but that is not how the real world operates. Many traditional toys don't have the same stimulating appeal to children and because technology is cheap, it is believed that everything else should be cheaper, but just because something doesn't have all the bells and whistles does not mean that it should be cheap and disposable. We need to start re-learning the value of people and things. We need to bring ourselves back to the real world a world that isn't frantic, even if it is stimulating. We need to take time to slow down and take stock of the real world in which we live. We need to practice the art of being still as much as we need to stimulate our minds. Our children need to learn the value of people and things so that they grow to have respect of the people and things around them. Maybe we need to hold back on some of the electronic tools we have to re-evaluate the real value in life. Sometimes we need to take time and to use the Mainland Cheese adage "Good things take time!" If we want the best for our children, the absolute best they can have is quality time.
