COMPUTERS RULE OUR CHILDREN’S WORLD (and their guts)
In this chapter I’ll be discussing the negative impact that
computers have on children’s health and give some advice to
parents about what they can do.
Where would you be without your computer/smart phone these
days? How would you organise your finances, what would you
do in your spare time without those computer games, how
would you possibly communicate without the use of
emailing, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other social
media?
Excessive, unmonitored use of computers, especially when
combined with use of other screen technologies, such as
television, can place children at risk for harmful effects
on their physical, social, and psychological development.
Children need physical activity, social interaction, and the
love and guidance of caring adults to be healthy, happy, and
productive. Too much time in front of a screen can deprive
children of time for active play, organized sports and
other social activities that are beneficial to child
development. In addition, children may be exposed to
violent, sexual, or commercial content beyond their years,
with long-term negative effects. To ensure healthy and
appropriate use of computers both at school and at home,
children’s computer time must be limited and their exposure
to different types of content must be supervised.
Unfortunately, these days, parents use computer in a similar fashion to TVs…they use them as “babysitters” for their children. “Put them in front of the computer and she’ll be right” is a common line of thinking for parents after a hard day’s work.
Computer use amongst children is on the rise. Many teenagers have reported spending 4 hours a day or more using their home computers/ipads/smartphones. In addition, it appears that time spent using home computers does not displace much, if any, time spent watching television; instead, access to home computers appears to increase the amount of children’s overall “screen time.” When children have access to computers and video games as well as television, they spend up to 5 hours a day in front of some type of screen, and this is during the school term. This time increases even more during school holidays.
Children who spend an excessive amount of time in front of computers and other screens are likely to be displacing activities required for healthy development and increasing their risk of obesity. Although the number of studies documenting the relationship between children’s computer use and such harmful effects is limited, such studies, taken together with findings on the effects of other media on children and findings on the effects of computer use on adults, suggest that the risks of excessive computer use can be significant
Excessive computer use may also affect children’s social development. By the age of about seven years, a child’s interactions with family, peers, school, community networks, and media all play an important role in the development of interpersonal skills and social competence. Computers are now part of that mix, and concerns have been raised that children who form “electronic friendships” instead of human friendships might be hindered in developing interpersonal skills. Such concerns are heightened by the fact that a large percentage of children now have a computers in their bedrooms, which suggests that a sizable number of children may use computers in social isolation. I would strongly suggest that there are negative social effects from time spent on computers. For example, teenagers who spend more time online will experience greater declines in face to face social involvement. This must, in turn, increase their feelings of loneliness and even depression.
In addition to the extent of time, the types of activities children engage in while using computers can also affect their intellectual, social, and psychological well-being. The allure of computers stems from the fact that they can be used for a wide range of purposes. The majority of Australian children are now accessing the Internet from home. Once online, a child can choose to engage in activities across a wide range of possibilities. Computer games used to be the most popular computer option for children, particularly for boys. Now that the array of nongame applications has widened, girls report use of home computers as often, and with as much confidence, as boys do. Children of both genders interact for hours on social media, surf the Web for music and photos of movie stars and the list goes on.
Children’s use of the social media is changing the way many young people communicate with each other. There is a strong argument for the fact that keeping up with local and distant friends is a very important use of the Internet for teenagers. It can also be argued that children have the opportunity to share stories, ideas, laughter and tears, to learn from each other, and to make friends with common interests when communicating via the internet. This may be true, however, all of the above can also be achieved in person in a far more “real to life” way.
Many parents worry that in walking, running, bike riding, skateboarding or scootering to a friend’s house, their children are at risk of being abducted, molested experiencing some other form of horror. The sad fact is that children are just as likely to meet up with the terrible, evil criminals who commit these crimes via the internet. This is particularly the case in chat rooms.
Use of the Internet to communicate with friends and family, who can provide strong social support, can of course be a positive computer experience.
What can we do?
To minimize the increased risk of obesity, as well as
several other harmful effects of extensive media exposure, I
strongly advise parents to limit children’s time spent with
computers, video games, and other media such as TV to no
more than 45 minutes a day (apart from using computers for
specific homework/study related tasks), and to emphasize
alternative activities such as imaginative play, sports, and
walking running, bike riding, scootering or skateboarding to
a venue for live communication in place of “electronic
communication”.
Steps must be taken to protect children from potential risks through controls and closer monitoring. Keep an eye on what your child is doing on the computer. While protecting our children from harm, however, we must also strive to inspire. Children should be encouraged to use computers in ways that instil a thirst for knowledge and a zeal for positive social engagement.
Several companies have created a variety of filtering,
blocking, and monitoring software tools for parents to
safeguard their children from harmful content or predators.
These software tools are well worth purchasing.
How much money would you save per year?
By decreasing the amount of time that your children spend on
the computer, you won’t save any money on internet server
fees or even on the cost of computers.
You will save a lot of money, possibly hundreds of dollars, if you refuse to buy computer games and other techno gadgets, such as computer/web cameras that so many children and adultscrave for.
You’ll also save on medical expenses for conditions that are so often caused by the overuse of computers such as Repetitive Stress injury and short sightedness. There are of course the even bigger medical expenses that you may have to pay later on for medical conditions resulting from obesity such as heart conditions and diabetes.