According to A Common Sense Reaserch Study, "38% of children under 2 have used a mobile device for media". Almost 40% of young children have already interacted with a smart device. It's and interesting observation for the sole fact that we've never seen a human who interacts with smartphones from day one until today. Will this effect how our children grow up/brain develops, are we already seeing some signs? There is evidence that links children's moods swings to mobile phone usage. Not to mention the extra stimulation that can effect one's sleep from continued use of a mobile phone. This could all play a part on how a child's brain develops.
If kids have early access to mobile devices, social media will follow shortly after. Cyber bullying is a huge aspect of social media. In fact "87 percent of youths witnessed cyber bullying, compared to 27 percent the year before who said they witnessed cruel behavior online". Nearly every child on social media has witnessed some sort of cyber bullying. Should someone that young be exposed to that kind of behavior, and will they be able to cope with it?
Smartphones have brought us into an era where we are always "plugged" into the world around us. With that has come the onslaught of social media. All and all positive aspects, but how soon is too soon to introduce the youth to these devices and tools? It could cause developmental issues in children and added stress by trying to be kept in the loop through social media. No doubt cell phones have changed the way we communicate as individuals, and most of the aspects have been positive, but youth tech habits will only become a hotter topic as we progress down the rabbit hole of smart technology.
Questions:
1) Do you think there is any negative repercussions for young kids using smart devices?
2) Is it part of the parent's job to monitor/watch there children's tech habits?
Extra link to youth tech habits stats
Definitely a weird time to be alive. I think the bigger issue is lazy parenting. Parents nowadays don't want to actually raise their children and they would rather have their devices do it for them. I understand that it can be very tiring having a crying baby or a kid nagging all the time but that is part of raising a child and we must be more present with them instead of turning to technology. Like you said, this could lead to a lot of other problems. Cyber bulling is a real issue and lately i've been seeing more news about kids committing suicide because of it. The positive thing about this is that kids are being introduced to technology at a younger age which will lead to them being more tech savvy.
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