Young kids and adolescents have the maximum effect of technology. It provides them with new opportunities and also helps them with their education. Children these days build social connections with the help of technology. The use of technology increases chances for kids to grow mentally.

The impact of technology on children increases with online learning and social networking. It also benefits educators and parents in connecting with kids in a better way.

What is the Impact of Technology on Young Kids?

As the current pandemic has closed schools and colleges, kids are forced to learn from home. There are many positive effects of technology on children during this quarantine period. Parents are converting homes into online learning classes. This has made their social life confined to a digital medium.

With this many parents have also relaxed device-related restrictions to maximize the positive effects of technology on kids. They want kids to stay connected and engaged.

Use of Technology Increase in COVID-19 Pandemic

According to Common sense media, children between the age of 8 and 12 are spending about 5 hours every day with their gadgets. Teenagers spend about 7 hours on screen every day. It is also seen that about 53% of children own smartphones as they turn 11.

Post COVID-19 lockdowns, about 1.5 billion kids have experienced the highest effect of technology as they stayed home due to the pandemic. They spent excessive screen time and online activity for children has doubled since.  

What is the Effect of Technology on Kids?

Positive Impact of Technology

Digital devices and technology provide the kids with an opportunity to learn. It also helps them in maintaining relationships with their family and friends.

1. Helps with Distant Learning

The devices including tablets, smartphones, and computers allow students to stay connected. One positive effect of technology on kids is that it helps them to attend the classroom virtually. Students appreciate remote learning and distance learning also hugely helps students.

2. Helps to Stay Connected

Social distancing and remote devices has become a lifeline for kids. Many young kids stay connected with their family and friends and can stay afloat in these trying times. An important effect of technology on kids is through messaging apps and social media platforms.

3. Nurtures Problem-Solving Ability

Many kids are using digital tools and digital devices to stay afloat. A positive impact of technology is through popular analytical exercises and video games help kids to acquire problem-solving skills to kids. It also helps them to analyse situations and make decisions quickly.

Negative Impact of Technology

Digital technology has a downside and it also impacts children as they end us misusing it. It also harms kids’ health and day-to-day functioning.

1. Higher Screen Time

Young kids already used to spend about 90 minutes a day on-screen app. With the pandemic, about twice this time is being spent on screen. This is the negative effects of technology on kids include vision impairment, anxiety, and addiction.

2. Avoiding Family

As more and more children spent time on screens, they do not spend time with family. Devices and digital tools are not a healthy substitute for physical interactions. Thus, kids’ social skills are not developed properly and this affects them negatively.

3. Results in Health Issues

Another negative impact of technology is on kids’ health.  Spending too much time with mobile devices reduces their physical activities. This results in many health hazards including sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, and obesity.

Physical Health Effect on Children

What is the effect of technology on the physical health of kids?

1. Bad Posture and Neck Strain

One of the most common effects of technology is a change in the posture of kids. Kids develop a hunch and this leads to sore muscles and stooped back shape. If not taken care of, this can become a major physical condition with kids. Sitting for too long can further this problem.

2. Tension in the Eyes

A major symptom of using devices for a longer duration is burning sensation in the eye, dry eyes, and problem in focusing. These effects of technology and symptoms include eye strain due to bright light and the high screen contrasts of devices. The negative effects of technology are making the health of kids worse.

3. Poor Sleep Cycle

Using devices for longer durations tires the body and also strains the brain. There is a damaging effect of technology on the sleep cycle. Using devices for longer periods also reduces blood circulation in the brain. This also puts a huge strain on the muscles and joints. This results in an erratic sleep cycle that disturbs the kid’s psychology.

Mental Health Effect on Children

There is a negative impact of technology on the physical health of kids. Some common problems areas as listed below.

1. Depression

Many studies show a link between the impact of technology, heightened use of social media, and depression. As more children have turned to social media during the pandemic, they are cutting off from their family and friends.

As the determination of kids to connect with the outside world decreases, social media has become their mainstay. The heightened use of social media apps leads to a higher level of envy and loneliness.

2. Attention Deficit Disorder

Young kids are avoiding complex emotions by turning towards technology. The use of screens has increased with the pandemic and this is one of the many negative effects of technology on child development.

The effect on a child’s emotional regulation is also affected that worsens a kid’s mental health. Increased use of screens also decreases the attention spans of kids and some may suffer from Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

3. Addictive Behaviour

As kids spend more time on screens, there are higher cases of addiction. Kids spending excessive time on screens and playing games online leads to addictive behaviour. The negative impact of technology is also seen on the sensory stimuli of young kids. The repeated use of screen releases a drug called dopamine which is related to addictive behaviour.

How to Minimize the Side Effects of Technology onYoung Kids?

Regular Breaks Should Be Ensured

A great way to minimize the impact of technology is by reducing the risk of harming the kid’s eye. The kids should take a break after every 20 minutes to ensure screen-free time.

They should look at something else for at least 20 seconds away from a screen. This helps in focusing the eye muscles and reduces digital eye strain. This also decreases the risk of myopia in kids.

Encourages Posture Check

While the kid is away from the screen, they should also use this time to correct their posture. Make them sit straight and realign the neck, shoulders, and head. They should also move their head slowly to relieve the strained muscles. This also reduces fatigue and minimizes the physical impact of technology on kids.

Ensure Healthy Use of Devices

As parents are the best role models for the kids, they should also show restraint. It is important to set a good example to the kids by giving them a break from TV. Do not scroll on your phone continuously to show model behaviour and increases the positive impact of technology.

Set Screen-Free Time

Parents need to choose some time when the whole family stays away from screens and devices. Al this time, kids and adults should refrain from using devices that help the family a chance to spend some quality time and reduces the negative impact of technology on everyone.

Inspire Activity among Kids

The effect of technology on kids can be immense and thus they become reliant on gadgets. Therefore, it is important to encourage kids to get involved in various physical activities and games.

Use Parental Control Software

Some software and tools must be used on kid’s devices. Parental control software helps to block or filter out any unwanted or malicious content and reduces the effect of technology. These devices help to set a limit on screen time and this helps to lock the children out of apps.

TiSPY call tracking software is a useful tool that helps to manage calls and has many features to keep a track of kid’s screen activity. It has many features including call recording, call interceptor software, location tracking, screen capture, an interactive dashboard, and many other features that help to minimize the effect of technology on kids.

Last Words

Although there are many positive effects of technology, it is important to ensure kids use it wisely. TiSPY phone tracking software is a useful tool to ensure that helps parents in monitoring kid’s activity on-screen TiSPY software for android is free for android users and it helps parents in many ways to ensure that the kids stay safe. It helps to minimize the effect of technology on kids.