Tech babies: Kids are using technology more than ever before

Kids always want to use my phone. I once found it annoying, but now that all of my friends have children now, I just hand over my phone before they ask. Children are very inquisitive. They what to know how things work and why they work. This week’s topics on children and technology was very interesting to me. My best friend has a three year old daughter and her daughter loves technology. She has an iPad that she knows how to operate and she also knows how to find Youtube videos on the toys that she enjoys watching. She picked up on learning how to use a iPhone and iPad very quickly. I remember the first time seeing her operate the device. I was so blown away that she could fully function devices, I asked her mom if she was a child prodigy. Her mom explained that a lot of children her age have iPads and are very advance. I became so interested in her behavior, I headed over to Youtube to watch other children make toy tutorials, chat about their favorite games and television shows. Just like we love to watch DIY tutorials, they do too. They literally get a kick out of kids making things out of playdoh and legos.

According to theguardian.com

YouTube, in particular, has emerged as an alternative to traditional children’s TV – although it’s probably more accurate to say that the two are merging: plenty of popular children’s TV shows are now on YouTube in some form, while to young viewers – many on tablets – it’s all just “video”.

With the launch of its YouTube Kids app in the UK and Ireland, the company is hoping to capitalise, but this being YouTube – owned by Google – it’s also kicking up a debate about its motivations, as well as familiar arguments about children and screen time.

The 20 top children’s channels had more than 5.2bn views in October alone, from Little Baby Bum’s 428.5m to Toys and Funny Kids Surprise Eggs’ 164.7m

Youtube kids in the UK and Ireland also censors ads that are not kid friendly.

While searching for kids and technology. I found an article that said Steve Jobs did not want his children using the iPad and it was not allowed in his home.

 “Your kids must love the iPad?” He said “Actually we don’t allow the iPad in the home. We think it’s too dangerous for them in effect.” The reason why he said that was because he recognized just how addictive the iPad was as a vehicle for delivering things to people. That once you had the iPad in front of you, or when you took it away from the home with you, you’d always have access to these platforms that were very addictive. That were hard to resist.

So where his kids were very well adapted, well adjusted, may not have been prime targets for say substance abuse, they like everyone else, are susceptible to the charms of something like an iPad and what it delivers.

Which makes me wonder if children should be on the iPad as often as they are now. I think that all internet activity should be monitored by parents. I found some alarming facts about the internet and children. Of course parents want to censor their kids from the obvious harms of the internet such as violence and sex, but being on an electronic device too long can also encourage obesity, bad social skills and distract children from having an imagination.

Livestrong.com says that 1/3 of children are obese. An increase in exposure to technology goes hand in hand with a decrease in physical activity. As children spend more time sitting in front of the TV or computer, they spend less time outside running around and burning off calories -- and energy. Over time, combined with an increase in snacking, this can lead to significant weight gain. 9/10 food advertisements are shown during Saturday morning cartoons. Technology also increases snacking and mindless eating amongst children. A researcher found that children who spend time in front of a computer eat more snacks than children who use technology less frequently. Obsessive use of technology also interferes with sleep. A lack of sleep causes an increase in ghrelin, the hormone that signals you’re hungry, and a decrease in leptin, the hormone that tells you you’re full.

Kids do not know how to interact with other children. I have been in public places and seen everyone on their phone even if they are sitting with one another. I also notice people tell their feelings to a social network instead of actually calling or meeting up with a person they have an issue with. Young people under the age of 18 use text messaging as their primary way of communicating. According to a survey given to the study's participants, the kids spent an average of four-and-a-half hours texting, watching television and playing video games during a single typical school day. According to Uhls, this is on the low end--many children and teenagers spend more than seven-and-a-half-hours a day interacting with a screen of some sort. And when interacting with a screen, they aren't interacting with a human."You can’t learn non-verbal emotional cues from a screen in the way you can learn it from face-to-face communication," Uhls said.

Lastly children are attention is impossible, imagination is unnecessary, and memory is inhibited.. It is very difficult for some children to focus. Kids are now even having withdrawls from their cellphones. Some schools allow children to have a brief intermission throughout the day to check their phones. Kids are bombarded with updates from apps and online newsources. Now it seems as if it is impossible, to keep up with the latest trends if you are not connected at school during the day. By constantly watching the activity of others, it is difficult to think on your own. Although I am not a child I can agree, I feel detached when Im not on my phone.