Five Ways Technology Has Negatively Affected Families Essay Example

screen time, kids get desensitizing and can't focus on something like a book without that super-stimulating effect.

Another study examined boys aged 6 to 9 and the relationship between video games and their excelling reading skills. The boys didn't seem to have any underlying reading problems; researchers speculate that their desire to play video games Just surpassed the time they devoted to reading and writing, bringing down their abilities. So, what's a parent to do, especially with computers a part of school curriculum these days? * American Academy of Pediatrics recommends one to two hours per day for children over two, and none for kids younger. Talk with and read to your children along with the quality time spent, this puts your kids in a language-rich environment. Be involved in their academics, even on the computer. Watching your child do his math online lets you encourage him, help him and see his problem-solving skills in action. 4: Quality Time Family Dinner: Good for your Heart and Head Dinner is usually when people eat most of their daily veggie requirements, so it's usually more heart-healthy than other meals. But did you know it's also good for your noggin?

According to a Psychology Today article, these get-together help strengthen the brain's frontal lobe, the area that deals with high mental functions. Family inners also help alleviate daily stress everyone has, shielding the parts of our brain that deal with emotion and memory. TAKE THE QUIZ Between responding to e-mails during kids' activities,testing at meals, and constant phone time while driving, parents use technology almost as much as teens. This dynamic creates feelings of Jealousy and distress in

children since they now have to compete for both their parents' time and focus.

The family dinner is a perfect example of technology affecting quality time. Traditionally a haven from the outside world and a chance to reconnect, today's dinner is often a frenzied event where embers tend to be distracted during the meal by the computer, cell phone or TV. Or they can't wait to finish to get back to these devices. Often, parents are Just as guilty as their kids. Here's an alarming fact: A group of children, aged 4-6, were asked whether they'd want to watch TV or hang out with their dad. Dear old dad lost out! According to an A. C. Nielsen report, 54 percent of kids preferred to spend time with the TV.

It's a sad commentary when Bagman or Barney, however educational, wins out over quality time with a parent, especially for young children who think their parents are still "cool. So what's the answer? Schedule one-on-one time with children and take family dinner hour seriously. One mother insists that all family members put their electronic devices in a basket when they come through the door and retrieve them only after dinner is over. 3: A Less Empathetic Generation Make sure your teen is spending time with friends in reality as well as virtually. Mage Credit: Supersaturates/Brand X Pictures/Thinking's TAKE THE QUIZ A benefit of a family is that children learn the give and take of society how to interact with other people, the importance of the individual and the group, and how o communicate. However, with the inundation of technology in all facets of life, parents run

the risk of raising a generation who can't relate to other people. Children with unlimited gaming, computer and TV time may not get enough interpersonal face-to-face interaction needed to develop proper social skills.

A Wall Street Journal article called this "silent fluency," the ability to read cues like tone, body language and facial expressions. E-mail and texts don't convey empathy, tone or subtext the way face-to-face or phone conversations do. While the effects are still being Rosen, a well-known psychologist, has studied the psychology of Faceable interaction and feels that while it can be good practice for introverted kids to get comfortable talking to peers, it is no substitute for real-world interaction. "Our study showed that real-world empathy is more important for feeling as though you have solid social support," he writes. Although those who had more virtual empathy did feel more socially supported, the impact was less than the real-world empathy. " So, if your child seems to spend most of her time on social media or testing, encourage her to talk to r make plans with friends. Or at least, with you. 2: Blurred Boundaries Once upon a time, a family's biggest technological nuisance was the phone ringing during dinner or late at night. Twenty-four hour TV programming, the Internet and cell phones didn't permeate the inner sanctum of the home. School stayed at school, work stayed at work, and those boundaries weren't crossed except in an emergency.

That was then; this is now. For adults, work doesn't end Just because you leave the office; in fact, companies equip their people with smart phones and laptops so employees are accessible 2417. Physicians are

used to getting emergency calls, but now there are insurance emergencies, technology emergencies, sales emergencies, accounting emergencies and the list continues. Likewise, schools send out e-mails - announcements about homework and events so kids are getting "business" as well as social messages when they're at home.

Once the walls between home and the outside world come down, it's hard to build them back up again. But, you can make it better. It goes back to setting limits; your child's social life won't implode if she doesn't answer 50 texts that night. Also, minimize the double standard. If you limit screen time for kids, do the same for yourself. You don't want to lose your Job over it, but consider how much work you do at home because you "have to" versus what you do because you can and your computer's right there. 1: The "Inside" Generation Don't Just send your kids outside to play Join them from time to time! Mage Credit: stockpot,Townsfolk TAKE THE QUIZ More than ever before, parents have to encourage, coax or even force their children to get outside and play. Kids spend more time inside because of school, homework, irking parents and other factors dictating their schedules, but when they have free time, how do they spend it? Author Richard Love coined the phrase "nature deficit disorder," describing the younger generation's disconnect with nature. How often do you see kids playing in the woods, building forts or rolling down grassy hills?

A University of Michigan 2004 study said kids play outside two hours less a week than two decades ago, choosing instead to spend the extra time watching TV, on

the computer, reading or Just doing nothing. Technology isn't exactly great for our health either. In 2004, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said childhood obesity had tripled since 1980 in the U. S. A. One of the most technologically advanced countries also has one of the highest shares of obese people in the world not a correlation of which to be proud. However, parents can manage their kids' "inside" get them outside.

And from time to time, go with them for a bike ride or a walk. Sending your kids outside while you sit inside and text or send e-mails Just "sends" the wrong message. Young people exposed to modern technology for more than four hours a day are less keel to display high levels of "wellbeing" than those limiting access to less than 60 minutes, it emerged. Figures from the Office for National Statistics found that the use of video games and social networking had a number of advantages, including enhancing existing friendships and allowing shy children to communicate.

But it warned of negative effects for young people exposed for technology for too long during the normal school day. The conclusions come Just days after a leading academic warned that a generation of children risks growing up with obsessive rationalities, poor self-control, short attention spans and little empathy because of an addiction to social networking websites such as Twitter. Baroness Greenfield, professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, said a decline in physical human contact meant children struggled to formulate basic social skills and emotional reactions.

Young people's brains were failing to develop properly after being overexposed to the cyber world at an

early age, she claimed. According to figures quoted by the ONES, almost 85 per cent of children born in 2000/01 have access to a computer and the internet at home. Some 12 per cent have their own computer and the same proportion had a personal mobile phone. Separate data showed that six per cent of children aged 10-to-1 5 used online coatrooms or played games consoles for more than four hours on an average school day.

But the report - published as part of an ongoing investigation into national wellbeing - said: "While playing games consoles and chatting on social media sites can enhance children's recreational and networking experiences, there are risks with excessive usage. " It added: "Children in the I-J who had access to computer games, games consoles and internet use at mom for less than an hour on a normal school day also reported better well-being than those who used these facilities for four hours or more. Children who spend too much time chatting on line may also be at risk of unwanted attention and harassment. " The report said that children exposed to technology for lengthy periods of time were at greater risk of being targeted by cyber bullies and "perverted individuals". There was also a danger of "obesity because of lack of physical activity', said the ONES. Impact on Education Funny as it may sound, Google is God for students. Many of you might have stumbled upon this page hunting on what to write as an essay on 'Negative Impact of Technology on Education and Society'.

Well, there you have it all, a full-fledged essay. Yes, I do agree that

there isn't a source of information better than the Internet, and perhaps, can never be. However, don't you think it has made students extremely students are supposed to submit college assignments online. As a result, students spend a good hour searching for the best stuff on this platform that has virtually every information in this world. CTR+C, CTR+V, CTR+S... Assignment done. The negative impact of technology on students is known universally.

Kids today know more than anyone about the latest gadgets, gizmos, etc. Well, even I would like to confess that I know more about the latest cell phones than my dad does! Kids know how to operate them, play games in it, and get used to them. Gone are those days when leisure time was about creative recreational activities. Video games, Palpitations, phones, and Androids are the new thing! And then we blame ourselves for not being creative enough. I totally support the fact that information technology has made our life unbelievably say. Yes, it has.