The Ages of Technology
Hanging out with some friends this weekend shed some light for me on the future of computer use. Let’s just say that I witnessed firsthand a two-year old mastering the computer (even though it was just a child’s toy laptop), but nonetheless it was impressive to see. Everything from my Grandfather using Facebook to children as young as two years old having toys that mimic little computers that look very much like a laptop. Growing up I was exposed to computers…but never in a way that today’s generation of children are. So really how young is too young to start a child off with a computer (or computer-like) mechanism? Can’t a child just be a child and go play in the dirt and swing on the swing set? Or are they more likely to play on the computer, immerse themselves in videogames and fast forward through commercials when watching the Disney channel? Even with the all alluring video games such as Wii (although most people that I know that purchased a Wii play more games on it then their children). I am still amazed at how technologically advanced children have become. Perhaps the days of playing with toy trucks and Barbie dolls have gone to the wayside; but can’t a child just be a child anymore? Sure some of these games may be educational, but never the less are they really necessary for such a young age group?
So here’s a scary statistic from Information Week: “Teens and tweens spend an average of 7.5 hours per day playing games, watching videos, and listening to music on their mobile devices.” And yet another eerie thought: “While the impact of so much media consumption is unclear, the Kaiser Family Foundation survey of young people from 8 to 18 years old did find that heavy media users got lower grades than light media users.”
