What Effect Does Technology Have on our Kids

by Sodapop (follow)

Parenting (156)      Kids (130)      technology (10)      Childhood (4)      kids and the future (1)     

Sometimes I walk down the street and see people waiting for their bus, waiting for the train or simply walking to their destination completely alienating themselves from the rest of the world. We have gadgets to make sure we don’t hear someone about to approach us for help or God forbid to just start a conversation. We are constantly on the phone searching for answers, we are constantly listening to music to give a specific mood a highlight, and too often we forget that there are actual human beings right by us who could make us feel something or create a new memory with us, or have an interaction of some sort that could evoke any of our senses.

A Childhood Past

Do you remember being a child? In Winter I remember the feel of snow and how it looked and even tasted. I remember in Summer digging my feet in the sand at the beach, it kept them nice and warm and it kept me busy just to feel the sand through my toes as I slowly wiggled them. I remember my Grandmother reading books to me not just before bed but after lunch or even breakfast and then giving me paper and a pen to let me doodle all day long until I came up with the masterpiece of my childhood.



I remember kids being much more creative; my brother invented a game that we played almost everyday, we didn’t have a TV or internet at the time not because it wasn’t available but because it was in a time that not everything was reachable in terms of cost. Kids used to take care of their toys because unlike today they were not disposable and easily replaceable, we knew that once the toy was done, that we'd need to wait until a birthday or Christmas to hopefully receive new toys. With this we learnt to appreciate our things more and because of it our minds could create worlds that built the absolute best childhood we could think of.

Childhood: The Future

I have asked a few mothers where do they think technology will take the next few generations? Will they see pen and paper as the ancient use of retaining information; will our text symbols be like hieroglyphics to the next generation? I remember I had to learn to write in cursive at school and now I see kids in primary school with laptops assigned by their schools. Would it be a parent’s fault if we do not stick to the ‘old school’ pen and paper? Or would it be a bigger mistake not to include them in the latest technology because that will get them behind in class?



I see so many news reports of children taking drugs; of people in the creative industry taking drugs ‘to be more creative’ and wonder would a simpler solution be just to get away from technology and let our minds wonder off to ‘la la land’ for a day. Could a clear mind be the future’s drug?

Where do you think technology will take our children?


#parenting
#technology
#kids and the future
#childhood
#kids

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