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Technology
is fast evolving and now, kids of all ages seem to be getting involved with
everything from tablets and phones, to social media and smart TVs. But what
effect is this having on their social and physical wellbeing and as a parent
are you worried? I am for starters and it seems you just simply cannot get away
from technology in one form or another.
The
impact of devices and online platforms has kicked up heated debates for many
years, with some experts stating that technology causes poor communication
skills and reduced physical activity, and others claiming that gadgets can help
kids keep in touch with peers and boost physical fitness. Back in my day
obviously none of this existed and we were content with a few of the basic
outdoor toys which we played to death but it was fine we were happy. But now
the pressures of society to have the latest tablet, mobile, playstation, exbox
and so on are high. Here, we explore the effects of technology on children’s
health and ability to socialise…
Technology use of
kids in the UK
According to BARB the Broadcasters’
Audience Research Board as of the end of 2017, 11.54 million households owned
one television set, while 8.66 million had two, 4.11 million owned three, and
1.75 million had four. A recent survey by Samsung found that UK
households also have on average 18 smart devices including tv, mobile phones
and tables, while other research has forecasted that iPad use will increase to
18.1 million users by 2019. However this data doesn’t indicate how much time
parents and guardians allow their kids to consume technology, it at least
suggests that most kids at least have access to several devices regularly in
their homes. Iam sure we are all guilty of putting your kid in front of the TV
or passing over the tablet just so that you can get on with the daily chores
such as cooking, laundry and cleaning. Because lets be honest here, at the end
of the day we are exhausted so the last thing you want to do is all of that in
the evening, giving no time to yourself. For a lot of people, this opportunity can
make it easier for youngsters to opt for sedentary activities, rather than
playing sports or physical games, which could impact negatively on their
physical fitness.
How about emerging technologies? Smart speakers, like Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa, are growing in popularity in the UK. Futuresource has found
that there was a global year-on-year increase of 212% in smart speakers in
2017, with the UK and US estimated to be the key markets accounting for an
approximate 89%. It is clear UK families enjoy their gadgets, and smart speakers
offer a quick and easy way to access information. Although these so called smart speakers are
convenient and can help children learn facts quickly, do they also remove the
need for kids to explore ideas when they have an answer only a spoken question
away and could this impact on their ability to debate and discuss ideas with
peers?
The impact of
technology on social skills
Socialising, many if not all of us advocate the use of technology. Various platforms
like Facebook and Twitter allow kids to maintain relationships with friends who
perhaps live many miles away, while programs like Skype help teachers conduct
one-to-one tuition sessions in a virtual classroom. What happened to picking up
the phone and just having a chit chat rather than doing it over apps such as
whatsapp. As a parent from a safety perspective, smartphones also allow kids to easily keep
in touch with us when they aren’t in their care, which is certainly
a bonus. A report by Unicef discovered that technology
helped kids boost their existing relationships with friends, while also assisting
those who struggled to socialise easily in person.
There are advantages of allowing a close relationship between kids and
technology, many still claim that overuse can be detrimental. In my opinion this is a good
balance is needed and it’s up to you the parents to decided what the balance is
in the way you run your household. The research
carried out at Newcastle University found that primary school kids who consumed
up to three hours of television a day grew up to be better communicators at
secondary school. Watching any more than three hours was believed to
lead to poorer linguistic skills. Bad communication could significantly impact
our kids’ ability to make connections, participate in the classroom and promote
themselves during university and first-job interviews, so how much TV are our
kids watching? According to an Ofcom 2017 media use report:
96%
of 3-4-year-olds watch TV on a TV set for 15 hours a week.
95%
of 5-7-year-olds watch TV on a TV set for 13.5 hours a week.
95%
of 8-11-year-olds watch TV on a TV set for 14 hours a week.
91%
of 12-15-year-olds watch TV on a TV set for 14.5 hours a week.
These statistics might indicate that children aren’t consuming more than the
three-hour-a-day limit per week, this report also showed that more than 48% of
each age group 90% in the 12-15-year-old category also watched YouTube
videos on top of TV. The advances in
technology now mean that kids can consume visual content on multiple platforms,
not just the TV set, which makes ensuring that children are receiving the right
amount of real-life conversation more difficult.
There
are lots of different theories regarding how the use of technology can affect communication
and socialisation in children. I think parents should read up on this and
decide what is best for their children. Melissa Ortega, a child psychologist at
the Child Mind Institute in New York, claims that children use their phones as
an “avoidance strategy” and can have trouble initiating “those small talk
situations”. Dr. Jenny Radesky of Boston Medical Center, states that
kids “learn by watching,” and suggests that if they aren’t engaging in physical
socialisation, keeping their eyes instead on their smartphones and tablets,
then they are missing out on important communication development stages.
How technology may
affect children’s physical health
From the evidence the impact of technology on kids’ social skills has arguments for and against,
but what is the consensus when it comes to its effect on physical health? As
we’ve seen from the above figures, most children are engaging with technology
for several hours a week, which could be time spent enjoying physical
activities. I think the biggest problem I have is both of us working full time,
juggling childcare and juggling activities for the little one so that she does
go out for a run around as we live in an apartment block.
According to the
Ofcom report:
53%
of 3-4-year-olds go online for 8 hours a week.
79%
of 5-7-year-olds go online for 9 hours a week.
94%
of 8-11-year-olds go online for 13.5 hours a week.
99%
of 12-15-year-olds go online for 21 hours a week.
That is an awful lot of time spent engaging in a sedentary activity. Worryingly, only 9% of
parents claim that their children (aged 5-16 years) achieve the government’s recommendation
of one hour a day of physical activity, is this down to work / life balance perhaps. 60 minutes is reportedly the least
amount of time needed to maintain good health, however, it appears that the trend
for social media, video games, YouTube, Netflix and other technology may be causing
a reduction in physical activities.
So how do we know that it is technology that is causing a decrease in physical
health? Since the major advances in technology have been recent, we could look
at childhood fitness in previous generations. The World Health Organisation has
reported that the number of obese young adults aged 5-19 years has risen
tenfold in the past 40 years. Although other factors such as diet and education may also be to blame,
technology should arguably also be held partially accountable for this global
problem.
On
the other hand you could argue, many say that tablets and online platforms in fact encourage
physical activity in kids. Places such as YouTube is packed with tutorial videos that can help
kids get into and practice a particular sport, while games like Nintendo Wii
combine the virtual world with physical movement. Then, you have a host of
engaging, child-friendly apps for everything from yoga to running that are
designed to get kids off the sofa, plus plenty of after-school sports clubs
that have Facebook and Twitter accounts to persuade kids surfing online to
join.
Now there are even more online opportunities to get kids more active, so could it be that
we’re simply missing them?
How
to encourage physical activity and social interaction
As with all things we have seen that there are pros and cons on both sides when it comes to technology’s
effect on social and physical wellbeing. It really is like fighting a battle against technology might
be impossible, so here are some tips on getting children engaging in physical
activities to boost their fitness and social skills:
Just think
of fun group activities that your kids can work at and improve in such as skiing lessons.
Ask
your kids not to use phones at the table during mealtimes, so that you can make
time for conversation.
You can look
through the App Store on your child’s phone together to find apps that
encourage physical activity that way, they get to keep their phone while moving
more.
Walk or cycle to school together.
Walk or cycle to school together.
Take
your child and their friends bowling, swimming or to a soft-play venue once
every few weeks.
Organise
a family hike somewhere different one weekend every month.
Don't forget to check out what clubs your child’s school offers and ask if they want to get involved this could be sport-based or not, as long as it gets them off their tablets
and socialising.
You could perhaps ban
your child from taking their smartphones and tablets to bed with them to limit
the time they spend online before going to sleep, did you know the blue light emitted from
devices harms sleep quality which is vital to well-being.
Although all the things mentioned technology has appeared to negatively impact on children’s social and physical
health at times, it can also clearly be a support. Devices are fine if not
overused, so limit your child’s time and incorporate some of the above tips
into your family life to ensure that the rising trend for technology doesn’t
mean your child misses developing socially and physically.
This
article was researched and created by Chill Factore, which offers lift passes to the UK’s longest indoor real
snow slope.
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