Today, we are aware that we live in a changing society. Technology advances every year, a fact that is difficult for older people to adapt to, but at the same time, a new digital era in which boys and girls grow hand in hand with new technologies. With this change between generations, it is likely that we older people wonder what is good and what is bad in the new generations that grow up with the change. Therefore, we invite you to read this Psychology-Online article: How new technologies affect children.
Advantages and disadvantages of technology for boys and girls
New technologies have a controversial effect on people’s daily lives. In the same way that promote communication among people, they also promote a impoverishment of relationships social and personal. For this reason, below, we will comment on some of the negative consequences and advantages that new technologies have on the daily lives of children. Where the pros and cons of technology in children will be assessed and also How new technologies affect children.
Negative effects of technology on boys and girls
How does technology affect children? Social isolation and the impoverishment of relationships are the main consequences of new technologies. However, we must also take into account everything that new technologies can generate. Next, we explain the consequences of technologies on boys and girls, as well as negative effects of new technologies on children:
- Social isolation: Social isolation refers to the lack of personal contact, a fact that can be achieved with the abuse of new technologies. Due to the impact of new technologies on boys and girls, there is social fragmentation, which leads to more individualism. In this case, it is interesting to know.
- Replacement: On many occasions, people replace human relationships with a cybernetic substitute, a fact that promotes social isolation.
- Lack of emotional contact: Due to individualism and social isolation, a lack of personal contact is generated, which leads to a decrease in everything emotional.
- Information saturation: New technologies often contribute to facilitating the obtaining of information, although instead of facilitating it, they often generate saturation that makes communicative interaction difficult and produces confusion.
- Repetitive routines: More frequently, boys and girls become accustomed to automated routines of using new technologies, a fact that promotes less creative capacity and spontaneity.
- Difficulties speaking and communicating: With the current trend that leads us to less social contact, it leads us, at the same time, to an increase in difficulties in speaking and communicating.
- Absence or decrease in symbolic play: The fact of involving more time in new technologies than in strengthening social relationships encourages children not to spend so much time playing symbolic games (playing to be a firefighter, playing to be a veterinarian…). In the following article you will find the.
- Distraction: On many occasions, parents use new technologies to distract their children from situations in which they probably do not know how to manage their frustration, making it more likely that children will develop a great intolerance to frustration. In this way, boys and girls do not face situations as they should. This is one of the most worrying consequences of technologies on children.
- Absence of boredom: Children should learn to entertain themselves, without having to resort to new technologies. However, today, it is common for boys and girls to be distracted by mobile phones, tablets and other technological objects that encourage children to not tolerate boredom. Attention! Using the mobile phone to avoid facing unpleasant emotions can end up developing .
Advantages of new technologies for children
The negative effects of new technologies usually appear due to the use and abuse of new technologies in children. However, if new technologies are used well, they can be very beneficial for the development of children. Taking advantage of the ease with which children are born to deal with new technologies, it can be given an educational use that allows promoting better evolutionary development of children, both in the academic field and in the social field. In this way, one must also take into account the benefits of new technologies in children. Let’s look at some of these advantages:
- Skill development: Using new technologies allows children to develop certain skills, such as decision making, technological skills (necessary to be able to study and work in most cases), analysis skills, problem solving, observation, among others.
- Promote knowledge: It allows boys and girls to easily access any type of information for free. Regarding this ease of accessing all types of information, it is advisable to maintain parental control.
- Learn to learn: Through the provision of information, children, browsing the Internet, learn how they can acquire new knowledge.
- Investigation: Having free rein to search for information on any topic of interest encourages children to have a greater interest in investigating and discovering new things and, thus, acquiring new knowledge. Furthermore, this stimulation for research, at the same time stimulates the desire to learn autonomously in boys and girls.
- School support: How does technology affect children’s education? New technologies can be used as a school support resource, so that they can help improve academic results, especially for those children with special educational needs (students who suffer from a disability or learning difficulties). In any case, students can access a wide variety of online games for educational purposes, such as games aimed at improving attention.
- Academic results: According to various studies, the educational use of new technologies improves students’ academic results. Thus, those students who use information and communication technologies (ICT) as a school resource and benefit from their benefits obtain better results than students who do not use these resources.
- Socialization: New technologies are a good tool to help children socialize, whether through chats, games, etc. In this way, boys and girls can maintain contact with boys and girls, both from their same city and from different cities and cultures.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Rodríguez, I. (2006). Childhood and new technologies: an analysis of the discourse on the information society and children. Politics and Society, 43(1), 139-157.