Technology rots kids’ minds
Television, video games and cellphones have reduced our children’s social skills and muscle tone, leading to learning problems.
Inactive children who watch television for a substantial amount of their day are prone to develop low muscle tone — a condition where children experience clumsiness and problems with gross- motor activities involving the large muscle groups such as legs and arms.
According to occupational therapist Liz Senior, proper muscle tone is vital to the development of a child.
“Children are developing more than just co-ordination and muscle tone , they are laying the foundation for subsequent learning. If a child does not know the meaning of up and down, he will not be able to draw a letter B using spatial orientation on a page, and could struggle at school,” says Senior.
Child development psychologist and researcher Carol Affleck adds that children also struggle with balance, and this affects their ability to write.
“Children with low muscle tone do not develop proper neck and shoulder control and, consequently, when they get to school, they expend so much energy and effort on sitting up straight at their desks that they have little energy over for their academic tasks. They may tire quickly and struggle to complete their work on time,” says Affleck .
“The youth of today have become fragmented in the sense that their attention is drawn by myriad demands on their sensory systems. One of the fundamental reasons for this is the infused television culture, and more specifically the television remote control.
“The device enables children to change channels every few seconds and surf indiscriminately until something holds their attention. At 18 months they are able to insert a CD-ROM and attempt to use a mouse. In addition, they demand fast-paced action on television programmes.”
This finding has been echoed in the US, where neuroscientists have attributed children’s brief attention spans to “overexposure to recurring cuts, edits, zooms, pans and sudden noises the media provide where viewers are left craving more and constant stimulation”.
In addition, Affleck says a similar interference in the development of attention spans emanates from the reset button on video games.
“If a child does not like the outcome of a game, he simply erases it and starts over. There is no need to attempt to rectify or improve the situation and consequently no time for reflection and learning as would be provided by a hobby such as building a model aeroplane or a puzzle.”
She warns that reading is also on the decline with the younger generation and encourages parents to become tech-literate and use technology for positive purposes.
She says technology is beneficial for all ages but needs to be constantly supervised.
“Parents should talk openly and honestly about potential undesirable scenarios. As adults we may not feel altogether comfortable with the youth’s total reliance on technology for all forms of information and entertainment, but the reality remains that we have to use the tools with which they are familiar and relate to on a daily basis.”
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