Does technology need a timeout?

Does Technology Need a
Timeout?
Flickr Creative Commons by Brendan C
by Abbey Bird

For today's young children,
using technology comes as
second nature...
Which is why
they are known
as the "Touch
Screen
Generation."
Flickr Creative Commons by Intel Free Press
(6)

"In a viral YouTube video from
October 2011 a one-year-old girl
sweeps her fingers across an
iPad's touchscreen, shuffling
groups of icons. In the following
scenes she appears to pinch,
swipe and prod the pages of
paper magazines as though they
too were screens." (Jabr)
Flickr Creative Commons by Donnie Ray Jones

75% of children under 8 years old have
access to a smart phone or tablet.
Flickr Creative Commons by US Department of Agriculture
(3)

...Many researchers are saying NO.
But is this a good thing?
Flickr Creative Commons by Kuldeep Singh

Stimulation to a developing brain caused by overexposure
to technologies has been shown to be associated with:
1. Executive
Functioning Deficits
2. Attention Deficits
3. Cognitive Delay
4. Impaired Learning
5. Increased
Impulsivity
6. Decreased Ability to
Self-Regulate
Flickr Creative Commons by Neil Conway
(4)

Digital Dementia:
"High speed media
content can contribute
to attention deficit, as
well as decreased
concentration and
memory, due to the
brain pruning neuronal
tracks to the frontal
cortex."
Children who can't pay
attention, can't learn...
Flickr Creative Commons by Nestle
(Christakis 2004, Small 2008
as cited in Rowan, 2015)

Past...
Children used to spend a great deal of time reading,
practicing focused attention...
Flickr Creative Commons by ThomasLife
(8)

Present...
The advent of TV, followed by Internet has left little
need for sustained attention or imagination.
Flickr Creative Commons by Lars Plougmann
(8)

“...because distraction
is the norm, consistent
attention is impossible,
imagination is
unnecessary, and
memory is inhibited.”
Flickr Creative Commons by Arne Kuilman
(Taylor)

As digital natives, today's children are platform
agnostic...they don't care how they consume information,
they just want to consume it.
Flickr Creative Commons by Toca Boca
(5)

Recent research
claims that not all
mediums of
information are equal
when it comes to the
developing brain of a
child.
Flickr Creative Commons by nickzeff

Ebooks do not allow
for as much
interaction between
parent and child as
paper books do.
Flickr Creative Commons by Felix J
(7)

Encouraging a love for reading is crucial, as it can
increase literacy test scores up to 35 points.
Flickr Creative Commons by Megan Hemphill
(7)

Children whose parents read to them consistently are more literacy
proficient at age 15...
Flickr Creative Commons by Donnie Ray Jones
(7)

...and are more likely to attend college by age
21.
Flickr Creative Commons by Julie Pettit
(7)

Some parents have relatively low digital literacy and struggle to
help their children navigate the digital world, while others rely on
technology too heavily in their parenting
Flickr Creative Commons by Matthew

“Cross sectional
analysis showed
significant
association
between
increased social
emotional
difficulties in
toddlers and the
tendency of
parents to use
mobile technology
to calm their
children or keep
them quiet.”
Flickr Creative Commons by Ellie Nakazawa
(Radesky et al., 2016)

Even with the many
negative side
effects, banning
technology in
children altogether is
not realistic...
Flickr Creative Commons by Amanda Tipton

Adults need to enforce a balance that allows
children to increase their digital literacy,
without impeding on their development.
(4)

Time for technology to take a back seat; these little
brains have growing to do!
Flickr Creative Common Andrew Seaman

References
1. Jabr, F. (2013). The reading brain in the digital age: The science of paper versus screen. Retrieved
fromhttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/
2. Kamenetz, A. (2013). Study: 75% of children under age 8 use mobile devices. Retrieved
from https://www.fastcompany.com/3020755/fast-feed/study-75-of-kids-under-age-8-use-mobile-devices
3. Radesky, J. S., Peacock-Chambers, E., & Zuckerman, B. (2016). Use of mobile technology to calm upset children.
JAMA Pediatrics, 170(4), 397-399. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.4260
4. Rowan, C. (2015). 10 reasons why handheld devices should be banned for children under the age of 12. Retrieved
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/10-reasons-why-handheld-devices-should-be-banned_b_4899218.html
5. Matrix, S. Media Convergence [PDF document]. Retrieved
from https://onq.queensu.ca/d2l/le/content/71613/viewContent/849732/View
6. Matrix, S. Media Use Research [PDF document]. Retrieved
7. Matrix, S. Print Media: Books [PDF document]. Retrieved
8. Taylor, J. (2012). How technology is changing the way children think and focus. Retrieved
from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201212/how-technology-is-changing-the-way-children-
think-and-focus

Does technology need a timeout?

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Does technology need a timeout?