Who’s going to Jump in the Leaf Pile?
Why parents should limit their child’s time on tech devices
Imagine you are in this situation. You are an older sibling. Every summer you and your younger brother go outside, make a waterslide out of your small playscape slide and go flying down it. Every fall, you go outside and jump in the enormous pile of leaves that the lawn service dumps on the side of the street. Every winter, you go sledding and make tunnels in the giant snow pile that the snowplow creates at the end of the cul-de-sac. Every spring you explore the woods in your backyard, jumping over the streams and sometimes falling in. Then, as each year passes, you ask your brother to do these same activities and each time he becomes less and less likely to say yes, until he finally stops altogether. Instead, he spends all of his time on the computer. You watch as he became less and less social, less and less talkative, and less and less likely to spend time with you, until it comes to the point where you barely see him around the house. This is the situation I have been in. I have lost the social and adventurous version of my brother to technology. If I, or my parents, had known that this is what technology would do to my brother, we would have limited it before we began to notice the consequences.
It is important that children, especially with the prominence of technology today, are encouraged to experience life and build social skills without constant access to devices such as televisions, phones, tablets, and computers, as well as any other device with a screen. “Small children are learning how to crawl, walk, run, climb, skip, jump, leap… and so much more. Sitting [in front of a screen] does not allow children the opportunity to explore and develop these valuable skills. In fact, it does just the opposite” (Van Ness). When a child is given technology as a toy, “the relationship and interaction with friends and family members that builds social skills and awareness is gone” (Van Ness). In turn, the child does not learn to identify or manage their emotions (Van Ness). “Research has found that an eighth grader’s risk for depression jumps 27% when he or she frequently uses social media [and] kids who use their phones for at least three hours a day are much more likely to be suicidal” (Van Ness). Despite this, “the addictive nature of technology keeps them glued to the screen,” causing them to favor interacting with tech devices over interacting with others face-to-face (Van Ness).
In addition to the adverse effects on social skills, technology also negatively affects the brain. While I am not a scientist and there is much more research out there on this subject, I am going to detail the most common effects. Childrens’ brains are continuously growing and developing, and when technology is overused, their brains cannot develop properly, leading to a host of adverse effects such as decreased attention span, underdeveloped language abilities, lack of critical thinking and creativity skills, and decreased motivation for learning (Lathbury).
Countless times, I have witnessed parents use technology as a distraction, throwing a screen in front of their upset child instead of using human interaction to calm them down. This tactic works almost immediately, but teaches the child to rely too heavily on tech devices. Because “distraction is the norm,” children are taught that technology is a way to disconnect from others (Van Ness). This lesson is carried on throughout life. We, as technology consumers, more often than not, look to our phones as a means of distraction. “We’ve got into the habit of living in our own world and staring at the device screen even when surrounded by people” (“Top 5 Negative Effects of Technology You Even Don’t Expect”).
I am not saying technology is bad or that kids should not have it at all. It is clearly a critical learning tool, a way to stay connected, and an important part of life. What I am saying is that technology should not take precedence over face-to-face human interaction and experiences. “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discourages screen time all together before children turn the age of two years old,” which is an important guideline to follow (Van Ness). The American Heart Association suggests that screen time for children between the ages of 2 and 5 should be limited to one hour per day, and limited to a maximum of 2 hours per day for children above 5 years old (Welch).
Think of your favorite childhood memory and ask yourself, “would I give this up for a day filled with technology?” Children only have one childhood, so it should not be wasted staring at a screen. When your child or sibling is grown up, they will not remember the time they sat in front of a screen all day. They will remember the days spent with others experiencing life. Help them make these memories. Nobody wants to see their child or sibling change for the worse due to technology.
Works Cited
Lathbury, Pam. “Is Viewing the Same as Doing? What Parents Need to Know about How Screen Time Is Affecting the Growing Brains of Their Children.” The Center for Parenting Education, 2020, centerforparentingeducation.org/ library-of-articles/kids-and-technology/is-viewing-the-same-as-doing-what-parents-need-to-know-about-how-screen-time-is-affecting-the-growing-brains-of-their-children/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.
“Top 5 Negative Effects of Technology You Even Don’t Expect.” Kidslox, 8 May 2018, kidslox.com/blog/top-5-negative-effects-of-technology-you-even-dont-suspect/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.
Van Ness, Victoria. “The Positive and Negative Effects of Technology on Kids.” We Have Kids, HubPages, 10 Aug. 2018, wehavekids.com/parenting/The-Positive-and-Negative-Effects-of-Technology-on-Kids. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.
Welch, Ashley. “Health experts say parents need to drastically cut kids’ screentime.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 6 Aug. 2018, www.cbsnews.com/news/parents-need-to-drastically-cut-kids-screen-time-devices-american-heart-association/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.
