Parenting children of today’s generation comes with a unique set of challenges due to the many recent advancements in technology. It’s important for parents to be mindful of how their children use technology and the potential effects—both positive and negative.
Negative
Impacts
Technology can negatively affect children’s developing
social skills, and relationships.
• Social skills: With the
increased use of technology, children might not be developing their social
skills. This can lead to more children being socially awkward, withdrawn, shy,
or intimidated by social situations. They might not know how to engage with
other children or adults. Developing social skills takes practice, and if
technology is often in the way, there are fewer opportunities for kids to
develop these skills.
• Relationships: Children might get
used to being alone and lose the desire to engage with their parents or even
friends, outside of the internet. Often the virtual reality of their devices is
more appealing and entertaining than the physical reality.
Positive
Impacts
There are also many
ways in which technology can positively impact our lives and those of our
children—it all depends on how the technology is being used.
• Organization: Technology
can be beneficial to organization and planning. For example, families can keep
an online calendar to make it easier to stay updated on each other’s schedules.
Group text messaging is also convenient for streamlining communication and
keeping everyone in the loop.
• Research and critical thinking:
The internet provide access to a great deal of information and resources to
help children learn about different topics. This is helpful for school projects
or for researching areas of interest.
