On average,
children spend approximately 7 hours and 38 minutes on a screen daily, either
on a computer, a TV, a video game or a cell phone. The average weekly value
given is 50 hours, meaning a child is wasting 2,400 hours on a screen per year.
But is this time really wasted time? The ongoing debate argues that screens are
ruining Children, causing obesity from lack of physical activity, the loss of social
skills, the loss of imagination and the dimishing of empathy for others.
However, even with these disadvantages, technology allows children to have
instant access to information about the world, to learn motor skills and to enhance
their intelligence.
One common conception
is that obesity stems from using an electronic device for an extended period of
time when they should be doing physical activity. Physical activity is absolutely necessary for
children and technology is distracting them from it. However, a child can still
use these devices and exercise enough to find a balance between the two. Further studies show that technology is
ruining the emotions of children. “Studies over the
past decade have concluded that a large number of adolescents and teens today
are having difficulty identifying emotions in people, thus creating an
inability to feel empathy toward others who may be feeling pain, sorrow, anger
and other emotions.” This idea illustrates that the exposure of violence on TV
shows and video games is having a negative effect on children. This is true but
it would be the same as if the child is brought up by violent parents so a
video game is not the only way a child can be exposed to violence. Also these video games and apps are taking
away from the child’s imagination. Imagination is a vital part of a child’s
life in order for them to learn to be creative. This statement is valid but
even though they may not have room for imagination, video games do motivate children
to think. It teaches them how to logically think by grasping different inputs by
developing motor skills and hand-eye coordination due to movements needed to
effectively navigate a play in a video game. This kind of thinking is extraordinary
for children to understand at a young age. Obesity, violence and lack of creativity
all contribute to the fact that technology is bad for children when technology
is abused but if used at the appropriate time and for the right amount of time,
technology can be highly influential in the advancement of a child’s
intelligence.
Works Cited:
Ava,
ReplyDeletethis is a very engaging essay (and topic itself). I wrote about something similar for one of our other online journal assignments, so I was happily surprised at how much information you supplied that I didn't know about. As a reader, I was also happy to see your sources cited. It made me trust your writing more because with it, I know I can believe your strong points. There are a few spelling and grammar mistakes (such as “dimishing” and some verb tense confusion), but they are minor and I believe upon a single revision you would catch them. What I think is strongest in your essay is the confidence and consistency with which you deliver your thesis. The thesis itself (technology contributes to the risk of declining health in children but this bad health is also brought on by many other things), being different from what many other essays state, is refreshing. It almost reads like a debate in which you are answering an opponent’s rebuttals. You obviously thought about your point before you began writing; this may be the reason I don’t notice any ranting or empty sentences. Overall, with just a few minute weaknesses, your post was enjoyable and informative. Well done!
Ava, I agree with Anne Marie. This response is a great example of acknowledging complexity. You identify the argument against "screen" time and then provide evidence to support your thesis. I appreciate the research that you include. This does make you more trustworthy as a writer.
ReplyDeleteI do have a few issues, though.
First, I am unsure exactly what your argument is. I think you muddle your argument by trying to include too many types of different technological interfaces. In your first sentence you identify "a computer, a TV, a video game or a cell phone" as examples of kids' interaction with technology. Each one of these is different, and therefore you cannot draw any conclusions about technology in general based on evidence about one of them. For example, I understand the research that suggests that kids can develop motor skills by playing video games. However, this does not mean that all technology enhances motor skills. You don't really take this into account. This is just one example. I think you would have been better off just writing about one type of technology. The best arguments say more about less. In this post, you end up saying less about more.
As Anne Marie pointed out, there are some writing issues. The one that distracted me was your use of pronouns. There are numerous times you confuse singular and plural pronouns and antecedents.