The bell rings and within half a minute, every seat is empty. Little Anne Marie rushes home after school to grab a snack and then retreat to the backyard with her sister for hours to play badminton. The outgoing redhead next door joins in when she gets home from middle school. But now the game is two against one, so Anne Marie’s dad drops his briefcase after work to level the playing field. After everyone’s energy is spent and the sun begins to fade, the little girls go home to complete the night’s homework assignments.

          When I was young I procrastinated as much as any other little child, but I still had time to be active and social, and my parents would always sit me down eventually and get me through my homework. This was possible because technology was not so advanced and overwhelming as to present a distraction. Contrary to the children of the early 2000s, today’s primary-school children are engulfed by numerous computers of all sizes and purposes. Smart phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, iPods, infinite television—one might think technology has taken control of the world. Which is not a favorable setting for the development of young minds.

          With the combination of increased and more advanced electronics, children are becoming less social, less active, and less driven to spend time on academics. Studies performed by the Kaiser Family Foundation reveal that on average, children spend “75 hours [on] media every week. And that doesn't even include the hour and a half spent text messaging each day, and the half hour kids talk on the cell phone.” The studies also report that the heaviest media-users consistently got below C’s on their report cards, and many children are sleep-deprived because of the procrastination. Since many parents do not set strict limits on television or computer time, these wondrously helpful devices can serve as major distractions and even health risks.

          Though it’s difficult to believe, members of my age group are now in a position to recount differences in their childhoods from today’s with a granny-like “When I was a kid…” It is true that the effects of technology on teenagers could be almost as detrimental, but they are already matured and mentally developed enough to handle the distractions responsibly. …Right?

Bibliography:

“Study Shows Kids Tethered to Technology.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 20 Jan. 2010. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.