TECHNOLOGIES

INFLUENCE OVER
CHILDRENS EMOTIONS

INTRODUCTION..
Our society has seen many technological advances in the past decade
We may not realize it, but technology is subconsciously changing the way we, as humans,
interact.
An even scarier thought is this. If we arent careful technology could have a huge
negative impact on our young children.

WHERE DO EMOTIONS COME FROM?

As humans we have two systems inside of us at work, emotion and reason. Our body
needs a balance of both or mental illness can result as an imbalance of the two.

We developed basic emotions like fear and joy the same as some animals, but we further
developed reason as well which is what sets us higher up intellectually than other animals.

CONTINUED..
When born, we possess a number of primary emotions (happiness, sadness, anger and
fear).
The emotion of happiness is expressed during the first few weeks of life and seems to be
initially evoked by events that satisfy bodily needs such as feeding. The number of
emotions a baby can show/ feel increases as they grow.

For example between weeks 6-10 in the womb, a baby can begin to smile and show
pleasure.

THE TECHNOLOGY TAKE OVER..

We may not realize it but technology is changing the way we communicate, which in turn
changes the way we feel emotions
For example: Right now, couples in coffee shops will be playing with their smart phone,
versus if their phone wasnt there, they would be engaging more in conversation.
There will be a point where technology goes so far that humans will become
disconnected and live a virtual life.

CHILDRENS USE OF TECHNOLOGY..

Using a smartphone or iPad to pacify a toddler may impede their ability to learn selfregulation, according to researchers.
Researchers warn that using a tablet or smartphone to divert a childs attention could be
detrimental to their social-emotional development.
It has been questioned whether the use of smartphones and tablets could interfere with
the ability to develop empathy and problem-solving skills and elements of social
interaction that are typically learned during unstructured play and communication with
peers.

CONTINUED..
A 2010 Kaiser foundation study showed that elementary aged children use on average
7.5 hours per day of entertainment technology, and 75% of these children have tvs in
their bedrooms.
The impact of our rapid advances in technology on the developing child has seen an
increase in physical, psychological and behavior disorders that the health and education
systems are just now beginning to detect.

CONTINUED..
Overuse of technology at a young age can cause kids to disconnect from their peers
socially and cause them to become attached/ addicted to using it. They are two young
to understand when too much is too much.
Its just like putting a kid in a room full of candy and sweets, they are going to eat and
eat until they feel sick, because they dont know/ understand when too stop.
If you let kids have unlimited use of technology they will overuse it.

As parents it is your job to act early so you can protect your kids from
overuse of technology at a young age.
1.

LIMIT their technology use: No you dont have to be the strict parent who takes away
all of their technology permanently, Just limit their use of it. For example, only let them have
their tablet time or tech time in the evening after dinner for an hour or two.

2.

Introduce other forms of entertainment: teach them fun card games to play as a
family, or get them involved in hobbies such as drawing or doing crafts, and playing sports.
They dont even have to be on a team, just go out in the yard with them and kick a soccer
ball around.

Just make sure they understand there are other ways to have fun besides playing
virtual games.

SOURCES
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/04/kids-more-experienceddigitally_n_4724886.html
http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/category/health-conditions/oral-health/
http://www.feedandgrain.com/blog/technology-takeover
http://girlunstoppable.com/2011/08/photo-essay-the-colorful-markets-of-mexico-city/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negativeimpact_b_3343245.html