By Katy Garay (J-101 Staff Writer)
As an educator for young children, I’ve worked with hundreds of children for 10 years.
I have seen how much positive and negative impact technology has made on children today.
People often forget that children are the future and will one day be the leaders of society.
News is always there to tell people about another mass shooting.
They become more and more frequent to the point that they are less shocking.
What is lacking in young people these days and how can we raise our own children to assure that they don’t become this?
I’ve seen children throughout the years and it seems like every year children are changing more and more.
It’s normal to have different generations of children, but I see that there’s a pattern that is becoming more evident.
That is that children are stressed out due to technology.
Technology is having a negative impact on the development of social skills and emotional coping.
Parents are less interactive with their children and are not spending enough time with their children.
I’ve seen young children showing signs of anxiety, like biting their nails chewing on their own clothes, aggressive temperament and being unable to sit for no more than two minutes.
Their attention span is shorter than the previous generation’s.
This is due to parents giving their children iPads and phones for long periods of time.
Yes, children have become smarter and have developed advanced language skills.
But what is the use if they are not able to socialize or develop emotionally?
Before anything, children must develop socially and emotionally and this is no longer a priority for parents.
I want to encourage parents to spend time with their children, not just time, but quality time.
Kids today feel uneasy when touching glue and mud because children are not exposed to the outdoors.
A parent told me that her son’s punishment was to go outside and play.
I was so shocked to hear this. Limited time on the tablet is best and it has to be closely monitored.
Children depend on us, and parents are their first teachers.
They should pay close attention to their growth and behavior.
It is fearful to think that the future generation will develop negative patterns in their brains.
It is possible they may become aggressive and depressed as adults.
This is a subject that should be discussed and we should not forget about our children.