The Impact of Kids Online
The Consequences of Kids spending too much time online are concerning… ‘Screen Culture’ is not only contributing to an unhealthy lifestyle, but it’s also affecting the development of our brains.
Although children may have a high IQ, their emotional intelligence is likely to suffer if they are spending too much time surfing the net and playing computer games as this compromises the development of certain parts of their brain.
Computers and mobile phones are a fantastic tool for communication, learning, doing business and so on, but when ‘screen culture’ dominates your life and the life of your children there is a price to pay. There’s a growing amount of research in this area and the findings are frightening. It’s becoming more evident that when we spend too much time on the net or on mobile phones our health, as well as our brain development, is compromised, particularly in children and young people.
Research by the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) shows children aged 8 to 17 are spending an average of one hour and 17 minutes a day online and 39% of parents are concerned about their child’s internet use. The ACMA report showed that 80% of girls and 65% of boys aged 14-17 have some form of web authorships, such as a profile on a social networking website, their own site or a blog.
So what are the consequences of too much computer time?
Firstly, it’s important to remember that the brain is very sensitive to the environment and adapts to it very easily, particularly a child’s brain since it is growing rapidly, so excessive exposure to online activity has an impact on the wiring of our brain.
According to Professor Susan Greenfield (Neuroscientist) the likely results are as follows:
1) Shortened Attention Span – the brain accustoms itself to a state of rapid interchange, which is what happens from playing computer games and surfing the net too much.
2) Lack of Social Skills – Children’s ability to empathize and socialize can be significantly compromised due to the brains adaptation to excessive use of computer games and online social sites. So rather than being immersed in a world of novels, books and real life events where we have access to other people’s thoughts and feelings creating opportunities for thought-provoking and creative thinking, we’re being immersed in a cyber world where computer games are action-packed and ‘unreal’ and social sites sanitise the way we interact.
Important face to face interactions therefore happen less frequently giving us less opportunities to look people in the eyes, witness and deal with their various reactions and reveal our true selves. These ‘Real Life’ interactions are necessary because they challenge us and teach us important social skills. However, hiding behind a screen to communicate is easy and doesn’t provide much opportunity for the development of resilience, empathy, confidence, appropriate social skills and ‘real life’ interaction with others.
3) An Unstable Identity - Young people’s identity and self-worth becomes strongly connected to the feedback they receive from their online profiles and they constantly look for and need reassurance that they exist from one minute to the next. The more online friends you have and the more positive feedback you get from them demonstrates your worthiness and value… this attitude leads to self-esteem issues… insecurity, an unstable sense of self and a heavy reliance on others to feel good.
4) Reckless Beahviour – The excessive use of computer games teaches you that actions don’t have consequences like in real life. It becomes all about the thrill of the moment… you can do whatever you like because it doesn’t really matter – everything is reversible. This is a bad lesson for young people because it reinforces that nothing is meaningful and there’s nothing to lose.
So what’s the answer?
Banning or restricting the internet is not the solution… it’s more likely to create a rebellious knee-jerk reaction than anything else. It’s much better to provide positive alternatives… so ask your child/children about the other things they enjoy doing and then provide an opportunity for them to do these. A gradual change that slowly replaces online activity with other activities is the best solution.
