Technology: Destroying Kids’ Childhoods

Shannon Folan, Special to The Big Red

Every morning when I get up, the first thing I grab is my phone. Every day when I finish my homework, the first thing I grab is my phone. Every day when I come home from school, the first thing I do is watch TV and grab my phone. When I finish my soccer practice, you guessed it, I grab my phone. The invention of technology was an unforgettable accomplishment for human society, but also the start of the worst addiction for people of all ages but mostly kids.

My parents always tell me stories about when they were a kid. When they were kids, they would be outside playing in the park with their friends or even just playing in the neighborhood or backyard. When you drove around, there were always kids playing outside.

Nowadays, the parks are empty, the neighborhoods are quiet, and backyards are unused.

Slides and swings just don’t get used as much as they used to anymore.”

Kids are too busy playing on their electronics, whether that’s an iPad, iPod, iPhone, computer, or just watching TV. There is always one type of technology that can keep a child entertained.

By kids always having their face in the phone, it causes them to be antisocial and not see the real world. Even when they go hang out at a friend’s house, they go on their electronics. If you see a group of kids, they might all be in the same room, but they’re on their phones.

What’s the point of hanging out with a group of people, if you will just be on your phone the whole time and not interacting? There is no point. The kids are better off being at their own house, texting each other because that’s what they are doing anyway.

There is an app about putting your phone away and acknowledging the people around you, it’s called respect.

Also, children are less creative.

They’ll never experience the satisfaction of folding a perfectly crisp origami frog or turning a cardboard box into a replica of a castle. Instead, they’ll be creating useless memes and PhotoShopping selfies in their free time.”

Even toddlers and babies use their parents phone to keep busy.

It’s insane and ridiculous that parents don’t want to deal with their kid, so they just give them their phone to keep them quiet. Parents are causing the change in their own child’s childhood by allowing and helping the child to believe that technology is the correct way to help boredom.

Not the park, not the backyard, or not a friends house up the street. A phone. An iPad. An Xbox. A TV. An iPod. A certain type of device.

Technology is creating a different childhood for all children in America and many other countries.

People need to reintroduce the outside or even different places and things to do to keep busy instead of your phone. Play a board game, play cards, and play with friends.

There’s a reason why Michelle Obama worked so hard to promote the ‘Let’s Move’ anti-obesity movement among America’s schools.”

“The answer is technology, ever since technology was made children’s weight has more than tripled since the 70s.”

In order to help children have a fun and enjoying childhood, a childhood that doesn’t acknowledge technology all day and all night, parents need to help their child see the outside world. Parents need to bring their child to places where they can have fun and bond with other children.

When I was younger, I went to a park or a camp, where I played outside all day. I played hopscotch, cards, I played with chalk, jump roping, and much more. I wasn’t on a type of device. I was getting fresh air, and wasn’t hurting my eyes and looking at a screen 24/7.