Research: Technology and Children

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201212/how-technology-is-changing-the-way-children-think-and-focus

• Technology influences the way we think, and therefore it affects children even more as their brains are still malleable and mouldable.
• Thinking affects who people are and what they do be that from observing, learning, remembering, questioning, and judging to innovating, arguing, deciding and acting
• Technology can be both beneficial and harmful.
• Technology wires the brain in a different way.
• Reading encourages brains to be focused and imaginative, whereas technology encourages reading information rapidly and efficiently.
• Reading also offers few distractions and requires an intense attention, imagination and memory.
• Whereas television gives children visual stimuli, fragmented attention and little need for imagination.
• Technology has a great influence on how children think, attention, information overload, decision making and memory/learning.
• Animals’ attentional abilities have developed based on the environment in which they live.
• A child’s environment determines how much and what kind of attention they have and develop.
• With the internet, distraction is the norm, and constant attention is almost impossible, imagination is unnecessary and memory is inhibited.
• Book reading is like scuba diving, whereas the internet is like jet skiing.
• Reading books results in faster completion, understanding, recall and learning, it also developed reflection, critical thinking, problem solving, and vocabulary.
• However technology can improve visual-spatial capabilities, increase attentional ability, reaction times and identifying thing.
• Technology may just be making children different.
• Knowing where to look is becoming more important to children than actually knowing something.

https://www.livescience.com/15535-children-creative.html

Are Today's Youth Less Creative & Imaginative?

By Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer | August 12, 2011 11:30am ET

• In a 2010 study of about 300,000 creativity tests going back to the 1970s, Kyung Hee Kim, a creativity researcher at the College of William and Mary, found creativity has decreased among American children in recent years. Since 1990, children have become less able to produce unique and unusual ideas. They are also less humorous, less imaginative and less able to elaborate on ideas.
• - Experts say creativity is innate, so it can't really be lost. But it needs to be nurtured.
• - The current focus on testing in schools, and the idea that there is only one right answer to a question, may be hampering development of creativity among kids.
• - Changes can be made in the classroom to cultivate creativity.
• - Testing in schools VS Torrence Tests.
• - Technology doesn’t involve communicating or socialising with other people.
• - Creativity declines in adulthood as we become more aware of the notions of right and wrong answers.
• - If creative personalities don't adjust to the school system, they can become underachievers and drop out of school.
• Kids also nurture their creativity abilities when they "pretend,
• Insight, fantasy and emotional expression all go into this type of story-making,
• 
  
• Russ looked back at studies she has conducted on pretend play since 1985. In all, the studies involved close to 900 children ages 6 to 9, who  were asked to make up a story using two puppets. Stories were rated based on how many ideas the kids came up with, the novelty of the ideas, and the emotions expressed within the tales.   
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• Russ found that, over time, imagination in the stories increased, with the stories in 1985 showing significantly less imagination than stories (created by different groups of kids) in 2008.

The Wild Network

• There is a a growing understanding that our children need more of it in their lives and that if we design family life, our communities and our schools so that we provide more of it then we can all thrive.

It is this re-design of our life and communities that will lead to the rewilding of childhood.

Over the last few years there has been a building momentum around this idea and we have seen:

• A significant increase in evidence of the physical and emotional benefits of Wild Time.
• Evidence that most (over 90%) of parents understand the value^ and want more of it.
• Policy makers in the UK suggesting they could deliver more*.
• A wealth of grassroots provision in multiple sectors and places.
• Despite all of this - there is little evidence that we are seeing levels of Wild Time increasing on a big-picture level.
• In order to change this dynamic we need to focus attention on ways to overcome the profound barriers that we have found to be working to prevent all from getting and providing enough Wild Time. They are FEAR, TIME, SPACE and Tech.

• The Wild Network is a new, wilder way of organising and a different way of taking action, collectively.
• We have created a new form of network, a broad and diverse collection of 30,000 mums, dads, guardians, community workers, activists, policy-makers, doctors, care givers, creatives, play-workers & educators and 2,000 organisations from corporates, to NGOs to hundreds of grassroots interventions with interests across nature, education, health and play.
• We bring together our community together through a range of programmes specifically designed to overcome the barriers to Wild Time.

• Together we could co-create a large-scale innovation into one of the barriers through a Wild Labs programme. We can create new forms of community engagement to help understand the issues we are trying to solve in new ways. Or we can surface and tell the amazing stories of wildness that already exist in our network.
• The Barriers - Tech
• Screen time is here to stay, it presents numerous opportnities but also many challenges to us as parents and educators, not least the speed that new technology emerges. How do we
• The ubiquity and pervasiveness of screens across every aspect of our lives has happened with astonishing speed with limited disconnect anymore between on and offline. This is voted as the number one barrier to kids playing out across the whole network from parents to organisations.
• How can we make sure we’re aware of our screen time and we find balance by making time for WildTime, offline, outside, liking other stuff like plants, trees, the sun, the rain and all the cool creatures?
• How do we help them navigate all this technology?

http://www.edudemic.com/the-4-negative-side-effects-of-technology/

• The Four Negative Sides of Technology

• But there can be a negative side resulting from inappropriate or overuse of technology, and that negative side can have serious and long-term consequences. To make the best out of tools of technology, teachers and parents must also recognize their downsides and how to avoid them.
• Negative #1: Technology Changes the Way Children Think
• Using technology can change a child’s brain.
• That number only increases as children age, with 95% of teens 12-17 spending time online. The time spent with technology doesn’t just give kids newfangled ways of doing things, it changes the way their brains work.
• Children who always use search engines may become very good at finding information—but not very good at remembering it. In addition, the article said, children who use too much technology may not have enough opportunities to use their imagination or to read and think deeply about the material.

• Negative #2: Technology Changes the Way Children Feel
• Using technology can affect a child’s ability to empathize. A study on two groups of sixth graders found that kids who had no access to electronic devices for five days were better at picking up on emotions and nonverbal cues of photos of faces than the group that used their devices during that time. The increased face-to-face interaction that the test group had made students more sensitive to nuances in expression.
• Overuse of technology can also affect a child’s own mood.  A report from the United Kingdom revealed that kids who use computer games and their home Internet for more than four hours do not have the same sense of wellbeing as those who used that technology for less than an hour.  One expert explained that with less physical contact, children might have difficulty developing social skills and emotional reactions.
• Negative #3: Technology Can Put Privacy and Safety at Risk
• Improper use of technology can expose a child to numerous risks. Children who use technology may unwittingly share information that can put them in danger.  In 82% of online sex crimes against children, the sex offenders used social networking sites to get information about the victim’s preferences. And the anonymity of technology can also make it easier for people to bully others online. A quarter of teenagers say they have been bullied either by text or on the Internet. Sexting is another high-risk behavior of concern, with 24% of teenagers aged 14 -17 have participated in some sort of nude sexting.

• Negative #4: More Use of Technology with Less Physical Activity Leads to Obesity

Childhood obesity is on the rise, and technology may be to blame.  Pediatricians also say that severe obesity is increasing among young people.

• With technology that includes cars, television, computers and mobile devices, the amount of time we spend sedentary increased and our time in physical activity dropped.

• Monitor the use of technology.

• Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or both, make sure you know how your kids are using technology.  Many classroom computers have restrictions on which sites can be used. If yours doesn’t, consider adding them or checking the search history to know what your students are doing. For parents, some mobile phone plans offer family-friendly options that let parents restrict calls or texts during parent-established times.

• Teach responsible usage.

• We don’t suggest ignoring what technology can offer. Instead, talk with students about establishing their Internet footprint, and the long-range consequences of putting inappropriate information into cyberspace.  Encourage students to discuss tricky situations they may encounter online and help them work to a positive resolution.

• Be familiar with technology.

• Keep up with what those young people are into. Vine, Snapchat, or whatever the current online trend is, stay current so you can recognize and head off any problems early on.

• Use classroom technology intentionally.

• It’s easy to allow technology (i.e. videos, movies) to take precedence in a lesson. Be sure to use these tools to augment—not substitute for—your teaching.

• Offer alternatives to technology.

• Give students an assignment that requires reading a hard copy of a material. Task them with interviewing each other—in person—instead of texting questions. Conduct class outside where you can sit and discuss a topic without the usual distractions.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1602688.pdf

• As use of the technology became more prevalent, research shifted to issues related to content and its effects on children. Current research on children's use of computers is again following this pattern. But the increased level of interactivity now possible with computer games and with the communication features of the Internet has heightened both the promise of greatly enriched learning and the concerns related to increased risk of harm. As a result, research on the effects of exposure to various types of content has taken on a new sense of urgency.

• In general, proponents of media innovation argue that the new technology benefits children by opening up new worlds to them, while opponents argue that new media might be used to substitute for real life in learning ethical principles, undermining children's morality and causing them to engage in illicit sexual and criminal behavior.

• Research has shown that media-along with family, peers, and school--can be a major agent of socialization and learning during this time, but that it is through a convergence of a child's developmental level and preferences.

Chapter Title: Moving Beyond Screen Time Redefining Developmentally Appropriate Technology Use in Early Childhood Education Chapter Author(s): Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani, Erin-Elizabeth Johnson and Cameron Wright Book Title: Moving Beyond Screen Time Book Subtitle: Redefining Developmentally Appropriate Technology Use in Early Childhood Education Book Author(s): Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani, Erin-Elizabeth Johnson and Cameron Wright Published by: RAND Corporation. (2014) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7249/j.ctt14bs43q.1

• Conversations about what constitutes “developmentally appropriate” use of technology in early childhood education (ECE) have, to date, focused largely on a single, blunt measure—screen time—that fails to capture important nuances, such as what type of media a child is accessing and whether technology use is taking place solo or with peers.

• Using screen time as the primary measure of developmentally appropriate use has become increasingly inappropriate, as new technologies are ever more rapidly introduced and integrated into all aspects of life. In this policy brief, we challenge the traditional emphasis on screen time and discuss how to move toward a more comprehensive definition of developmentally appropriate technology use for young children.
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• Among children ages 3–5, technology use is not without potential pitfalls. Some physicians, policymakers, educators, and parents are concerned that technology use in ECE may have a negative effect on the development of social and gross motor skills, contribute to obesity, and diminish skill development in areas beyond digital literacy. So, as we seek to realize the potential benefits of technology use in ECE, we must also ensure that we address potential harms.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/15/children-technology-impact-addiction_n_5821492.html

• In 2014 it's not unusual to see a child with a mobile phone or tablet, but it may be time for kids in the UK to go on a digital detox.
• 
  
• A recent study has revealed that children are losing touch with vital life skills due to digital device overuse.
• 
  
• More than half of children aged between two and ten feel more confident using a tablet than learning to swim, telling the time and tying their shoe laces.
• 
  
• According to the new research which surveyed 2,000 UK parents of children aged 2-16 years, the average UK child is more likely to confidently use a mobile phone before being able to read or ride a bike.
• 
  
• In an age where tablets, smartphones and laptops are an integral part of our daily lives and aid our children’s ongoing learning and development, the research reveals that our tech-savvy children are actually growing up lacking key life skills.
• 
  
• With the average child spending almost eight hours a day on technology, our children’s digital diets are further fuelling the debate in the rise of childhood obesity.
• 
  
• Worryingly, the majority of parents identified ‘online gaming’ as the main function of their child’s digital habits with the even more shocking confession that over half of the parents surveyed never actually monitor their child’s online activity.
• 
  
• When comparing children’s digital overuse across regions in the UK, children in London were found to spend on average over 10 hours a day on digital devices - the highest in the country.
• 
  
• During the study, carried out on behalf of optical specialists Lenstore, it was found that one in three children aged two to four own a tablet and spend on average more than five hours using digital devices per day.
• 
  
• Dr Rob Hogan, a registered optometrist and council member of the general optical council (GOC) explains that “at the age of two, although a child’s eyesight is in fact developed enough to use the devices, sessions must be short and supervised to avoid long term damage.”He also states the importance of “limiting access just before bedtime, as research has found that the ‘blue-ish’ light emitted from these devices may disrupt normal sleep patterns and can be damaging to eyesight, potentially causing vision to deteriorate over time.”

Key facts:

• More children can manoeuvre around a tablet (59%) than swim (53%), tie their shoe laces or tell the time (50%)

• 30% of 2-4 year olds own a tablet

• 66% of parents are concerned about overuse of digital devices

• The majority of parents believed that 11 years old was the most appropriate age for their child to be on social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter even though 13 is the official age limit

• The majority of parents believe their children are addicted to digital devices 68% said 1-2 hours is acceptable, however stated that their children spend more time than that on digital devices every day

• The majority of parents said that television programmes were the worst for encouraging their children to overuse digital devices

• Tablets are the most used digital device by children 65% of parents agreed with the statement “digital devices keep my child occupied while I do work/jobs around the house”

• 55% of parents agreed that children using digital devices allows them peace and quiet

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/bill-gates-and-steve-jobs-raised-their-kids-tech-free-and-it-shouldve-been-a-red-flag-a8017136.html

• Psychologists are quickly learning how dangerous smartphones can be for teenage brains.
• Research has found that an eighth-grader's risk for depression jumps 27% when he or she frequently uses social media.

• Kids who use their phones for at least three hours a day are much more likely to be suicidal. And recent research has found the teen suicide rate in the US now eclipses the homicide rate, with smartphones as the driving force.

• But the writing about smartphone risk may have been on the wall for roughly a decade, according to educators Joe Clement and Matt Miles, coauthors of the recent book "Screen Schooled: Two Veteran Teachers Expose How Technology Overuse is Making Our Kids Dumber."
• Today, the average age for a child getting their first phone is 10.

• In "Screen Schooled," Clement and Miles make the case that wealthy Silicon Valley parents seem to grasp the addictive powers of smartphones, tablets, and computers more than the general public does — despite the fact that these parents often make a living by creating and investing in that technology.

• "It's interesting to think that in a modern public school, where kids are being required to use electronic devices like iPads," the authors wrote, "Steve Jobs's kids would be some of the only kids opted out."

 

• That's at the average school at least, according to the coauthors. A number of specialty Silicon Valley schools, such as the Waldorf School, are noticeably low-tech. They use chalkboards and No. 2 pencils. Instead of learning how to code, kids are taught the soft skills of cooperation and respect. At Brightworks School, kids learn creativity by building things and attending classes in treehouses.

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mind-change/201510/five-reasons-ipads-should-not-be-in-classrooms

• There is growing backlash against iPads in the classroom, as there remains no evidence that they help learning, and some experts even argue they could have a negative effect.
• 
  
• iPads arrived with a bang in 2010, and before long, were being heralded across the world as a game-changer for education.
• 
  
• Schools from Kindergartens to colleges became voracious consumers of these beautifully designed and ingenious devices: some chose to roll out 1:1 programs (where all students are given an iPad) whereas others were implementing BYOD programs (Bring Your Own Device) in order to avoid the costly expense of purchasing and upgrading iPads for the school.

• 1. There is no evidence they improve learning

• 2. iPads only add to the financial problems of our education system

• 3. iPads are distracting

• 4. Onscreen reading is NOT comparable to traditional reading

• When we read a traditional book, we do so continuously, slowly, closely, linearly. We might annotate the page and flip back and forth between pages to absorb what is being read.

• In comparison, when we read a book onscreen, we can instantly search for certain passages or key pieces of information. Experts argue this means when we read on screen, we are reading “on the prowl”- skimming and scanning and clicking hyper links to get the gist of the information.
• Research has shown that the distracting nature of reading on an iPad makes it more awkward to read on and harder to following narrative and be transported into the story.

• 5. Children need less screen time, not more

• Advocates of iPads in classrooms as young as Kindergarten rightly argue that children need to be taught 21st century skills to prepare them for adult life.
• This is certainly true, yet every single study is showing that children are consuming far too much technology already- up to 18 hours per day for teenagers aged 13 - 18.6 This much screen time is displacing important face-to-face social interactions, physical activity, time spent outdoors, and time spent being forced to entertain oneself (i.e. boredom).
• Children enter the schooling system already heavily tech savvy- nearly all children by the age of 2 have used a tablet computer or smartphone.
• Neurologists are concerned that screens overtax our limited attentional resources and cause mental fatigue.
• What also prepares you for adult life is the ability to pay attention for long periods of time, possess self-control, and think in a deep and meaningful way about issues.
• Without iPads, classrooms remain a sanctuary for deep thought: what’s more, removing iPads from a classroom does not mean going completely tech-free at school.
• In the five short years since the iPad was invented, it has shaken up the education system- for better or worse. As journalist H.L. Mencken once quipped, ‘for every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.’ There is no simple game plan for such a multifaceted and diverse agenda as an education system, where one size can never fit all cultures, ages and abilities. Perhaps however, before a parent or teacher hands over an iPad to improve or accelerate learning, they should ask first what precisely the outcomes are that they wish to achieve.

http://screen.guide/advice/5-negative-impacts-of-technology-in-children

:

• 1. Relationships and Social Skills Issues

• Kids are using mobile devices more and more, and they can become addicted to this, not spending enough time with their family and/or friends. They are more likely to be virtually connected with friends, sharing photos and texting online than actually meeting them in person.

• The new generation is growing up playing games online, accessing websites (sometimes harmful websites), chatting online on Facebook, sharing photos on Instagram and Snapchat and so on. It doesn’t mean that spending time online is a bad thing, but spending too much time online can really weaken the bond between the parents and the child, and also private the child to improve several social skills.

• Health Problems

• The overuse of mobile devices can be harmful to children’s health. The more they use mobile devices, the less physical activities they do. The problem is that playing games online is combined with snacking, substituting the balanced alimentation. As children spend more time in front of those screens, most of the time in the couch, less time they spend outside playing, running and burning off calories. Over time, those habits can lead to a significant weight gain.  

• The children can go online and search for anything. But with the right monitoring, they will

• Mobile Device Overuse Reduce Sleep Quality

• According to the article “Kids Are Being Kept Awake by Their Phones Even When They’re Not Using Them” over 72% of all children have at least one device in their bedroom.

• A lack of sleep can have serious consequences on our brain. During the sleep, the brain does some “housekeeping” tasks, clearing things that aren’t important and restoring the nerves networks to wake up again ready for a brand new day. But sleeping less means that we’re depriving our brain of its essential needs and we will struggle on our activities during the day.

• Children see, children do. Dr. Jenny Radesky, says that children “…learn by watching us how to have a conversation, how to read other people’s facial expressions. And if that’s not happening, children are missing out on important development milestones.”.

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11500084

• Children who spend longer than two hours a day in front of a computer or TV are more likely to suffer psychological difficulties than other youngsters, a UK study suggests.
  
  The study found that those children who spent more than two hours per day watching TV or using a computer were at an increased risk of psychological difficulties.
  
  The study says that those children who did fewer than 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day were at an increased risk of psychological difficulties if they spent more than two hours using a computer or watching TV.
  
  This is consistent with other studies that show an enhanced negative effect for those children with both high screen-viewing and low physical activity levels, the study reports.
  
• http://www.bristol.ac.uk/sps/research/researchprojectpages/pearproject/ourresearch/background/peach/

• Importance of physical activity
• Physical activity is important for children to help prevent weight gain, to support optimal bone growth and to avoid disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. There is also evidence that increased physical activity is associated with better psychological health in children, with gains in well being that are independent of social class and health status.
• In addition, being physically active and playing provides children with the opportunity for developing creative and social skills

• Playing out

• “Outdoor play makes a major contribution to children’s overall level of physical activity, including playing in the street”
• (Department of Health: A Physical Activity Action Plan, 2005).

• Eating behaviour

• Adolescence is a key period when young people start to make independent decisions about their lifestyle, with increased consumption of unhealthy foods and dropout from physical activities.  However further research into the determinants of the food and snack choices they make is still needed.  

• Cortisol

• The PEACH and PEAR projects are looking into whether how adolescents interact with the physical environment has an influence on their stress levels. For example the projects are investigating whether more time spent outdoors is related to having lower stress levels and whether this varies by different outdoor environments.

• https://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negative-impact_b_3343245.html

• Children’s developing sensory, motor, and attachment systems have biologically not evolved to accommodate this sedentary, yet frenzied and chaotic nature of today’s technology.
• The impact of rapidly advancing technology on the developing child has seen an increase of physical, psychological and behavior disorders that the health and education systems are just beginning to detect, much less understand.
• Child obesity and diabetes are now national epidemics in both Canada and the U.S., causally related to technology overuse.
• Diagnoses of ADHD, autism, coordination disorder, developmental delays, unintelligible speech, learning difficulties, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders are associated with technology overuse, and are increasing at an alarming rate.
• Four critical factors necessary to achieve healthy child development are movement, touch, human connection, and exposure to nature.
• Young children require 2-3 hours per day of active rough and tumble play to achieve adequate sensory stimulation to their vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile systems. Tactile stimulation received through touching, hugging and play is critical for the development of praxis, or planned movement patterns.
• Touch also activates the parasympathetic system lowering cortisol, adrenalin and anxiety. Nature and “green space” has not only a calming influence on children, but also is attention restorative and promotes learning.

• Further analysis of the impact of technology on the developing child indicates that while the vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile and attachment systems are under stimulated, the visual and auditory sensory systems are in “overload.”
• This sensory imbalance creates huge problems in overall neurological development, as the brain’s anatomy, chemistry and pathways become permanently altered and impaired.
• Young children who are exposed to violence through TV and video games are in a high state of adrenaline and stress, as the body does not know that what they are watching is not real. Children who overuse technology report persistent body sensations of overall “shaking”, increased breathing and heart rate, and a general state of “unease.”

• Rather than hugging, playing, rough housing, and conversing with children, parents are increasingly resorting to providing their children with more TV, video games, and the latest iPads and cell phone devices, creating a deep and irreversible chasm between parent and child.