2. The children today have become slaves of technology. Their dependence on the
latest electronic gadgets have hampered the growth of their personality. Write an
article for the school magazine voicing your concern.
Answers
Answer:
From the time they can grasp an object in their hands, children reach for electronic gadgets of all kinds, particularly our cell phones and computers. When you start noticing more child-size fingerprints on your iPad than your own, it may be time to consider introducing your child to a handheld wireless device.
A smartphone is a high-tech cell phone that runs its own operating system, allowing the user to talk, email, surf and take high-resolution photos and videos. A tablet computer does everything your laptop does but in a small, portable flat form with a touch screen. The littlest prolific mobile phone user these days is as young as seven. In fact, children that age aren’t just making calls, they’re also playing games, listening to music and even watching videos.
A recent survey conducted by a cartoon channel in India revealed that 95% kids live in homes with a mobile phone while 73% of Indian kids are mobile phone users. Interestingly, of these, 70% fall under the age group of seven to 10 years while 76% are in the age group of 11 to 14 years.
A report looked at the age that kids get a smartphone. Slightly less than half (45%) of mobile kids got a service plan at 10-12 years old. The most predominant age when kids got a service plan was age 10 (22%), followed by 8 years old (16%) and ages 9 and 11 were tied at 15%. The mobile child also skews more male (56%) than female (44%), with at least one in five being Hispanic. Among 10-12-year-olds, the highest percentage of age represented was age 10 at 34%. The vast majority (93%) are on the same plan as their parents, and 72% have all mobile wireless services including voice, messaging and data.
Among parents likely to get their kids wireless service before they turn 13, being able to get hold of their child easily and that their child can reach out to them easily (90%) were their top primary reasons for getting their child wireless service. Eighty-percent said so they could track their child’s location, and 66% said that their child has been asking for wireless service for a while.
This widespread use of technology trickles down to the youngest members of our society. In a recent publication, it was noted that 56 percent of children between the ages of 10 to 13 own a smartphone. While that fact alone may come as a shock, it is estimated that 25 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 5 have a smartphone.
It should come as no surprise that smartphones and tablets have now replaced basketballs and baby dolls on a child’s wish list. Elementary school-aged children start asking, or let’s say begging, for these forms of technology before they can even tie their shoes. This raises the question of how mobile technology, typically found in smartphones, affects childhood brain development. This topic has been creating a lot of debate among parents, educators, and researchers. Unfortunately, smartphones are relatively new and a lot of the gathered evidence is unclear or inconsistent. That means that is important for parents to consider the potential effects smartphones can have on childhood psychology and development.
Tablets and smartphones are great gadgets for making kids busy and quiet, especially for harassed parents who has more urgent things to do than attending to their kids. They can also be a great bribery tool. Parents use it to make kids behave, sit quietly in a car ride, get into a stroller, or even go into the potty. But there are some parenting experts who say that using screen time as bribery or enticements may have trade-offs.