Technology Affects on Child Development (Blog #4)

 

• The culture and the environment in which we live have undergone a significant change throughout time. The so-called technology world has been introduced to the young people growing up today and since the 1990s. Due to this, instead of kids playing outside and engaging in physical activity, they now spend much of their free time using technology or using social media. We have observed the detrimental consequences of technology exposure on youngsters throughout studies. There has been evidence that younger children, notably those between the ages of 0 and 5, are more affected. To be more precise, using this phrase when discussing cyberpsychology enables people to better comprehend how technology affects identity, development, relationships, mental health, and behaviors.Even if there are some drawbacks to technology, it can be advantageous for young learners when used properly. Additionally, it can improve all kids' access to educational opportunities. This could also be utilized to improve interactions between parents, families, early childhood educators, and young children whose geographic circumstances could make it difficult for them to interact and communicate in person without the use of technology. However, when young children interact with adults and peers, technology is more beneficial for learning. It is frequently seen that some parents may have a tendency to give their kids technology, which replaces the reinforcement they give their kids with technology, practically acting as a distraction. More specifically, according to the international health agency, children ages 2 to 4 should spend no more than one hour a day in front of technology consistently. The development of young minds is at serious risk due to the increase in technology usage, according to scientists. Early infancy is thought to be a time of rapid development and a period when changes to family living patterns can improve health. Screen use has been linked in studies involving older children to behavioral and developmental problems. Screen usage may hinder toddlers' development of language and social skills, according to JAMA Pediatrics. When a child exhibits troublesome behaviors, parents frequently turn to technology to help. However, scientists stress the importance of teaching children how to control their emotions, and giving them a device prevents them from doing so and instead reinforces the behavior.         

            

• Due to their intimate connection and direct learning from the parent, children can be significantly impacted by an absent parent. It makes sense that grownups might develop addictions, and using technology is one of them. Distracted or indifferent parents are common terms used to describe this style of parenting. Research has also revealed that using mobile technology around the kids results in fewer parent-child interactions. In addition to the slides regarding missing presence, McDaniel 2019 informs readers of the link between depressing emotions like loneliness and phone use. This may also be a significant contributing factor in the high rate of parental digital addiction. "Human beings yearn to connect with one another, therefore at times turn to phone use and internet use, especially social media use, when they are feeling disconnected or lonely. (McDaniel,2019)”. Research has also revealed how women of young children, particularly first-time mothers, use social media networks to seek advice and make connections with other people. This may also be a concern if parents are lonely and use social media as an outlet for their mental health issues. Due to the hormone and emotional changes that occur during childbirth and the fact that postpartum is a disorder that all women experience after giving birth, this is far more prevalent among moms.

                

              

• I have personally been able to observe the significant effects that technology has on kids who use it from an early age. Particularly, I frequently witness instances of this at work. I presently provide one-on-one direct therapy to children with unique challenges in order to assist them develop their social and communication skills. One of my three-year-old children has a strong preference for technology, and this is the strongest type of reinforcement for them. Without technology, we sometimes can't move forward with session programs because if the child doesn't get enough time on the tablet during the three-hour session, they'll act out because they can't stand not having access to technology. The child is also very adept at using the smartphone; she can travel to YouTube, play games, and even call a parent if necessary. Being this skilled on a tablet at such a young age demonstrates how much time people spend using technology, which results from them gradually learning how to use it. This child's total social contact has undoubtedly been impacted by technology. Additionally, it has been noted that this has a significant negative impact on the child's high rate of sleep deprivation. I frequently talk to my family about my 5 year old twin niece’s exposure to technology outside of work. My family regularly offers my nieces the tablet or other devices.They spend hours watching technology while family members clean, unwind, take showers, etc. My nieces now have ADHD and behavioral problems as a result of this. They occasionally quarrel over who gets to use the technology first, and after the pandemic they stopped venturing outside due to their strong fondness for social networking. Overall, the pandemic changed the structure for many kids and encouraged technology because there was tragically nothing else to do. As a result, kids' concerns about sociability, relationships, and concentration intensified.

            

• https://online.maryville.edu/blog/children-and-technology/

   This website helped me develop a more comprehensive knowledge of how kids and technology interact. This website from Marysville University gives visitors a clearer knowledge of how children and technology interact as well as the differences between technology before and after the pandemic. I found this website to be very helpful because, as was indicated in the lecture, there was a noticeable difference between how much screen time kids were getting before and after the pandemic. The authors introduce the subject by outlining the development of technology throughout history. They then go on to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of technology for kids. After that, they give readers facts on technology and kids, as well as information on how kids' social interactions are affected by technology and how to foster nurturing and safe digital settings for kids. This website really appealed to me because it offered really helpful materials as well as very thorough explanations of how children and technology interact. The author did a fantastic job of describing technology and children while also offering background information so that readers may contextualize in a chronological pattern how this society came to be in terms of technical improvements over time. Early 20th-century technology started with electric model trains and progressed through the earliest video games and remote-controlled toys.The nature of toys and software was altered with the introduction of the internet in the middle of the 1990s. This resource is incredibly helpful in a variety of ways, but this particular piece struck out to me in three particular ways. First off, I thought the author did a great job of presenting both the advantages and disadvantages of technology use. This was incredibly helpful because the author shows how the pandemic caused a change in technology. This was a very valid point of view that gave readers a window into how their own lives and the lives of the children they knew were at this time in history. I appreciate that the author gave an insight into how parents used technology to benefit their children by providing them with virtual schooling. This was undoubtedly a positive effect of technology at the time that is frequently disregarded by society because without this resource, children would have gone an entire year without receiving an education. The data provided on children and technology, which follow, are the second section of this source that I found to be quite helpful. According to my personal opinion, the author gave readers a lot of material that most publications would not have covered, and readers would have needed to discover separate papers specifically with the in-depth demographics of the research relating to technology and children. One particular statistic that caught my attention was the fact that kids from low-income families (42%) were more likely than students from middle- and high-income families (31% & 27%) to totally rely on online teaching. Third, the author's description of how children's screen time corresponds to their mental and physical health was the next section of the essay that I found to be quite helpful. Children who spend a lot of time watching screens are more likely to get overweight, have erratic sleeping patterns, and perform worse in school. Additionally, there is a strong correlation between too much screen usage and the signs of attention deficit disorder in kids, which can result in melancholy, anxiety, and a dependence on technology.

                

• With the rise of technology and change within the nation there needs to be an increase in public awareness on the effects screen time has on early childhood exposure, along with the use of it by parents in front of children. Technological advances occur very rapidly and it is often hard for educators and parents to immediately be able to redirect children or find alternatives to improve the lives of most children while in school, at home, or during play. There are various ways that there can be an increase seen within the community to help inform the public. The first example would be posting fundamental videos as advertisements and getting sponsorships from major companies or organizations that funded these platforms and collecting donations to afford the ad prices for these videos. As technology develops quickly, it can be challenging for parents and educators to swiftly redirect children or discover alternatives to better the lives of most kids while they are at play, at home, or in school. There are numerous ways that the community might become more active in educating the general population. The first would be publishing basic videos as adverts, obtaining sponsorships from significant businesses or groups that financed these platforms, and raising money through donations to cover the cost of the ads for these videos. Another strategy would be to start advertising the heightened hazards in newspapers, on billboards, and in other significant new media, such as news stations. Given that people still watch the news in spite of technological improvements, this can be considered as a very useful tool for raising awareness. Some people would even get in touch with the media to ask if they might run a story on the dangers of children using screens too much and the problems with it. They might also stress how crucial it is to create safe internet environments for kids. Although there aren't many resources that encourage safe internet environments, several social media platforms now feature kid-friendly versions, like Instagram and Snapchat. Along with this, many streaming services now feature kid-friendly versions, such as Netflix or Youtube, which helps safeguard a child's innocence and prevents them from being exposed to inappropriate content. I think more individuals need to be held accountable when it comes to parents watching screens in front of their young children. I also believe that in doctor visits, school meetings, and etc. this is a conversation that needs to be held with the parent and some questions should be asked if there are antecedents that are able to be seen. An example of antecedents would be the parent constantly being on the phone while waiting to be seen and etc. I also think that this conversation needs to be had with the parent at doctor's appointments, school meetings, and other places, and that some questions should be asked to determine whether there are any obvious antecedents. The parent's continual phone use while they are waiting to be seen, among other things, is an example of an antecedent. This will enable professionals to provide the parent choices and hold them responsible. If necessary, they can also direct the parents to support services for their mental health and other issues that might be influencing their parenting efficacy.

            

References:

Beyens, I. Loes Pouwels, J., van Driel, I., Keijsers L., & Valkenburg, P. (2020). The effect of social media on well-being differs from adolescent to adolescent. Scientific Reports: Nature, 10(10763). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-67727-7Links to an external site.

Carr, N. (2010). The Juggler’s Brain. The Phi Delta Kappan, 92(4), 8-14. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27922479Links to an external site.

Crone, E., A., & Konijn, E. A. (2018) Media use and brain development during adolescence. Nature Communications, 9. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03126-x

80. (2019). Parent distraction with phones, reasons for use, and impact on parenting and child outcomes: A review of the emerging research. Human Behavior & Emerging Technology, 1, 72-80.

Rothbart, M. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015) The developing brain in a multitasking world. Developmental Review, 1(35), 42-63. doi: 10.1016/j.dr.2014.12.006

BLOG #3

     ACEs means Adverse Childhood Experiences. This can also be referred to as Child Traumatic Stress, and this focuses on the physical and emotional responses of a child to events that threaten the life or physical well being of the child or of someone very important to the child. These events can also consume a child’s ability to cope. This also causes children the inability to adapt, and increases the long term risks of mental illness, incarceration, homelessness, domestic violence, substance abuse, and physical/emotional neglect. This week I learned a lot about trauma, the types of trauma, and the long term effects that trauma has on individuals. Doing this lecture caused me to reflect on my peers and how they may have experienced trauma based off of the thing that they endure from the people they love, which I was able to reference from this week's lecture. ACEs are basically seen as traumatic events that occur within a child's life prior to them reaching adulthood, this can include various types of abuse and neglect. This study first was introduced because there was a linked connection done within research in regards to trauma and the longterm effects it has on stability within adulthood. When looking at these experiences, this information is definitely sticking with me and has shifted my teaching approach in my current profession. I currently work in an ABA field, and we work with medical insurance that is covered by the state. This allows us to work with children from multiple economic backgrounds, and with my gaining of understanding on the types of trauma and what comes as a result of trauma, I am now able to shift my approach in regards to my awareness of the behaviors that might be seen within children who are or have experienced trauma. In regards to my future profession, I ultimately want to work with at risk youth and I believe this week’s lecture will definitely stick with me as far as long term because this is a topic that has definitely interested me on a deeper and broader aspect, but it also makes me want to learn more because you truly never know who is suffering in silence until you are able to identify the antecedents of the effects of something like this, described. 

https://www.kolotv.com/2022/04/03/three-suffer-life-threatening-injuries-east-reno-crash/

This news article describes the traumatic results that come from parents battling addictions daily. The headline reads “Three suffer life threatening injuries in east Reno crash. This car accident occurred on April 3, 2022 in Reno, NV around approximately 10:30 pm. The officer described the scene as having a result of road closures that were in effect for more than 7 hours while officers investigated the scene. The police department said the woman driving a Chevrolet had gone off road and hit a tree with two children in the car ages nine and three years old. None of the occupants in the vehicle had a seatbelt on and the officers believed speed and impairment were factors in the crash. This can be seen as an example of Complex Trauma because this describes both exposure to chronic trauma. This trauma was caused by a trusted caregiver, and overall this affects nearly every aspect of a child’s development because of the severe trauma and injuries that comes as a result of this occurring. This event is something that will definitely have a severe effect on all individuals involved, especially the innocent children who were helpless victims in this situation. Car accidents overall can be very terrifying for children but the emotional distress that they had to endure during this event is what can haunt them in the long term of their life. Children often have nightmares, anxiety, lack of confidence and self worth, and depression. There are also different effects depending on the child. In particular to this case, the child who is nine years old will more than likely suffer severely more in comparison to the child that is three years old because of the lack of memory at that age. When looking at trauma anything pertaining to children five and under typically end up reverting back to past behavior patterns that come as a result of trauma. This can be things like urinating on themselves, feeling anxious alone or in the dark, and often having a high dependency on a parent along with constantly being afraid to be without them. When looking at children ages six to eleven children who experience severe trauma as a result of a car accident tend to begin to withdraw and have sleep issues which can also include nightmares. Along with this children also can begin to have challenging behavior as a result of this which can be in school or at home, which also surrounds the inability to focus due to anxiety along with head and body pain.

 

When looking at the incident and the trauma that can come as a result of this event, then referencing the resources we have covered in this course pertaining to stress there are various examples that we can find connections too. Some of the behaviors that can be seen immediately as a result of trauma would be struggles of processing or tolerating emotions. An example of this would be that children who have experienced complex trauma often internalize or overly externalize their emotions, this in the long term aspect can result in severe depression, anxiety, or anger that is later commonly seen within the child. As mentioned on The National Child Trauma Stress Network, another immediate effect would be self concept and future orientation, in this instance when looking at the children involved in this car accident, these children are more likely to have little to no trust and gain a perception of the world and how unsafe it truly is. The woman in the car with the children was an immediate family member to them, aside from judging ideally if substance abuse played a role in this incident and the children along with the woman were not wearing seatbelts shows the lack of structure that may reflect at home. This will cause the children that have trouble seeing the bigger picture in life, and instead placing themselves in a survival mode mindset as a defense mechanism, which prohibits children from setting up an ideal goal or envisioning a future for themselves. One of the major long term impacts that come as a result of complex trauma that we can also connect to this article would be the long term health consequences. There has been a substantial increase in medical conditions throughout individuals' lives who experience trauma.    Research shows that individuals who experienced childhood trauma resulted in an longterm  increase in smoking, drug addictions, and unprotected sex. Along with chronic illnesses that may result in an early death. The trauma these children endured in this experience has definitely affected the life expectancies statistically for these children. 

When looking at the children affected in this accident this event has definitely shaped the process of development for the child. When looking at attachment, one form that stood out would be the disinhibited form seen within reactive attachment disorder. This stood out because this also goes with what was mentioned on The National Child Trauma Stress Network. This form describes children as being characterized as disturbed and developmentally inappropriate in ways of relating. Disinhibited form puts a child at serious risk for further harm of drugs, sexual assault, and trafficking. This is also mentioned in the other resource mentioned previously, which shows the significant need for change within employers and leaders in society who have a passion for children. It is important for children to feel comfortable confiding in someone about their struggles and explaining their trauma to break the cycle and to change the results of research conducted surrounding the long term effects of trauma within children and into adulthood. When looking at cognitive, trauma also has a significant effect on children as well. This can be connected with Dissociative Disorders, and how this can be seen as the way the mind contends dealing with overwhelming stimuli. This can be connected with the children in the article who had been victims of the car accident, because due to them having life threatening injuries it is more than likely their recollection of the initial car accident is gone as a whole. The accident more than likely caused a dramatic shift in their temporal lobes and this goes on to shape the regulation ability seen within senses and emotions. This can often cause a disturbance of awareness, and the injuries they endured can also have a substantial effect on their memory and the ability they have to be able to know their identity and who they were before this event occurred.  When looking at emotions this can be connected to the example mentioned on The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, along with the lecture. Children who experience trauma may often tend to not understand how to mediate their emotions, and often either tend to internalize their emotions too much. Internalizing this can mean not expressing themselves until they get to their melting point, and with externalizing this can be referenced to children who often have anger issues that result in not being able to regulate their emotions along with not being able to express their emotions in absence of aggression, this also will go on to shape their social development within schools and everyday life because of the need to internalize and externalize emotions. Another aspect of social development would be the dissociation that comes as a result of trauma, this may cause children to isolate themselves and also be very defensive and lack trust in anyone, even new peers. This also can cause a lot of inconsistencies within attending to material presented in class, along with social interactions at school or in someone's everyday life.    

( Here is a brief video explaining how trauma effects the brain during childhood as well.)

As helping professionals and human beings there is a lot more we can do as a whole. One of the most important but often overlooked would be acceptance and understanding. It is very often at times that society does not tend to accept the effects that come as a result of trauma, and that is very important when it pertains to acceptance of individuals who have faced trauma. Without acceptance takes away the opportunity to understand and comprehend, this is one of the first initial but major steps that needs to be taken when it comes to changing to societal norms that are seen today. This can be as simple as promoting the need for acceptance of mental health and trauma on social media, along with creating focus groups for people with similar stories, and backgrounds so individuals can learn to understand that they are not alone with what they have experienced and what they feel daily. Another very important approach that human beings can do to help mitigate this kind of trauma is to be more open minded to help. A Lot of trauma comes as a result often of things that can not be changed immediately (e.g. addiction, economics, family structure) which is why it is truly so important to be more open minded to the different types of knowledge, which also comes with informing the general community and hosting events to help inform the population. One resource that stood out to me in regards to helping with trauma would be the American Psychological Association. This stood out to me because of the treatments they mentioned to help victims recover, having this type of resource available and it being recurring is so important because they are evidence based treatments to help redirect a child’s life so that they can overcome the experience they have endured. Something like this is so vital because it will allow children with a fresh start and a new opportunity for beginnings. 

One local resource that stood out to me would be Sprouts: Trauma Informed Care Preschool. This stood out to me because I never knew this was offered, and it is so important to be able to identify the behaviors that surround trauma earlier within a child’s life so that they can receive the proper attention and care they deserve to help with the rehabilitation of their true selves. This school is designed to address cognitive, behavioral, and social - emotional needs of children in ages 2-5 with a history of trauma. The goal of Sprouts is to increase a positive attitude and self esteem, along with appropriating identity and helping children learn to express their emotions. They also use coping skills to decrease emotional escalation along with avoiding unsafe behaviors. Sprouts also uses social skills with adults and peers to help promote turn taking, problem solving, and communication. This school provides a wide range of therapeutic interventions within a nurturing and welcoming classroom setting, to allow children to heal from the trauma they have endured and promote experiencing a happier and healthier childhood. This preschool combines therapeutic interventions and preschool curricula in a small class that has no more than ten children in each. They also introduce programs that parents can implement at home as well to help change the child’s at home structure as well.  

                                                                        

Azar, B. (2012, April). More Support Needed For Trauma Intervention. American Psychological Association. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/04/trauma

Cook, A. Spinazzola, J., Ford, J., Lanktree, C., Blaustein, M., Sprague, C., Cloitre, M., DeRosa, R., Hubbard, R., Kagan, R., Liautaud, J., Mallah, K., Olafson, E., van der Kolk, B., (2007). Complex trauma in children and adolescents. Focal Point, 21(1), 4-8.

Effects of Childhood Trauma. (2018, June 11). The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma/effects

Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Understanding the Basics. (2020, November 2). ECLKC. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/mental-health/article/trauma-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces-understanding-basics

Watson, M. (2022, April 3). Three suffer life-threatening injuries in east Reno crash. https://www.kolotv.com. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.kolotv.com/2022/04/03/three-suffer-life-threatening-injuries-east-reno-crash/

Zimmerman, M. (2022, July 14). How Car Accidents Affect the Children Involved | Northglenn Accident Lawyers. Hull & Zimmerman P.C. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.hullandzimmerman.com/blog/2019/11/15/how-car-accidents-affect-the-children-involved/