To use it, or not to use it? That is the question. Technology is becoming something that is defining our generation. Some may argue the fact that technology is robbing the youth out of children. This is a very controversial topic that many people tend to disagree on. I however; have my own opinions.
I see kids walking around with cell phones and that kind of annoys me. Why are five year olds using cell phones? They are not at the point in their lives where they are left alone so why do they need one? I do not get it. I got a cell phone when I was in eighth grade, which is when my parents thought I was old enough to have one.
Right now, I am addicted to the Internet, my cell phone, and every other type of popular technology. As much as I admire the fact that I have the whole world of information right in the palm of my hands if I need it, I really do appreciate the fact that I grew up without that type of technology in my life. It allowed my peers and I to spend more time outside doing fun childish-like things instead of sitting inside on the computer all day.
Exposing kids to the internet is not a bad thing; it just makes the child grow up a lot faster than they would if they weren’t exposed to certain types of news.
I noticed recently that a lot of pre-teens were joining social networking Web sites like facebook and myspace. I do not see a problem with this, other than their lack of maturity that leads to fights and online bullying. The good part of the Internet Children have access to a wealth of information and capabilities they never had before. They can communicate with people in less than a second, regardless of where they live on the planet. On the other hand, the children are becoming quite antisocial. I’m sorry, it’s true. E-mail and text messages are fine for typing a short message; emails are even good for permanent and convenient storage of documents or other sources of information. On the other hand, MySpace is not talking to people; Facebook is not talking to people, a lot of people mistake talking on the internet for legitimate social interaction. This method of communication is not really socializing, even if you call it social networking.
In my field of study, it allows me to appreciate technology more and I looked at it as something different, although, if I had a child of my own, I would be reluctant to expose them to too much at an early age so they do not develop a sense of laziness later on. On the other hand, I see a gap widening now with people drifting farther and farther away from real communication, now people are hesitant to have a real conversation with someone in person.
Are the times changing? Yes. Is it robbing children of their youth? Maybe.
