How Is Technology Affecting Modern Society?

From Jitendra Bhojwani, Santa Rosa

Technology plays a vital role in society and business. However, of late the unjustifiable use of technology has started affecting society in a negative way. especially small children are more likely to be impacted by technology. Here are some ways in which technology can hurt the growth of children: 

Reduced Attention 

According to research studies, it is found that overexposure to technology significantly reduces attention span in children and in the long run can also impact the brain development in children. Their brains gradually adapt to the habit of navigating through multiple information sources, quickly scanning through content, and impatiently waiting to consume tons of information without properly assimilating the previous information. It reduces their imagination skills and comprehension capabilities. 

Promotes impatience

 Technology has a tendency to tempt. Being playful by default children are intensely affected. Even the modern parents find it easier to give their kids technical gadgets like tablets, or mobile phones that keep them engaged for a long. What they fail to notice, however, is that these gadgets don’t actually engage but constantly distract the kids with an overwhelming number of games, music and animation. It denies a child to discover their capacity to be patient and self-soothe themselves even when agitated. During later years of their lives this shortcoming is expressed in negative forms like depression, hyperactivity etc.

Makes children aggressive

Some of the widely popular video games for kids include simulated violence and rage in one form or another. Research studies prove that kids exposed to video games with violence are more prone to lack empathy, fight with their friends, families and teachers, and treat actual violence more normally. Such feelings may gain intensity during their growing stages which can be harmful for the children as well as the society. 

Sedentary lifestyle

Most of the technology gadgets actually simulate the physical activities and are designed to require nil or next to nil physical activities. So the more time kids spend with their technology gadgets the less opportunity they get to spend on indoor/outdoor games that keep them physically active. So gradually such children adopt a sedentary lifestyle that not only affects their social skills but also hurts their physical and mental health.

 Hurts academic progress

By affecting the focusing abilities the technology also affects classroom performance. Spending lot of time watching YouTube, using emojis and GIFs to convey their messages, and short spellings like K, wud/cud, r, affect the written language capabilities as well. Such child may grow to show very little regard to fine elements of language. It not only affects in their writing capabilities but also may impact their professional career as they find it more difficult to write formal communication in an appropriate way.(This submission is not edited.)