The impact of a computer on a child - benefits and harms, features and consequences

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Today's children are surrounded by computers everywhere. Working with this technique has become the norm for adults and kids. Indeed, this device is useful, and sometimes irreplaceable. But technology is not always harmless, especially for children. You can learn about the impact of a computer on a child, the benefits and harms from the article.

Benefit

Specialists and ordinary people noted the positive impact of the computer on the child. Parents see the following benefits of this technique:

1. High speed of acquiring new knowledge and skills. Young children can learn the alphabet or counting using a computer or tablet.
2. Development of strategic thinking. Children learn to think ahead. Develops reaction speed, memory, purposefulness.
3. Technology allows you to work on the imagination, expand creativity through various games, modeling or drawing opportunities.
4. The device allows you to distract the child while parents need to attend to personal matters.
5. With the help of modernapplications on electronic gadgets, parents are able to control where the child is.
6. Technique can be used to prepare student homework.
7. Thanks to the computer, you can study online at home, improve your skills.
8. Expanding child's horizons.

To educate parents about the problem, teachers often show presentations about the impact of computers on children. Projects of this kind are an important part of teaching the discipline of life safety. These are important activities, as many habits are formed both at home and at school.

But doctors and psychologists believe that there is a negative impact of the computer on children. Parents notice this too. Therefore, technology can be used, but in moderation. The negative impact of the computer on the child is described below.

Vision

Nature provided that human eyes are less stressed when looking into the distance, and a long stay at the screen greatly strains them. Therefore, the negative impact of the computer on the child's vision is obvious, since you have to sit in front of the monitor at a distance of up to 50 cm. As a result, myopia appears, which is corrected by glasses.

There is also another consequence - dry eye syndrome. When you have to peer and strain your eyes, blinking is rare. Therefore, the cornea is washed worse with tear fluid, is not completely cleared and receives less nutrition. This shows up as redness and swelling.eye and eyelid. The child feels discomfort and irritation of the conjunctiva of the eyes, he has a desire to blink often or rub his eyes.

Spine

Also noticed the negative impact of the computer on the he alth of children, which manifests itself in the form of a strong tension in the muscles of the back. This happens when you sit for a long time. The neck muscles are also very tired. These phenomena cause curvature of the spine.

Cervical kyphosis - stoop, S-shaped scoliosis appears if the pose is taken leg by leg. The spinal muscles with a sedentary lifestyle (physical inactivity) acquire flabbiness. They cannot support the spinal column, which leads to a curvature of the spine in early childhood.

Often these children get headaches. It develops due to muscle tension and displacement of the cervical vertebrae. This results in squeezing of the blood vessels, so there is a violation of the blood supply to the brain.

You need to pay attention to how the child sits, because problems with the spine can remain for life. There are a lot of research papers on this subject. The influence of the computer on children is enormous. Scoliosis is sometimes detected in younger schoolchildren. They still have a long way to go and they already have a curvature.

Sedentary life

This is another negative impact of the computer on children and teenagers. Insufficient motor load is a risk for the occurrence of diseases of the joints, heart, blood vessels, diabetes and obesity.

Because ofa sedentary lifestyle puts the immune system at risk. It is in this that the influence of the computer on the child is dangerous. Research has long shown that physical activity supports normal vascular tone and the immune system.

Electromagnetic radiation

This should also be noted as the negative impact of the computer on the child's body. Electromagnetic radiation is presented in the form of waves that appear from the action of charged particles that propagate in space. Computers, phones, televisions or other electronic devices emit low-frequency and radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation.

According to the World He alth Organization, low-frequency and radio-frequency waves are recognized as carcinogenic, and therefore can lead to cancer. There is a connection between computer radiation and certain ailments. These include cardiovascular diseases, hormonal disruptions, diseases of the immune, nervous, reproductive systems. Also, against this background, chronic fatigue, depression appear, mental and behavioral disorders of the child are observed.

Computer addiction

This influence of the computer on the development of the child also affects negatively. During the game on the computer, the centers of the brain that are responsible for pleasure are in an excited state. If this happens regularly, then gradually there is a need for this stimulation. As a result, children cannot exist without electronic gadgets.

Teenagers may havethe need for multiple control of social networks, checking e-mail. Moreover, children react negatively to parental prohibitions. In this situation, a psychologist can help.

It is important to consider that addiction appears with unlimited use of a computer and other similar equipment, a lack of parental control. With the help of these devices, the development of the child and the organization of leisure are often carried out, which is not so bad.

Violation of socialization

The impact of the computer on the psyche of children is negative. They get used to communicating on the Web, so in real life it is difficult for them to make acquaintances. Many people are comfortable with online communication because they find it freer. In this case, you can not be afraid of condemnation from strangers on the other side of the monitor.

Instead of the usual games, including role-playing, children use computer games. But it is in childhood that they teach interaction in society, communication with people.

Fatigue and overwork

These factors relate to the negative impact of the computer on the child. From the strong intense work of the brain, the organs of vision, energy reserves are depleted. The body will have to work to the limit of its capabilities. Of course, this mode does not pass without a trace.

Irritability and aggression

Parents need to take into account the impact of the computer on the child in order to help him in time. When participating in computer games, children are under stressful conditions. This is often associated with constant tension and acquiredaddiction, which makes the child irritable and aggressive.

Behavior gets tough in games based on combat, shooting, destruction, gun fighting. Since the child's psyche is not fully formed, the child is critical of the events on the screen. Therefore, often computer experience is transferred to real life.

The negative impact of the computer on the child is a worldwide problem. To eliminate it, parents should monitor the teenager, his habits. The computer should not take up all your free time. There should be no lack of control and permissiveness.

Other consequences

The computer is considered a universal assistant. You just need to install a new program or game, there is a variety, new opportunities and knowledge. Moreover, some perceive this as an expansion of their horizons.

Usually games offer 1 or 2 possible answers or developments. Therefore, the thinking of children will be stereotyped, which prevents them from fully developing.

Isolation from parents

It is not uncommon for children who have played computer games since early childhood to grow up selfish. They are isolated in their own world, where they have in-game achievements. Not all parents are able to accept and understand these successes, especially if such activities interfere with schooling. Misunderstanding appears between generations, common interests are lost, disagreements and aggression arise.

Psychologists worry about changes in the psyche. Repeated analyzes of drawings on a free theme indicate that the images hide a feeling of fear, anxiety, closeness, and the need for defense. Children often draw weapons, battles, monsters. According to experts, this phenomenon comes from prolonged use of computers.

Also with technology, guys are deprived of childhood. Electronic devices take up all your free time. But there are outdoor games, outdoor activities, hobbies, hobbies.

What are parents doing wrong?

Some parents buy games or cartoons just for the look and the image on the disc. And there is a category of people who believe that children themselves can choose games. Parents should always read the information themselves, and then offer and allow children to watch it.

But watching movies or cartoons together has a positive effect. Parents can comment on controversial, ambiguous situations. These views give children a sense of security and confidence.

More parents believe that clicking on the keyboard buttons provides the development of fine motor skills of the child's hands. But it's not. Due to the same type of hand movements, the development of motor skills is not provided. Therefore, you should not replace board games with electronic ones. Only with the help of scrupulous movements of the fingers, feeling objects provides development.

Age and time

How long can a child spend in front of a computer screen? In this case, you also need to take into account the TV, tablet, phone. At the same time, many parents do not count the time spent forcomputer for educational purposes. And this is wrong.

Children from only 2 years old can watch TV, and no more than 20-30 minutes a day. Technique in the background, when the mother is watching and the child is nearby, also counts. Children should use phones, computers, tablets no earlier than 3-3.5 years. Toddlers 3-4 years old can engage in technology for no more than 40-60 minutes a day.

At 5-7 years, the time can be extended to 1 hour 15 minutes. Children 7 years and older are recommended to spend 1.5 hours in front of the screen, and from 10 years old - 2 hours a day. Time must be divided into parts and pauses. To prevent myopia, breaks should be done every 20 minutes for 20-30 seconds. During the pause, the gaze must be translated into the distance.

What can replace a computer?

Most parents are satisfied with the appearance of this technique. After all, this is a way to captivate the child and go about their business. But it is important to understand the harm of the computer. How to diversify leisure? The following methods can be used for this:

1. Using educational and board games.
2. Inventing games with safe items.
3. Walking outside.
4. Visit developing clubs and sports sections.
5. Reading books together, learning poems and songs, listening to music.
6. Handicraft or other creative work.

This is not the whole list of interesting activities. You can do anything with kids. All you need is time and desire. And you should use the computer in moderation, which will prevent addiction andnegative impact on he alth and psyche.

Operating rules

When working with equipment, you need to follow some rules:

1. The feet are placed on the floor at an angle of 90 degrees between the knee and the thigh. Keep your back straight.
2. You need to press your buttocks tightly against the back of the chair so that the inside of the knee is in contact with the seat. The back of the child should be supported by the back of the chair and maintain a natural posture.
3. It is advisable to sit on a chair with armrests, the height of which should be suitable. This will relax your arms and shoulders.
4. Keyboard and mouse should be close enough so that the elbows rest on the armrests. This will prevent tension in the arm, from palm to neck.
5. The monitor should be at eye level. The distance between the equipment and the person sitting should be such that everything can be seen without tilting the back.
6. Thirty minutes after class, you need to change the position of the body, stand up and walk around for a few minutes to improve blood circulation.
7. If you work on the computer for several hours, you should give your eyes a rest, do the recommended exercises.

Compliance with these rules excludes the prolapse of the cervical and lumbar vertebral discs. With them, it is possible to save the child from the negative consequences of working at the computer. The rules are suitable for children and adults.

Advice to parents

To reduce the negative impact of technology on children, parents should adhere to the followingrecommendations:

1. First, you should specify the rules for using a computer in the family. This applies to time, duration and other nuances.
2. It is important to control how much time and what the child is doing. Search history must be viewed.
3. It is undesirable to leave children alone with technology, so it is better not to install a computer in the children's room.
4. You should teach your child to take breaks, do exercises for the eyes.
5. Children's leisure should be organized in an interesting way. It should include a walk in the park, cycling, rollerblading, skiing, hiking, picnics, fishing. It is necessary to offer an alternative, not to prohibit.
6. You should install a parental control program on the equipment, which will protect the child from links and transitions to prohibited resources.
7. You need to choose and install only those games and cartoons that have been studied by yourself.
8. You need to build a trusting relationship with your child. Constant criticism brings a baby or teenager to the virtual world, because there he feels success and support.
9. It is important to be interested in the child's hobbies. It is necessary to make his life varied. Children need activities that will allow them not to delve into virtual life. For this there are sections, mugs, a pool, music, pets.

Even if there is a problem of unlimited use of a computer, and it is not possible to agree with the child, you should not be upset. Many children may trade games and a computer for time to be spent with loved ones foran interesting activity. It is important to teach your child to use technology prudently. At the same time, the example set by adults is important.