I have spent hours pouring over statistics and test results and studies. There are journals and articles in abundance out there determining the pros and cons of children's use of digital media. It got rather boring afer awhile. But what did hold my interest was my own grandson. All I had to do to know the answers that I sought was to look in my own living room. I have a four year old grandson who owns a tablet, a laptop, a PS3 and a Nintendo DS. He knew how to use most of these devices before he could walk. For a long time, I was fascinated as I sat watching those little fingers fly over the controls. He could speak a little Chinese and Spanish at the same time that he was learning to speak English from watching educational television programs. The first time I handed him my IPhone, he took it and immediately began to pull up games so that he could show me how to play. He found stuff on there I didn't even know I had. I was so proud of him, thinking to myself that he got that from his Daddy, who was equally smart at that age. But then I began to remember how, after awhile, I began to have to make my son go outside and play. He began to withdraw and would spend hours in his room playing Nintendo or watching television while my other son was out catching snakes and playing ball. I also remembered how easy it was, as a single Mom working long hours, to allow those things to be my babysitter, and how sometimes, I even wished that my younger son would stay inside more so that I could keep an eye on them easier. What was I thinking? But what really drove it home was when I happened to be visiting my grandson one day and some friends stopped by to visit my son. They had a little boy the same age as my grandson. They immediately began to play an extremely violent video game as the parents retired to the "man cave" to visit. I decided to hang out and watch the kids for a minute and I realized that the other little boy still had on pull-ups. He was over four years old and was not yet potty trained. I later asked my son about it and he told me that they didn't want to push him, that he would go when he was ready. I couldn't believe it!
Despite the fact that my grandson is a very smart, precious child, he has very few social skills, he never goes outside to play, and I truly worry about him as he is getting ready to start school soon. He has been home-schooled already to the grade level of a second grader, writing, spelling, adding and subtracting, even multiplying. But now he is going to join the other children his own age as a first grader next year and I am afraid he is going to be terrified of a world that he has no knowledge of.
Digital media is reshaping our children's lives, at home and at school, in profound and unexpected ways. Common sense suggests that we consider the potential harm of these changes. Computers can pose serious health hazards to chidren, some of the most common being obesity, social isolation, eyestrain, and even damage to physical, emotional, or intellectual development. Our children are the most sedentary generation ever. Will they benefit, much less thrive, spending even more time staring at screens? Children need time for active, physical play, live lessons that engage their hands, hearts, bodies and minds, not computer simulations. The computer, like the TV, can be a mesmerizing babysitter, but at what cost? I know that there are alot of facts, data and studies that back up both sides of the coin, but honestly, what I would really like to see right now is my grandson playing tee-ball!
Sheri Botzong
