The ongoing case of Amos Yee, who has been charged with making disparaging remarks about Christianity and Mr Lee Kuan Yew, brings to the fore the issue of how technology affects our children, and what it means for parents and educators.
Children are not exclusively under a parent’s or a teacher’s influence. There are friends, there are Facebook friends, there is also the media and television, among other things.
A child may come across content unknown to their parents and we do not know how they interpret it. One moment they are watching an advertisement for fast food, the next moment it could be something else. One moment, someone could be talking about creating a beautiful world, the next moment there could be a terrorist bombing happening. How does a young and impressionable child make sense of such a chaotic mess?
The availability of tablets and smartphones gives our children easy access to YouTube, Facebook, online games such as growtopia, and forums on various topics, some of which might not be appropriate for children. Children have been allowed to use such devices from a young age and this is how they occupy themselves, instead of playing outdoors and making friends outside through activities such as sports.
We see how older children have become engrossed in computer games, some of which are violent. Some of them are exposed to views which may be radical; they are only getting one side of the story on issues and their beliefs are being shaped by these influences as they enter adulthood.
At the same time, technology could reduce human interaction between family members and also reduce the opportunity to for the young to build real-life social networking skills to develop friendships outside their circle. For example, some children may shut themselves off and spend the whole day on Internet-related activities such as blogging, chatting, gaming, surfing YouTube and living in the online world.
One reason for parents and educators to expose the young to technology early is to give them a competitive edge in today’s information-driven age. This has its merits, but parents and educators must also teach their children to lead a balanced life that does not revolve around the virtual world.
Would we give a sharp knife to an infant? No, we would not. Technology today is sharper than a knife. We must choose an appropriate age and an appropriate level of maturity before allowing children to handle it. Just because technology is available, it does not mean we must teach it to the very young. We need to understand the importance of using technology in a measured way, so that children can grow up and contribute to society.
Children are not exclusively under a parent’s or a teacher’s influence. There are friends, there are Facebook friends, there is also the media and television, among other things.
A child may come across content unknown to their parents and we do not know how they interpret it. One moment they are watching an advertisement for fast food, the next moment it could be something else. One moment, someone could be talking about creating a beautiful world, the next moment there could be a terrorist bombing happening. How does a young and impressionable child make sense of such a chaotic mess?
The availability of tablets and smartphones gives our children easy access to YouTube, Facebook, online games such as growtopia, and forums on various topics, some of which might not be appropriate for children. Children have been allowed to use such devices from a young age and this is how they occupy themselves, instead of playing outdoors and making friends outside through activities such as sports.
We see how older children have become engrossed in computer games, some of which are violent. Some of them are exposed to views which may be radical; they are only getting one side of the story on issues and their beliefs are being shaped by these influences as they enter adulthood.
At the same time, technology could reduce human interaction between family members and also reduce the opportunity to for the young to build real-life social networking skills to develop friendships outside their circle. For example, some children may shut themselves off and spend the whole day on Internet-related activities such as blogging, chatting, gaming, surfing YouTube and living in the online world.
One reason for parents and educators to expose the young to technology early is to give them a competitive edge in today’s information-driven age. This has its merits, but parents and educators must also teach their children to lead a balanced life that does not revolve around the virtual world.
Would we give a sharp knife to an infant? No, we would not. Technology today is sharper than a knife. We must choose an appropriate age and an appropriate level of maturity before allowing children to handle it. Just because technology is available, it does not mean we must teach it to the very young. We need to understand the importance of using technology in a measured way, so that children can grow up and contribute to society.
