After reading more of The Shallows and completing Amusing Ourselves to Death, I began looking at the world around me in a different light. One thing that I noticed was that parents tend to give their young children smart devices, such as Ipads, tablets, and smartphones, in order to keep them quiet. I always saw different parents do this, but I never thought about the action as I do now. I also noticed that the parents that complain about technology rotting the minds of children are the same parents pacifying their children with technology.
In my own family, my uncle uses his phone to distract his daughter from making too much noise. However, I feel that soon she will become dependent on his phone and when it's time to give it up. She would make just as much noise as she did before she didn't have the phone. That's when my Uncle decides it's ok to blame technology for his daughter's dependency on technology.
Why do you think people do this? Why is technology becoming the scapegoat of our time?
-- Ayah League--
I also see parents doing this with their children, and I completely disagree with this parenting style. These parents are depriving their children of the opportunity to learn basic social skills. Parents use the technology to entertain their children rather than teach them how to behave and socialize as a respectable person. The blaming of technology is just an easy way to dodge the responsibility of not being able to raise their child.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget it also makes them very very bratty.
DeleteWill the writer of this post please sign their name? No name, no credit.
ReplyDeleteWhile I believe the introduction of technology into a child's early life is an appalling parenting style, the use of technology is inevitable. Our society is built upon technology as a source of entertainment, time-consumer, and work-reliever. Sooner or later that child will be dependent on technology as well. I mean look at all of us, most of us got our phones later in our childhood during our elementary or middle school year and we are all hooked on technology. Maybe the use of technology at such a young age will deepen the dependency on it, but sooner or later, the addiction is bound to occur.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how you describe technology as the scapegoat for the shirking of responsibilities as humans. It even goes farther than parenting. In Alone Together by Sherry Turkle, I've just read about how a man said if it was normal for everyone to rely on robots to do the dirty work of raising children and taking care of the elderly, he and his wife would put his mother-in-law who suffers from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease in the care of a robot. He says this even though he knows the importance of human support and touch, especially for people like her, yet he would rather be relieved of their burden and would put it into action if it became acceptable to do so. He says, "'Most people would do it if it were the conventional thing that everyone did. We didn't deny our children television, and we didn't think it was good a thing for them'" (145). Turkle comes up with one response summarizing what the majority mindset has become: "Technology has corrupted us; robots will heal our wounds" (147). Personally, I believe technology and robotics can benefit us despite all the evidence of drawbacks it has caused our society if it is used the right way, balanced and made to compliment, not substitute us. However, it's getting harder and harder to do that when technology and robots are being made to encourage the latter and make everything "easier" on us. It's a good question to ask, whether technology corrupted us, or if we corrupted technology.
ReplyDeleteParenting ways have definitely changed over time but has it for the better? I believe it's not for the betterment of our future. Recently I saw this parent have their own child on a leash with a cell phone. I acknowledge how different our ways have changed with or without technology. However, giving devices to their young ones for a moment of peace and quiet, is not okay. I've seen the effects of technology disseminate over time to young kids such as; social problems, it changes the way children think and feel, and less physical exercise could lead to obesity. If we continue downward this path we're on, our world can become exactly like Brave New World.
ReplyDeleteIt's terrible seeing how technology deeply impacts humans and now, at such a young age. In a supermarket, I once saw a child that must have been less than a year old, holding a smart phone very close to her face. I was appalled to see such a young child having access to a smart phone. There's been countless instances where I've seen phones being abused and in the hands of young children. I agree with Baron, phones are a distraction from enjoying and living in a moment. Therefor, social skills will be impaired and possibly attention spans will be shortened as well. Humans have become so lazy, using technology to make simple tasks so easy. But no parent should ever use a phone as a substitute for parenting. A phone can't teach good morals and good manners. Who are they to blame when their child has a closer relationship with the world inside their phone rather than their own parent?
ReplyDeleteYou make excellent points in the relationship of parents and technology. I myself am guilty of doing this. To keep my little brother quiet I would tell him to watch the tv or play with the phone rather than entertain him myself. I believe that the accessibility of the technology and its ability to instantaneously entertain is what makes it the prime item for keeping the kids quiet. Games of all kinds and fun videos are captivating to children and adults alike. After reading this blog, I feel bad about doing this to my brother and am encouraged to play and be with him before time runs out. The types of parents that are constantly feeding their kids nothing but a screen with pictures on it should also realize that their child will not remain a child forever.
ReplyDeleteThis point makes complete sense but I understand why the parents do it at moment in time. Most children love the distraction not only with cell phones but also television and anything that makes a weird or funny noise but they enjoy the curiosity of a phone. It's something with unlimited amounts of buttons and things to do. This gives the children something to get their mind off of what they were crying about initially.
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