Children and Technology

“Children and Technology”

Today more than ever when we talk about technology we cannot fail to take into account the inseparable combination of children/technology, which is expressed and translated into action in the relationship and use that children establish, in the most disparate forms, with technological tools increasingly cutting-edge tools. Moreover, if computers , tablets and smartphones up until a few decades ago could be seen and conceived as tools of the future, now, in a world in continuous and progressive evolution, they are to all intents and purposes, and with good reason, tools of the present.

But where does children's interest in electronic devices come from?

This question is certainly not easy to answer. However, it should also be taken into consideration that children, from an early age, begin to ask their parents to buy them a PC , a tablet or a latest generation smartphone. It should be clarified that scientific studies, published in accredited journals, have shown that, especially the youngest ones, think of children who do not yet know how to read and write, tend to emulate the behavior of adults. In fact, if, just to give an example, we examine the touch screen, which has far surpassed the alphanumeric mode and which has supplanted the so-called language barrier, it is easy to understand how the touch mode allows these still non-literate children to being able to use smartphones and tablets more easily; the aid of his finger is sufficient for him.

But - it is best to never lose this point of view - in this case it is always the adult who, albeit involuntarily, has aroused the child's curiosity rather than interest.

The digital generation

The children of the third millennium are unquestionably also children of their time. And this time is incontrovertibly pervaded, if not invaded, by technology. Society itself is now an authentic digital mirror.

PCs , tablets , smartphones have become the true "companions" of the new generations, and are used both for recreational and recreational purposes and for educational purposes. So much so that children or, as industry experts now routinely define them, "digital natives" use these electronic tools both to play and study. In the latter case, just think of the use of the IWB in schools which, by replacing the old dear blackboard, allows not only to write on it but to project multimedia documents, videos and to create very quick connections via the PC and a fast internet connection.

Another interesting element for those who analyze this phenomenon is represented by digital education which, in the most prestigious schools, especially in Switzerland, takes place from the first year of primary school, through the delivery of a tablet to each student aimed at replacing paper material, evidently now considered obsolete.

The limits of technology

Like any socio-cultural phenomenon, and technology is a socio-cultural phenomenon, we must also take into account the limits and risks that the use of PCs , tablets and “Children and Technology” Smartphones can lead, especially if used inappropriately, beyond any control and without the right measure.

From a purely social point of view, in fact, one of the greatest risks one can encounter may be that of a dangerous isolation, albeit initially unaware but often inevitable, which leads children to lose direct human contact with their peers, risking leading them to forms of estrangement, asociality and, in the worst case scenario, misanthropy.

If we add to all this that technological abuse can lead to extreme forms of addiction, then the risk that digital tools, if used badly, become pathological can be real.

In conclusion, the solution probably lies in establishing the correct use of technological devices, establishing, as far as possible, a correct boundary, a clear line of demarcation, between the use of PCs , smartphones , tablets and social life, the one made of interpersonal relationships and human relationships, trying to avoid any possible excess, in one sense or another.

Author: Andrea Acefalo Grasso