by Heather Redding
As technology has advanced over the past century, parents have been grappling with its effects, real and imagined, on the cognitive abilities of their children.
Source: pixabay.com
Television attracted blame for poor socialization and lower education scores, and unproven claims continue to be aimed at the computer game industry that it contributes to violence among teenagers and young adults.
The same issues continue to preoccupy many parents as they make decisions about allowing their children to use smartphones and tablets.
While these interactive technologies can be overused, studies have shown that a couple of hours of screen time a day can have positive effects on children’s cognitive development.
In this article, we’ll look at five ways a smartphone can affect a child’s development.
#1 Excessive Screen Time May Affect Children’s Brain Development
Like the computer and console games, the interactive and exciting nature of mobile devices can cause some children to become addicted to the stimulation.
Parents who permit their children as much screen time as they want may unwittingly allow such addictions to develop.
Aside from the lack of socialization and emotional problems addictions can cause, a recent study has found that children who got more than an average of seven hours a day of screen time suffered from a thinning of the cortex.
They also scored lower on thinking and language tests.
Researchers found this concerning, but they were careful to point out that they weren’t sure what was the direct cause of the brain development changes.
Nor did they fully understand whether this was a negative development or not.
Parents nonetheless should stay on the side of caution and limit how much time their children spend with any type of electronic device.
#2 Mobile Games Improve Reflexes and Problem-Solving Skills
Like traditional computer games, mobile games can help young children develop hand-eye coordination and better reflexes.
Unlike computer games, though, mobile apps are often more accessible to younger children because of the simplicity of touchscreen controls.
Children who couldn’t easily learn to use a console controller or computer keyboard can have fun playing one or two-touch button games on a tablet or smartphone.
Games can also double as educational tools for teaching children problem-solving skills.
Logical skills are gained from many kinds of puzzles and adventure games that provide valuable mental exercises for people of all ages.
They also teach children to think independently by thinking through the solutions to puzzles with minimal outside help.
#3 Mobile Devices Can Improve Social Skills
Socialization is as important as logical and physical coordination skills for a child’s personal development.
Both voice-calling and messaging apps give children experience with more ways to socialize than face-to-face encounters with other people.
It’s best that smartphones are only used as an addition to personal interaction, but they give children a way to connect with friends and family when they aren’t nearby.
Given that they’ve become a standard way of socializing today, parents may want to introduce their children to social media and messaging.
It’s important to monitor children’s use of social media, however, to avoid the dangers of online bullying and interacting with strangers.
#4 Smartphones and Tablets Are Educational Aids
Of course, there’s more to mobile technology than social media, games, and voice calls. A child’s education can be augmented with interactive apps at home and in the classroom.
Subjects that are normally difficult to teach because children find them too abstract or boring can become engaging and exciting when taught with an interactive app.
Educational mobile apps are widely available for both older and younger children for a variety of school subjects.
Some of the best lessons these apps can teach children are the self-guided learning skills that they’ll need for lifelong learning.
The interactive nature of these apps makes self-directed learning fun, which helps kids maintain focus and follow-through on tasks.
#5 Smartphones Introduce Children to Technology
Perhaps one of the strongest arguments allowing children to use mobile devices like smartphones is to introduce them to technology.
Whatever the career path a child might take later in life, mastering technologies like computers and mobile devices is likely to be a basic skill set expected of every employee in the future.
Creative professions will also benefit from a native understanding of mobile technology because they’ll understand better how to connect with their audience.
Exposure to mobile apps can also lead to future careers in software and media development when children become curious about the underlying technologies.
That basic curiosity can lead to a child learning about creating software and videos as well as other technical fields later in life.
Programmers who begin with a coding hobby in high school often become talented software developers after they graduate.
Conclusion
Though there are some obvious dangers that parents must guard against when giving their children access to smartphones, the benefits still outweigh the potential negatives.
It’s advisable that parents stay directly involved with their children’s use of the internet and social media, and overall screen time should be limited to a couple of hours a day.
That said, mobile apps and social connectivity can enrich a child’s education and social life when they are kept within their proper context.
The interactive nature can be both exciting and intellectually rewarding as it fosters a spirit of lifelong learning.(
(Heather Redding is a content manager for rent, hailing from Aurora. She loves to geek out writing about wearables, IoT and other hot tech trends. When she finds the time to detach from her keyboard, she enjoys her Kindle library and a hot coffee. Reach out to her on Twitter.)
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