HOW DOES THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AFFECT CHILD DEVELOPMENT?

From the way technology works, to socializing; technology has completely changed almost every aspect of our society, from our family life to our learning styles. One of the most noticeable differences is the change in the way children play and interact with each other in previous generations. Almost every child in the world lives a close life with technology. Everyone is concerned about the effects this has on issues such as upbringing of a child, attention span, violation of their personal limits. But the biggest impact of technology is on human behavior. It affects the behavior of not only children, but also adults. Changes in the behavior of adults affects children, both as a parent and as a family member.

      ​One of the technology related problems with children is that technology minimizes their communication with the real world. These problems can make the learning process in the classroom difficult, which can bring frustration, self-doubt and negative choices. They can use the acquired social skills less to maintain their conversations with their peers. This causes not being able to express feelings to others, avoiding group activities and peer interaction. Although technology provides many benefits to learning, it can have several negative effects on the quality of life of the child.

Another problem that arises with the effect of technology in childhood behavior is the expectation that every need or request is to be met immediately. Failure to fulfill their wishes at any time can cause anger attacks in most children. Instant happiness becomes the norm for children. In the parent who experiences such a situation, panic, nervousness and hopeless mood are inevitable. Most things can be purchased with the click of a button. Packages purchased can reach the door in twenty-four hours. All series and movies can be watched in one sitting, without having to wait for the new episode every week. Computer games can be played faster than any toy can afford. Unlike going out and playing with other kids, especially with computer games, children put aside all their mobility when they return home from school, unless they have to. In addition to not getting enough exercise, children do not enjoy the benefits of spending time outdoors, as they have a lot of confidence in technology for fun. For this reason, child obesity rates have increased significantly in the last few years. Spending time outside has a lot of positive effects on the body. The most important of these is to be devoid of sunlight, which provides vitamin D. Vitamin D keeps the skin healthy and makes it easier to fight infections. In addition, regular exposure to sunlight affects the body's melatonin production, helping to keep the sleep cycle in balance. Studies have proven that devices such as tablets and smartphones emit harmful light that causes headaches and eye strain in children. This exposed light causes the suppression of the hormone melatonin, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle. This is the main reason why the child cannot have a healthy night's sleep.

Technology also has profound effects on the way children think and feel. It is observed that children who spend most of their time intertwined with technology experience more difficulties especially in focusing than children who spend less time, because the smart devices that children spend most of the time are full of stimuli and often require attention to many different things at the same time. When they are exposed to a high level of technology, they tend to think superficially and cannot develop their ability to be creative in learning new concepts or critical thinking.

   ​Technology changes the way children socialize and communicate with others, which can have serious effects on their mental and emotional well-being. It is now widely known that the use of social media, which is widespread among both children and adults, can cause negative moods such as reducing self-confidence. Any technology can have adverse effects on children when used excessively. Because this reduces the frequency of interacting with peers. It affects how they grow their emotions by making it difficult for them to address social clues and build meaningful relationships with others, causing more serious negative consequences as they grow. Neither of these situations indicates that technology is bad or that children should never use it. Technology provides thousands of positive opportunities for learning, entertainment and socializing. However, it should be monitored by adults whether it is used properly. At this point, we can give you a few tips to help solve problems and help parents use technology responsibly with their children.

* Instead of completely banning the use of technology, daily limits should be set on how long they can use. When determining the limits, it should be talked about what is reasonable and daily limits should definitely not be forgotten. Children should be helped to understand why the issue is important by trying to explain the negative effects that technology has.

* Children should be encouraged to exercise. Opportunities should be created for them to spend time outdoors and socialize with their friends in real life, not 'online'. Activities such as doing sports, going to the theater, drawing pictures should be helped to plan events with their friends. When support for useful activities is greater than the encouragement to use technology, this will become part of children's routines, providing an environment for a more beneficial development process for them.

Adults and through them children should use technology consciously. In addition to the tips provided, children should be encouraged to watch the content that is useful in the specified screen times. Awareness should be created that they should use social media when they want to communicate with their friends, not to spend time meaninglessly. This will help them enjoy technology more and prevent unconscious use, which is also a problem for many. A good example should be created as a parent. The children will imitate their actions instead of realizing the words of their parents who spend time on the phone or at the computer. For this reason, Netflix series should be watched as much as possible during children's sleep hours.

    ​While it is quite difficult for anyone to navigate the world of technology, it has many benefits for both children and adults. Being aware of the negative consequences of overuse can be beneficial even more than technology.