News Herald – Juliann Talkington
In the 1980s and 90s, we made fun of people who spent all their time glued to a computer screen. Now kids worry that they will be social misfits, if they don’t. Perhaps this is the revenge of the nerds, but is it good for our children?
In 2010, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that Americans between the ages of 8 and 18 spend on average 7-1/2 hours a day using some sort of electronic device. The same year, the Pew Research Center released a study that suggested half of American youngsters between the ages 12 and 17 send 50 or more text messages a day and that one in three send more than 100 a day. Over half of those surveyed said they text their friends once a day, but only about a third of them said they talk face-to-face with their friends on a daily basis.
Psychologists are concerned the excessive amount of time on electronic devices is impacting socialization. Some children have difficulty with direct eye contact and others have find it challenging to holding a verbal conversation. According to Pediatrician Dr. Dennis Go with the Quincy Medical Group, it is obvious that some teenage patients are not used to talking with a human when they are asked a question and they have difficulty forming a verbal response.
There also are concerns about etiquette. Kids don’t seem to consider their electronic device behavior rude, said Dr. P.M. Forni, co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project. Students are getting up in the class to answer their phones, texting during lectures and some are even watching TV as professors talk. In addition, some people fret that children are not learning proper table manners, because families allow kids to use electronic devices during meals. .
As glamorous as all the technology is, watching someone chew with their mouth open is still disgusting and looking at down at the table during an interview is not a good way to land a job..
So what can we do to ensure our technologically social kids are not social misfits? Set limits on text, cell phone and computer usage. Prohibit electronic devices at meals. Keep computers and other electronic devices in common areas. Make sure to collect cell phones at the end of the day, so they do not conflict with homework, family time or sleep. Most importantly, practice what you preach.