Features News
Too much tech?
Digital devices can cause kids to withdraw
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
FarkTommy wants a cell phone and an MP3 player for Christmas. The only problem: Tommy is 8 years old.
With Christmas right around the corner, parents everywhere are no doubt hearing the pleas from tech-savvy kids.
“I think every parent is dealing with that right now because the advertisers tell us we need all this stuff,” said Tally Salisbury, a
licensed professional counselor at Youth & Family Services. But Salisbury has words of warning for parents about plugging kids in too young and allowing them to plug in too often.
Salisbury says studies show that technological gadgets have addictive potential, a phenomenon called reward deficiency syndrome. When people use computers, televisions, video games or other electronic devices, dopamine levels rise in the brain, Salisbury said. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter similar to adrenaline that affects a person’s capacity to feel pleasure.
“When you shut that off, you have a dopamine crash,” she said. The user wants that feeling again and so returns to the device.
That desire to plug in can eventually lead to physical inactivity and social withdrawal, something parents should guard against, Salisbury said.
The second concern for Salisbury is the potential danger for young kids in devices such as cell phones and laptops.
“The other issue that we have to be careful about is all the Internet connections. - Kids are not able to discriminate very well between what is OK and what isn’t OK,” she said. “It’s harder for a parent to monitor something that is totally mobile.”
Salisbury doesn’t set hard and fast age guidelines for kids and technological toys. Instead, she encourages parents to explore their motives for buying them.
“Is it that they are feeling the pressure that they have to get this for my child?” she said. “Is it something that is going to benefit their family and their child?”
If a cell phone is needed for communication with a very young child, Salisbury encourages parents to use technology to set guidelines. Some phones can be programmed to only call a few specific numbers. Don’t add extra frills.
“Does a fourth-grader really need to be texting?” Salisbury said.
More than anything, Salisbury wants parents to recognize the social disconnect that can occur from too much time plugged in, whether it’s the television, cell phone or MP3 player.
Eat together as a family, she said. Talk to and with your kids and set some ground rules.
Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8414.
Emily Iverson, 14, texts messages a friend at home on Friday after school. Iverson’s mother, Linda Iverson, said her daughter is only allowed to text during her free time and only after homework and her chores are completed. She said there is no texting during family time and her daughter isn’t allowed to take her phone into her bedroom. (Ryan Soderlin/Journal staff)
The opinions above are from readers of rapidcityjournal.com and in no way represent the views of the Rapid City Journal or Lee Enterprises.
Rapidcityjournal.com provides this community forum for readers to exchange ideas and opinions on the news of the day. Passionate views, pointed criticism and critical thinking are welcome. Name-calling, crude language and personal abuse are not welcome. Moderators will monitor comments with an eye toward maintaining a high level of civility in this forum. Our comment policy explains the rules of the road for registered commenters.
If you don't see your comment, perhaps...
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy