Too Much Technology?

"In primitive times, human beings engaged in physical labor, and sensory stimulation was natural and simple. Rapid advances in technology and transportation have resulted in a physically sedentary society with high frequency, duration and intensity of sensory stimuli" (Nelson M 2006) - from the Zone'In Fact Sheet, Rowan, 2010.
It is apparent that technology now plays a major role in the daily lives of adults, adolescents, and young children.  But how much is too much?  Basically any technology entertainment below the age of 2 is too much, and even beyond that the TV and video games do nothing to improve a child's intellectual or physical development.  Below are some statistics, taken from the Zone'In Fact Sheet by Cris Rowan, on the current overuse of technology concerning children and then below that are some facts on what children actually need for their developmental growth. 

The current state of technology use by children:
* On average, children ages 0-2 years are watching 2.2 hours of TV per day, children ages 3-5 are watching 4.5 hours a day, and elementary aged kids are watching 6.5 hours a day (Christakis, D., 2007)
* Elementary aged kids are using a combination of technologies (TV, cell phone, internet, video games, ipod) for an average of 8 hours a day (Kaiser Foundation Report, 2010)
* Over 60% of children report their parents do not restrict their access to technology; 75% of these children have TV’s in their bedrooms (Kaiser Foundation Report, 2010).
* For every 1 hour of TV watched each day between the ages of 0 and 7, the risk of attention problems by the age of 7 increases by 10% (Christakis, D., 2004)
* A large body of research over the past 3 decades has linked the content and hours of technology use to the following: obesity, attention deficit disorders, drug and alcohol use, sexual behavior, and low academic achievement (Nunez-Smith M 2004, Zimmerman F 2007, Hancox R 2005, Murray J 2006), as well as violent behaviors, developmental delays, and attachment disorders
* 30 % of children entering kindergarten are developmentally delayed (Petersen, 2006)
* The incidence of obesity in children is on the rise and as of 2001 5% of boys ages and 10.8% of girls age 2-5 were considered obese (Harvey-Berino J 2001); the percentage today has most likely increased
* "These environmental changes are faster than human being’s ability to adapt and evolve. Children who immerse themselves in virtual reality may exhibit signs of sensory deprivation, as they become disconnected from the world of physical play and meaningful interactions" (Tannock M 2008).

What children need for development:
•The most critical factors for optimal child development are movement, touch and connection to other humans (Insel R 2001, Korkman M 2001)
* Children need 3-4 hours per day of active play and movement to achieve enough stimulation to the vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile sensory systems (National Association for Sport and Physical Education 2002) in order to develop their posture, bilateral coordination and optimal arousal states necessary for handwriting and reading literacy (Schaff R 2007, Braswell J 2006, Rine R, 2004)
* The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 should not watch any TV and that all children over the age of 2 should be limited to no more than 1-2 hours of TV a day (Children, adolescents and television. Committee on Public Education, AAP 2001)

These statistics are from the Zone'In wbesite and I recommend that you look at the Fact Sheet page for more shocking facts on how overly-obsessed our children (and parents) have become with technology and entertainment and the impact that it's having on the development of our children's intelligence, literacy, motor skills, social skills, behavior, emotion/psychological healtth and physical health.

After reading those facts, you might be starting to worry that your children are watching too much TV or playing too many video games.  Listen, it can happen to parents with the best of intentions. I'm an occupational therapist, therefore specializing in child development, and I should have known better, but TV managed to become a habit in our household and I had never really intended it to.  After the birth of my son, my daughter (who was 18 months at the time) was introduced to TV and in a span of a few months went from watching an occasional PBS show to probably watching 1-2 hours of TV a day.  By the age of 2 she was obsessed and was constantly asking for the TV at home and in the car.  That's when I realized what a problem I had on my hands.  My issue is that I was juggling a toddler and a new baby with working part time and all the other household duties.  I'm no different from any other mom - my struggles are not unique - and my fix in a situation where I needed to have my child entertained so that I could get something done was to turn the TV on for a little while; something, I know, that many other moms do.  But after listening to a webinar by, occupational therapist, Cris Rowan (Zone'In Inc) on The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child, I recognized the terrible path of technology over-dependence my family was starting to go down and I became instantly invested in this topic both for the sake of my family and the families that I serve in my OT practice.

After already having cut back on TV when my toddler became a TV-fiend, I then cut out the TV altogether after listening to the Webinar.  My son had just turned 1 and he didn't need to have it on around him anyway.  For the first few days after the switch to no TV my 2 1/2 year old daughter begged for her shows constantly.  Every time we were in the car she whined to watch something and every time I heard her desperate requests I calmly reminded her that we didn't watch TV anymore and she could earn it as part of her good behavior incentives (along with books and games).  I would also follow up with a quick explanation of why we weren't watching TV (i.e. it wasn't good for our brains) and would offer her an alternative activity.  If we were in the car I kept books and travel games handy as well as books on CD.  But here's the best part..... after a few days she stopped asking for TV!  She stopped telling me she was bored and she started playing with her toys independently, reading her books, playing with her brother, and asking to go outside.  She's always been a creative child, but I really saw her creativity expand once we turned the TV off for good.  She can turn any object (toy or non-toy) into something to play with now all on her own.  I feel good knowing that she is happily engaging in activities that are good for her development and not craving TV anymore.

Now, in our house TV is something to be earned on special occasions; my daughter watches about 1 show (or children's movie) a week, sometimes none. My 1 year old son does not watch any TV. My husband and I have made the decision to keep limiting the TV in this way, even though our daughter is of the age when the AAP says it is ok for her to watch an hour of TV a day.  We feel that it's much better for her if she doesn't.  When she's not watching TV she's using her brain and body to do other things and interacting with the rest of the family more and that's what we like to see.  Plus, when she knows that TV is only a reward and for special occasions, she doesn't ask for it and I don't have to constantly deal with the negative behavior backlash that always occur with turning the TV off.  This is a choice that I'm sure we'll stick with for a while and implement with our son when he gets older.  It has also affected us in a positive way by naturally decreasing the amount of TV that my husband and I watch.  In fact, we even downgraded our rediculous cable package and save about $50 a month now.

As adults and unresitricted TV watchers, we don't usually stop and think about the effect the TV or video games are having on our children's developing minds and bodies and therefore, may not think it is harmful. Or, we do know, but keep telling ourselves, "I just have to get through this busy day or busy week and then we'll cut back on TV/video games/computer when school starts" (or insert any number of justifications for continuing to watch TV). The problem is, that time never comes because we keep thinking of new reasons why it's too hard to make such a big transition in our lives. We know our kids will fight this change and it's hard to muster up the energy to deal with that, knowing that on the other end WE'RE going to be the ones to have to entertain the kids now. But guess what, it's only hard in the beginning and your kids will be SO MUCH better off because you restrict their TV, video game, and computer use!

When these forms of technology are no longer passively entertaining them, kids have to use their brains, their bodies, their social skills, their imagination. Here's what happens when kids aren't watching TV: they get creative; they learn new things through exploration and discovery (therefore, making them smarter); their reading comprehension improves; their athletic ability improves as they engage in physical activities more; their interests in new activities and topics expands to make them more well rounded and iteresting people; their social skills improve as they play more with other kids, which in turn makes them more successful with making friends and interacting with peers; the list goes on and on. The possibilities are limitless to what children can do when they get involved with activities that use their mind and bodies.
What happens when children watch TV: their brains shut down as they are passively entertained; they are not interacting with anything or anyone as they sit and watch TV; there are no opportunities to be creative, explore, discover, or use analytical thinking; their weight and body mass index are increasing as they eat while they sit and watch TV, thus contributing to obesity; their motor skills do not have a chance to improve; they are fine tuning their brains to use only certain parts when they spend so many hours playing video or computer games or watch TV -which means other important areas of the brain do not get the chance to develop and in neuroscience there is a saying about the brain, "Use It or Lose It!"

Bottom line: Everything in moderation - limit your children's use of technology as entertainment and replace most of that time with activities that get them moving and thinking.  TV, video games, and the computer should be treated as a reward, much like sweets. They are not necessary activities for children and adolescents to grow and develop.  In fact, there is a large amount of research out there linking time spent watching TV, video gaming, internet surfing, and using other forms of technology to a number of negative childhood problems that can have lasting effects.  Research has not found that this type of technology benefits children in any way - in fact, Disney has even recalled all of their Baby Einstein DVDs and France has banned the broadcasting of all TV shows aimed at kids under 3.

Parents should take an active role in controlling and limiting their children's exposure to these technologies and encourage more developmentally appropriate activities instead.  TV is not going to teach your child to talk, to engage socially, to move, to read, to think critically.  Video games and the computer will not teach your child to be compassionate, athletic, explore and discover, and much as some might think, playing video games will not improve overall fine motor skills.  It is the job of parents to take the time to engage with their children, teach them these things, and create opportunities for children to learn and experience more.  Being a parent is a huge responsibility and an amazing gift, but we only get one chance to mold and shape our children into the best people they can possibly be.  Children only get one childhood and it is our job to make it a wonderful experience for them.  The best way to do this is to limit the technology and play with your kids, read to them, cook with them, take them places...... turn every day, ordinary moments into wonderful teaching opportunities and chances to grow closer as a family.  You will never regret taking the time to do these things, but in the future you may regret not doing it.

For tips on cutting out TV and activities to do instead, read the next post: Simple Steps for Turning the TV Off (and what to do instead).