Are Future Generations Becoming Digitally Native?
As a child, ‘I’m bored’ was always answered with ‘go read a book then’ or ‘go play outside then’. But now when those same few answers are suggested to my younger siblings, their answer involves reaching for their iPad to catch up on where they left off from on Angry Birds assuming that the outside world doesn’t exist.
Being born digitally native is an interesting subject. I’m not talking about those born in the 80s when the digital expansion was just beginning to emerge (Techopedia, N.D.); I’m talking about those born in the past few years. Born growing up with iPads and iPhones on the Christmas list rather than Barbie dolls and toy dinosaurs. The digital natives are those who have been surrounded by everything digital their whole life, knowing nothing less than technical products (Dictionaries, 2011, pp. 187 & 439).
Statistics revealed that within a UK study on 6,500 children aged seven-eight, ‘51% achieved the recommended hour of physical activity each day’ (Zollinger-Read, 2013). A second study found that ‘1 in 10 children has a mobile phone by the age of 5’ (Zollinger-Read, 2013). FIVE!! Obviously the effect of being stuck in one room with one focus on a frustrating digital product is inevitable causing mood swings, lacking social communication skills and obesity. Is this escalating evidence showing a correlation between the fall in young children kicking a football in a field and a rise in FIFA sales?
Outside enjoyment is turning into virtual compulsions and the future is looking bleak.
It is apparent that the rapid involvement of technology amid youngsters causes quite a stir for parents. Their teenagers are evolving into ‘screenagers’ incapable of common face-to-face conversation (Tapscott, D, p. 3). Concerns are raised not just because of the replacement of imaginative physical toy-play, but huge worries develop around the diminishing social and people skills, as they get older (Childre, 2013).
However, when used in a proper way, for educational resources, the use of digital products such as tablets can be highly beneficial enhancing language skills, problem solving and higher capacity in visual attention (Leith, 2011). But the children using these digital technologies in an academic and beneficial way are soon trading math skills programs for the Candy Crush Saga, which is a worrying truth.
Whilst these parents mainly fear these technical products, publishers are clinging to the parental fears. To a surprise, the discussion of digital progression within the children's book sector is very minimum with parents ambushing children with one of the most important aspects of growing up – reading (from a book!) – and pushing this reading skill doesn’t seem to be applied using digital products (Leith, 2011).
Despite the fear that these parents apparently have about their children fully growing up knowing nothing but technology, where books are in the ‘olden days’ and tablets are the norm, it’s becoming all too frequent when walking around a shopping center and spotting children in their pushchairs snuggling a tablet or iPhone rather than a teddy bear. Is this the future for the upcoming generations? Is this something we should really fear or an encouraging advance into the future?
Word Count: 493
Bibliography
· Childre, S. (2013). Children and Technology, Should You be Concerned? Online: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/children-and-technology-should-you-be-concerned.html, [Accessed: 01/11/2014]
· Dictionaries, O. 2011. Oxford Mini Dictionary and Thesaurus. UK: Oxford University Press.
· Leith, S. 2011. Don't fear the Reader: how technology can benefit children's books. Online: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/23/childrens-books-technology, [Accessed: 01/11/2014]
· Tapscott, D. 2009. Grown up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.
· Techopedia. N.D. Digital Revolution. Online: http://www.techopedia.com/definition/23371/digital-revolution, [Accessed: 01/11/2014]
Being born digitally native is an interesting subject. I’m not talking about those born in the 80s when the digital expansion was just beginning to emerge (Techopedia, N.D.); I’m talking about those born in the past few years. Born growing up with iPads and iPhones on the Christmas list rather than Barbie dolls and toy dinosaurs. The digital natives are those who have been surrounded by everything digital their whole life, knowing nothing less than technical products (Dictionaries, 2011, pp. 187 & 439).
Statistics revealed that within a UK study on 6,500 children aged seven-eight, ‘51% achieved the recommended hour of physical activity each day’ (Zollinger-Read, 2013). A second study found that ‘1 in 10 children has a mobile phone by the age of 5’ (Zollinger-Read, 2013). FIVE!! Obviously the effect of being stuck in one room with one focus on a frustrating digital product is inevitable causing mood swings, lacking social communication skills and obesity. Is this escalating evidence showing a correlation between the fall in young children kicking a football in a field and a rise in FIFA sales?
Outside enjoyment is turning into virtual compulsions and the future is looking bleak.
It is apparent that the rapid involvement of technology amid youngsters causes quite a stir for parents. Their teenagers are evolving into ‘screenagers’ incapable of common face-to-face conversation (Tapscott, D, p. 3). Concerns are raised not just because of the replacement of imaginative physical toy-play, but huge worries develop around the diminishing social and people skills, as they get older (Childre, 2013).
However, when used in a proper way, for educational resources, the use of digital products such as tablets can be highly beneficial enhancing language skills, problem solving and higher capacity in visual attention (Leith, 2011). But the children using these digital technologies in an academic and beneficial way are soon trading math skills programs for the Candy Crush Saga, which is a worrying truth.
Whilst these parents mainly fear these technical products, publishers are clinging to the parental fears. To a surprise, the discussion of digital progression within the children's book sector is very minimum with parents ambushing children with one of the most important aspects of growing up – reading (from a book!) – and pushing this reading skill doesn’t seem to be applied using digital products (Leith, 2011).
Despite the fear that these parents apparently have about their children fully growing up knowing nothing but technology, where books are in the ‘olden days’ and tablets are the norm, it’s becoming all too frequent when walking around a shopping center and spotting children in their pushchairs snuggling a tablet or iPhone rather than a teddy bear. Is this the future for the upcoming generations? Is this something we should really fear or an encouraging advance into the future?
Word Count: 493
Bibliography
· Childre, S. (2013). Children and Technology, Should You be Concerned? Online: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/children-and-technology-should-you-be-concerned.html, [Accessed: 01/11/2014]
· Dictionaries, O. 2011. Oxford Mini Dictionary and Thesaurus. UK: Oxford University Press.
· Leith, S. 2011. Don't fear the Reader: how technology can benefit children's books. Online: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/23/childrens-books-technology, [Accessed: 01/11/2014]
· Tapscott, D. 2009. Grown up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.
· Techopedia. N.D. Digital Revolution. Online: http://www.techopedia.com/definition/23371/digital-revolution, [Accessed: 01/11/2014]