A young mind is like a sponge. You need to nourish it with the right ingredients to ensure the best starting foot in life. Keep informed for your child’s future.

Playing in trees and drawing on grandma’s vein-filled legs while she nods off is very quickly fading out as a pass time for children.  Communication devices and new age technology has not only changed the lives of adults but also those of children.

Most noticeable changes in children’s behaviour is how they interact with one another. Running around and increasing heart rates for hours has a great positive impact on children’s health but in modern life kids are face planted in front of a television, laptop or tablet for most part of a late afternoon.  Obesity among children has been on a steady incline which is a huge concern and almost directly related to how a child has been groomed to spend hours in front of a device instead of burning fuel running about.

Besides the obvious negative influence of technology on children there is also what the eye cannot see like how important it is for a child to play outdoors. The sun is a great source of vitamin D responsible for intestinal absorption of calcium. In addition, exposure to the outdoors reduces anxiety and stress and grounds young minds.  Playtime for children plays a massive role in their development and should be carefully monitored to ensure your child benefits from his or her activities.

The more common effects of children over indulging in technology are the effect it has on their eyes and mind.  Staring into the blue rays of a screen at night suppresses a hormone called melatonin which controls one’s sleep and wake cycle. Falling asleep becomes difficult for a child after being exposed to a screen for too long. Cutting down on TV and computer interaction and monitoring these activities on a daily basis prevents sleep disorders and promotes a clear healthy mind.

The ability to be focused requires the mind to be sharp and in shape. Children who play many video and online games have less of an ability to focus and tend to think if things superficially and less critically.  Their ability to focus is hampered by overstimulation caused by hours on a hand-held or desktop device. Just think of how you feel after hours of playing the online blackjack NZ has to offer, and imagine your eyes were still developing and were far more sensitive than they are now.

Having only pointed out the disadvantages technology has on children will not be fair. As with anything if done in moderation children can hugely benefit from iteration with the technology that is available today. Children learn and grow through the use of the Internet and educational apps which aids hand eye coordination. This is reached when your child’s eyes follows moving objects on a device and actively participates in activities an application provides.

More advantages technology has on children include improved reading through eBooks, higher capacity for visual attention through tactical children’s games, problem solving skills and many others.

Technology is still a new development and its impact on adults and children alike is yet to be determined in time.  What you can be sure of is that monitored and disciplined interaction with technology can only benefit a growing child. As the world changes into a technology driven era we as parents need to grow with it and ensure that we provide our children with the best advantage available for their journey into adulthood.