Technology has now become a part of many lives in America. This includes television, gaming consoles, smartphones, and the internet. I must admit that I definitely enjoy these things, as they help me through boredom and I find them fun. Despite this, I know that there are many bad effects to this new way of living, and I have seen these effects take place in society, with friends, even my own household. After reading the consequences of having a technology-oriented life, hopefully some people will decide to make a change in their own household.
Let’s start with the children in the family, and by children I mean the kids from ages 3 to 12. Kids are very vulnerable to technology at this young age. What they have access to can greatly affect their lifestyle as they grow older. Have you ever noticed the way young children watch television? They are in a trance, sucked into the world of the show they are watching. This is their world now. Now, this could be a good thing, considering the fact that parents can be busy and need to occupy their kids with something distracting, usually TV. On the other hand, many parents let their kids pick the channel they watch. This is not a good thing, because of the way TV shows portray relations between parents and children. What usually happens is the child goes against the parents’ orders, have fun, and the parents forgive them in the end and apologize for being too strict. Few times will the children face consequences for their bad behavior, and even then their punishment is being grounded, which by the next episode, their punishment is over. Young children like to copy the behavior of their favorite TV characters, and many will follow this bad behavior. The next time your child or tween is acting up, take a look at some of their favorite TV shows and find out if this could be the source to their problem. Also consider watching TV with your child and picking which channels and shows they should be able to view. Make sure also to monitor your children after their bedtime, if they have a personal laptop, computer, or smartphone. Kids can get caught up in the wrong websites, like chatting with strangers on webcams. This can be extremely dangerous and can expose your little one to “adult” subjects. Next time you send your child off to bed, check on them about 15 minutes later to make sure they are being safe.
Though technology is greatly affecting the children in society, we shouldn’t leave the parents out of this equation either. I have noticed that parents are starting to get addicted, mainly to smartphones and Facebook, just like teenagers. Adults are constantly updating their statuses on Facebook, most of the ones who own an account anyways. Moms are very addicted to their phones, calling up their friends and co-workers to talk about their day at work and with the family. In my house, the women are the ones who use up all the minutes. Many parents are also addicted to TV shows. Let “The Walking Dead” be an example. Many adults I know, even grandparents, are addicted to this series. I watch TV very much less than the adults in my household do. This leads to my family not coming together at the dinner table anymore. I am usually eating by myself there, since I have not been sucked into the lifestyle of technology-everything. This action can also cause children and teens to be on their smartphones at the dinner table, not paying attention to their food but online browsing the web or texting their friends. Obviously, this will lead to weight problems. America is the fattest country in the world, and there is no wonder why this is true. We let technology rule our children, our parents, and our society as a whole. Eating at the dinner table without the interference of technology has shown to have healthy effects on family.
Overall, having smartphones, computers, television, and social networking can be very convenient and enjoyable, but we need to think of the longterm effects this will have on family life and the lifestyle of children as they grow older and start to make their own decisions. I advise you that you should start right now and make a change for the better, and a change for your family’s sake.
