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Youth spend nearly every waking minute on line
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| The17sss |
I knew it was bad... but I didn't know it was "this" bad:
| quote: | The average young American now spends practically every waking minute except for the time in school using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day with such devices, compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago, when the study was last conducted. And that does not count the hour and a half that youths spend texting, or the half-hour they talk on their cellphones.
And because so many of them are multitasking say, surfing the Internet while listening to music they pack on average nearly 11 hours of media content into that seven and a half hours.
I feel like my days would be boring without it, said Francisco Sepulveda, a 14-year-old Bronx eighth grader who uses his smart phone to surf the Web, watch videos, listen to music and send or receive about 500 texts a day.
The studys findings shocked its authors, who had concluded in 2005 that use could not possibly grow further, and confirmed the fears of many parents whose children are constantly tethered to media devices. It found, moreover, that heavy media use is associated with several negatives, including behavior problems and lower grades. |
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/e...ner=rss&emc=rss
Thoughts/feelings on this issue? There rest of the article goes into more detail if you want to click on the link and read it. |
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| kadomony |
I just wonder what Ganon's up to. |
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| Lunar Phase 7 |
I really don't see the problem.
The internet and digital device is to now what TV was before. Nothing has changed but the medium.
Multitasking is a fantastic skill and many of these devices in themselves often result in children developing in ways people never though possible, even counter intuitively.
Case in point:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8468351.stm
There are millions of things kids learn without even realising it. And in an ever tech dependent world, having digital devices as proxy limbs more or less will only help in the future.
I see adults now who can't even work email or text properly.
My youngest brother can figure out pretty much anything quickly because he plays with this all the time.
Is he a recluse? Nope, he spends more time socialising via xbox live, facebook, etc. than anything else.
It's not the future it's now and people need to just accept that being connected is pretty much an essential commodity these days. |
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| The17sss |
| Lunar Phase- you make some great points. It's impossible to fight against it anyway... that's just how it is today. Kids growing up with computers at home, in the classroom, and all these tehcy devices; it can't be stopped. |
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| apple country |
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| Lunar Phase 7 |
| quote: | Originally posted by The17sss
Lunar Phase- you make some great points. It's impossible to fight against it anyway... that's just how it is today. Kids growing up with computers at home, in the classroom, and all these tehcy devices; it can't be stopped. |
Precisely. It irritates me to no end when you get old folk trying to push antiquated methods in school. Like reading a book. Jesus Christ, get em to write on a slate too while you are at it.
Print is sadly irrelevant in 99% of the cases. Pupils should not be told using Google is wrong. The it is!
Kids need to be shown by competent adults how to identify and refine information, sifting the real from the . Not told to "Go read a book on Space printed in 1992." |
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| JD8180 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Lunar Phase 7
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I agree for the most part. I feel like the people that are part of the statistic they're negatively talking about, if they really put their minds to it, could probably be heaps more efficient with all the multitasking skills they're picking up on.
Another thing to note, I see my dad (who I compare to the older, not so technology-fluent generation) and one thing that bothers me is the fact that for EVERY single thing he buys, he MUST read the entire instruction booklet from end to end before he turns it on. I know that some things are worth reading the manual, but when it comes to things like operating a microwave, or using an adding machine, I think the average person can easily pick up on everything without having to open the manual once.
The only draw back to these kids is that a good chunk are fat because they sit on their asses all day. I remember being a kid and playing outside with all the other neighborhood kids every day after school and I really don't see that anymore. |
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| Lunar Phase 7 |
| quote: | Originally posted by JD8180
The only draw back to these kids is that a good chunk are fat because they sit on their asses all day. I remember being a kid and playing outside with all the other neighborhood kids every day after school and I really don't see that anymore. |
Also I think diet has a lot to play with this too though, food is pure theses days. But you're right kids do spend less time outside.
With all that said kids don't need to fear infant disease that killed thousands not too many moons ago, and even though kids eat unhealthily and make lack in vitamin nutrients, in the UK around a century ago (and less) kids would still starve to death.
So again, little has changed, there have just been paradigm shifts. And what change there has been ultimately has been positive. |
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| Clovis |
| A book will always have more value to me than a digital version on a screen. |
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| idoru |
| quote: | | ... and confirmed the fears of many parents whose children are constantly tethered to media devices. |
The parents only have themselves to blame. If your child is dependent on media devices then it's because you raised them that way. |
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| Schadenfreude |
| quote: | Originally posted by The17sss
Lunar Phase- you make some great points. It's impossible to fight against it anyway... that's just how it is today. Kids growing up with computers at home, in the classroom, and all these tehcy devices; it can't be stopped. |
not true.
if the parents got involved in their childrens lives instead of being just as lazy as the children it would not be this way.
Monkey see, monkey do.
if kids have too much access to technology leading to complete abandonment of physical activity.
it is the parents fault.
generally when any child is a up, the answer is at home and in the parents.
if kids eat nothing but food, who does the groceries? |
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