It is astounding how much technology affects our everyday lives. Credit cards, computers, phones, even the GPS in our cars. It seems to the naked eye that most of our everyday tasks have been simplified with the help of technology. However, with this new flood of stimulating information, how will it affect us in the long run?
In recent studies scientists have found that children under the age of 7 who have been exposed to excessive technology, such as television and video games, have shown an increase in mood disorders as well as irritability and mental illness.
So with this new information, is the widespread use of technology within everyday life helping or hindering the development of the human race? In my personal opinion the amazing benefits of technology should be limited to those above the age of 10 which would thereby pass over the critical period of personality development, ( between the ages of 2 and 6.) By introducing technology, especially with inappropriate content, to children within this age range, there has shown a substantially higher chance of developing a mood disorder later in life.
A perfect example of this would be Albert Bandura’s psychological experiment with the Bobo doll’s done in 1936. During the experiment young boys and girls were exposed to adults either using violent or kind actions towards the dolls. It was found that children observing aggressive behavior were far more likely to repeat the aggressive behaviors themselves compared to the children exposed to non aggressive behavior.
With this in mind, the introduction of violent video games and television within this critical period of time can result in a wide range of personality and mood disorders later on in life.
Violence aside, the brain, no matter how old, has never been designed to stare at screens. The light given off by smartphones and tablets is absorbed within the eye and triggers a protein called Melanopsin which signals the brain’s internal clock to stay awake. While this may not be the worst thing when you’re trying to wake up at the office, prolonged use of these devices can cause serious damage. Looking at devices late at night can attribute to insomnia, night terrors and circadian rhythm disorders. Last year Apple even came out with the “night time mode” in which the blue light emitted by your phone is reduced after a certain hour. This effort was in hopes that individuals would be exposed to less harmful lights late at night and would decrease the rates of sleep disorders.
Aside from these serious issues, there have been several new studies which indicate an early presence on social media, especially in young girls, can lead to self confidence issues, emotional disorders as well as anxiety and depression. With young girls being constantly told what they should look and act like, the need to be perfect has never been more prominent. By introducing social media to older users who have already passed this critical period in development, these detrimental effects on self esteem can be avoided.
The exciting new field of technology is in no way going to slow down because of these studies. Scientists and engineers will continue to create new and exciting platforms in which technology can be explored and enjoyed. However, the future may see an increase in regulations on what demographics can access it. So for the moment, these minor side effects remain overshadowed by the extremely positive effect which technology has offered us in the 21st century.